Fraternities kick off men's fall recruitment

When Freshman Daniel Martinko met with fraternity brothers, he didn't ask about girls, beer or parties. Instead, Martinko said he asked about the quality of the people who lived in the houses.\n"I don't want to live in a house like 'Animal House,'" Martinko said.\nThis year's Men's Recruitment process was not only for potential members searching for a home in the greek community, but also for the fraternities seeking new members to continue their legacies.\nInstead of attending presentations at the chapter houses, this year's information sessions in Ballantine Hall allowed potential members answer this question based on the men, not the physical appearances of their houses. Brian Moak, vice president of recruitment for the Interfraternity Council, said last year's excessive informality prompted the IFC to change the recruitment process.\n"The benefits of this year's rush are that it is more formal, contained and easier to track progress. It gives us more factual statistics to learn from," Moak said.\nThe weekend began Friday afternoon at Dunn Meadow with the registration process. Potential members paid $10 for the recruitment experience, an informational "Greek Life" CD, and a free Pizza Express dinner on Saturday evening.\nOver 700 men registered for recruitment this year, a decrease from the 900 who registered last year. Of the 900 who registered, only 45 percent signed with a fraternity.\nEach potential fraternity member was assigned to a recruitment group of 40-45 fellow students.\nRecruitment groups were led by recruitment counselors wearing red baseball T-shirts with "Men's Recruitment" printed across the chest, hailing from each of the 23 chapters. They are disaffiliated from their chapters for the duration of men's recruitment to ensure impartiality.\nJunior Matthew Haft said he applied to be a recruitment counselor online through the IFC Web site. He was accepted, and attended four meetings in which he learned what to say and what not to say.\n"We're trying to give the guys a non-biased view," Haft said. "We want to improve the quality of guys who pledge."\nAfter talking briefly with their recruitment counselors, the potential members walked around and talked to the men at each of 23 tables. Music blared in the background and men could purchase pizza at a discount.\nEach fraternity selected 12 representatives to attend Friday's event. The limited number of representatives from each chapter helped ensure fairness for the smaller chapters.\nSaturday afternoon, the potential members attended informational sessions presented by each chapter in classrooms in Ballantine Hall. During each session, the formally-dressed members introduced themselves, listed famous alumni and stated the length of their chapter's pledgeship. Some, but not all, of the chapters made their no-hazing policies clear. At the end of the session, the men mingled and talked one-on-one.\nMike Friedman, president of Phi Kappa Sigma, also known as the Skulls, said their chapter had a retreat to concentrate on traits they look for in potential members.\n"We look for honor, respect and hard workers," Friedman said. "We want focused people who are goal-oriented and well balanced. They should fit in and enjoy themselves."\nMen who missed formal recruitment but still wish to join can register at the Indiana Memorial Union activities tower, Room 371.\n-- Contact staff writer Alli Stolper at astolper@indiana.edu.