With enrollment continuing to dip in sororities and fraternities at the U over recent years, the 2006 Greek Council has announced plans to improve methods and policies during Recruitment Week to accommodate the many students who have difficulties dealing with the travel, time and money Recruitment Week demands.

Alas, the money hasn’t changed-it still costs $35 for students to participate in the seven-or-so days formerly known as Rush Week. Greek leaders maintain that the charge covers a number of services that rushers enjoy throughout the week, including entertainment and food. But at least the few small measures they have taken to make events more accessible, together with the newfound resolution they have adopted in ratcheting up marketing efforts, should pay off with some degree of improvement in the dwindling numbers.

Why improve participation in the greek system, you ask? Nobody’s arguing the merits of fraternities and sororities (who will themselves provide ample evidence of their benefits, often without prompting), but that it simply cannot hurt students to know more about the social opportunities available to them around campus.

Perhaps joining a fraternity or sorority is not for you, but at least now some students whose tedious schedules previously failed to allow involvement in Rush Week-and students who lived too far away to attend the events-will get a chance to see what greeks are all about.

The Panhellenic Council should be encouraged to continue finding new ways to increase participation, particularly as the U’s commuter-based student body continues to expand farther and farther into the recesses of the valley and campus participation and tradition reach new lows.

Other student social organizations around campus need to adopt similar measures to ensure that their institutions remain accessible and viable as times and trends change and the U’s community continues to evolve.