By Jamie Bowen

Since Saturday, students have lined up for greek Rush Week sign-ups, eager to join fraternities or sororities. Rush Week ends today with all the normal activities and atmosphere, but there is something different in the air. Greek Row is setting out to show that its fraternities and sororities are for anyone who wants to join, trying new marketing strategies and trying to connect with the other greek systems on campus. It seems to have worked. ?It?s the largest recruitment in eight years,? said Mari Broadhead, Panhellenic recruitment chair. There were 85 students who rushed for the fraternities during the past weekend and 204 for the sororities. One of the biggest marketing tools to help bring students to Rush and diversity to the greek system is having scholarships, Broadhead said. This is the second year of the scholarship program, and 16 scholarships are available. The fraternities will receive eight $500 scholarships?seven from each chapter house and one from the Interfraternity Council. The other eight scholarships are being provided for the sororities?five by the chapter houses, one from the Panhellenic Council, one from the Northern Utah Alumnae Panhellenic and one from the alumni from Delta Delta Delta whose chapter house was shut down in spring of 2006. This year a large number of applicants came in, which helped spark the interest in rushing, said Jake O?Connor. To be able to apply for and receive the scholarship, the applicant has to complete Rush Week, he said. The other big change for Greek Row is the way in which it is trying to connect with the other greeks on campus. ?We are trying to create bridges with other greeks on campus?LDSSA (Latter-day Saints Student Association) and the multicultural greeks?no matter what your values are,? Broadhead said. With all the changes and new marketing efforts, the work seems to have paid off in numbers, Broadhead said. Rush Week concludes tonight with the final tallies on the Union lawn, where greeks will auction off their bright and beautiful in a night of fun.