Frats open doors for men's fall rush

On Friday, Dunn Meadow was filled with students throwing Frisbees, tossing footballs and wandering aimlessly as freshmen males flooded the field to register for men's fall rush. Freshmen Jason Mullins and Ryan Smith are two such men who took part in the event in order to educate themselves about which fraternities could be the right ones for them. \n"I'm looking for brotherhood," Mullins said. "Making close friends that last a lifetime. I don't want to join a house where all the people do is party. I don't want to fail or flunk."\nThe two freshmen both began the rush process by registering at Dunn Meadow on Friday. Representatives from each fraternity, all donning official T-shirts from their respective houses, approached both freshmen to give them additional information. Mullins had the same response after each respective member of a house would greet them. \n"They seemed hospitable," he said.\nAfter all the filling out of forms and handing out of pamphlets was complete, Mullins and Smith began their journey by traveling along Third Street to visit Delta Upsilon, Alpha Tau Omega and Acacia. Both decided to make their rounds on Sunday and visit on their own individual tours. \n"I think it's better to go not on the official tour because you get more one-on-one attention," Smith said. "Also, they aren't really expecting you, so they are being themselves when you come."\nEverywhere they visited, they received a tour of each house's unique architecture. Some of these amenities include basements that are fully equipped for parties with stages for performers, dining rooms with personal cooks, entertainment rooms and decks for outdoor partying. Quieter rooms are available for studying, and Acacia even offers a fully wireless computer wing complete with conference rooms. \nSleeping space is maximized in most cases by building a deck that provides two beds underneath and two on top. Although it's not for those who suffer from claustrophobia, it frees up more room for the bar tops, televisions and couches that decorate their living areas. \n"One reason people join our house is because it is much more comfortable then living in a dorm," said vice president of Alpha Tau Omega Sean Viehmann, a senior. "It's a great place to party and have people over, and you can't really do that in most dorms."\nRushees will have more opportunities to spend time inside the houses as a plethora of rush activities kick off today and continue for the next three weeks. Each house will have their own activities such as dinners, parties, cook-outs and sporting events to give people a chance to get to know members of the house better before deciding where to join. \nOne such event at Delta Upsilon is "Jamaican Me Crazy" at which people party in a room filled with over 11 tons of sand. \nDuring these weeks, each frat will look for rushees they feel will fit in their environment.\n"We look for a really personable guy who can contribute to our house," said Acacia rush chairmen Ryan Hutchinson, a junior. "If you don't get a bid it is probably simply because you wouldn't fit in."\nAll of the rush chairmen agreed that it gets pretty competitive when it comes to deciding who will be accepted. Factors such as grades, work ethic and honesty are all taken into consideration by decision makers in the house.\n"It is important to be yourself because if you get in, and we find out that the guy we wanted was actually the guy you were pretending to be, then you aren't going to fit in and you aren't going to be happy there," Hutchinson said.\nEach house Mullins and Smith toured reported that around 600 people showed interest in each fraternity and most houses have limited spots.\n"We had around 700 people sign up, and we have only 40 spots open, so not everyone can make it," said Delta Upsilon rush chairman Nathan Lewis, a junior. "But most people who don't get a bid from one house, will most likely get a bid from another. If not, there are plenty of other opportunities."\nAfter looking at each house, an answer was not clear to either Mullins or Smith about where to join.\n"It's going to take a while to decide," Mullins said. "You need to reevaluate yourself and decide what is important to you and your personality."\nFortunately both plan on attending various events at different fraternities to pick the right place for them. \n"It's so hard to decide because they all have different things to offer," Smith said. "They all have their ups and downs, and you have to decide what is most important to you. It all comes down to where you fit in the most because if you don't feel like you fit in at the place, you really won't feel like it's home"