After a week of barbecues, mechanical bull rides and many long discussions, nearly 200 students joined one of the U’s 16 Greek organizations.
U Greek Council member Chase Winsor said he was pleased with the turnout. Winsor, now in his third year as a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, joined the fraternity to meet new people.
“I lived in the dorms and it sucked,” Winsor said. “I didn’t really know many people?so I decided to check it out.”
The fraternities recruited 95 men during recruitment week, though that number may change slightly as fraternities submit their final statistics this week.
During last year’s recruitment week, 98 men joined fraternities. Although most of the new members are freshmen and sophomores, there is a diversity of ages within the fraternities, Winsor said.
During recruitment week, potential new members tour the various fraternity houses around campus. At each house, pledges get a feel for the fraternity through various events and interaction with current fraternity members.
U sororities approach recruitment week a little differently than the fraternities. Rather than hosting activities, sororities focus on getting to know potential members simply by talking with them.
“I’m quite excited with the girls that went through (recruitment),” said Brittany Anderson, who leads the Panhellenic Recruitment Council for sororities.
While the number of new fraternity pledges dropped slightly, 106 women joined sororities during this year’s recruitment week — an increase from last year’s turnout of 97 women.
Greek organizations offer many benefits to members, Anderson said, including meeting a lot of new people and getting involved on campus and in the community. Every year, U Greek organizations raise thousands of dollars for non-profit organizations. Individual chapters often work to benefit a specific charity throughout the year.
Greek alumni provide benefits to current members, often providing job opportunities and letters of recommendation.
Lori McDonald, assistant dean of students and U adviser to Greek Row, said self-governing fraternities and sororities are “leadership laboratories” for students.
“It’s a great way for people to practice and develop leadership skills,” McDonald said.
“In their ideal, (fraternities and sororities) make men better men and women better women.”
k