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The Indiana Daily Student

Greek women change recruitment date

Panhellenic Association voted Tuesday to move women’s sorority recruitment to after winter break. Formerly, recruitment began the weekend before dead week, which is intended to be a time for students to study for finals.

“It was sending a mixed-value message,” Kelsey Bergren, vice president of recruitment said.

She said they expect girls to receive high grades, but then were at the same time asking them to go through recruitment during a time of “heavy academic focus.”

Michael Goodman, senior assistant director for fraternity and sorority life, said the initial discussion for the change came from an Indiana Daily Student opinion column that ran last December, titled “Sorority Stupidity.” The column points out the contradictions the high-academics sororities teach their women to value, and the kind of choices these same women were forced to make given that recruitment came during a time meant for studying.

“A lot of woman said it’s exhausting,” Goodman said about the previous rush dates. “In between rounds, they’d be studying.”

Although Bergren said she discussed this change with the dean of students, the decision was ultimately made by the chapters.

“I talked to a lot of chapters individually as well and people seemed pretty receptive to the change,” she said.

The new dates for women’s rush will be implemented next year, and Bergren said there is hope these will be the new dates for years to follow.

Hannah Smith

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