Students think about going greek

As a freshman, Joshua Becker was sure he'd never join a fraternity. To him, being greek meant only obnoxious partying and smug elitism.\nWhen fraternity recruitment began, though, Becker agreed to give it a chance. He toured the houses, learned about the greek traditions and hung out with brothers.\nToday, Becker is the president of Alpha Tau Omega and a big advocate of the greek community. \n"When I started out, I was strongly against it," Becker said. "I didn't want to go greek, but I took the approach that I would just try it, and I went through the rush process. I'm not going to say everyone's going to like it, but it's one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever done." \nThis year's fraternity recruitment kicks off at 5 p.m. tonight in Dunn Meadow, and for hundreds of young men, it will be their first look at greek life at IU.\nAll 22 chapters will be present, and interested rushees are required to come and register.\nThe event lasts until 9 p.m. Saturday, attendance is also required at formal chapter presentations from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Ballantine Hall. Sunday, buses will take groups of guys out to visit the actual houses. \nThe recruitment process will be markedly different this weekend than in years past, in an effort to inject it with more fairness and accountability.\nThe biggest change is the site selection for the Saturday chapter presentations. In previous years, house tours lasted two days, and presentations tended to focus more than anything else on the house size. \nSigma Chi president Scott Boruff said the selection of Ballantine Hall for chapter presentations will force the fraternities to sell their genuine values and traditions instead of their real estate.\n"In the past, all you had to do was show off your house," Boruff said. "This forces the frats to take a more critical look at themselves and their ideals and let that sell itself."\nThe new process also includes a more active role for the recruitment counselors. Last year, only 45 percent of the young men who initially signed up for recruitment followed through and signed with a house. To boost that number, each counselor will more closely track their group this year than before.\n"It's the ultimate turnover we wanted to control a little better," said Phi Sigma Kappa President Michael Palm. \nThe changes were created at the initiative of Interfraternity Council recruitment chair Brian Moak, who spent last year seeking advice from Dean of Students Richard McKaig and studying how the process is conducted at other universities.\nMoak hopes the changes will lend a new atmosphere of seriousness to recruitment that will carry over into the year. \n"I'd seen that the process needed to be revamped," he said. "We're working on keeping a solid image. If we start off on the right foot, hopefully we'll be able to keep it going."\nThe young men who show up at tonight's kick-off probably won't notice the differences, said Becker. The things that attracted him to fraternity life four years ago remain the same. \n"I live with 80 guys I'm best friends with," he said. "It's something special to be a part of."\nPalm advises unsure rushees to choose the house that best fits their personality. \n"Find the guys you are most comfortable with, the ones you see yourself being friends with," he said. "Rush people like you, not people you want to be."\nHe said going greek has kept him an active member of the IU community. \n"Whether tailgating with alumni or cheering on your Little 500 team, going greek means staying involved all four years of college. It's about meeting the right guys and ensuring a mutual friendship," he said. "How we go about that has just changed a little bit this year."\n-- Contact senior writer Adam VanOsdol at avanosdo@indiana.edu.