Men still have chance to ‘go greek’

It’s not too late for the men of IU to ‘go greek.’

The Interfraternity Council will be holding a spring rush kickoff event from 4 to 6 p.m Friday in the Frangipani Room of the Indiana Memorial Union.

Senior TJ Blair, IFC vice president of recruitment, said the event is an opportunity for unaffiliated men to learn more about the 29 IFC fraternities represented on IU’s campus.

“It’s a chance to meet individuals from all houses and learn what their house is founded on,” Blair said. “You learn what greek life is like from their perspectives.”

Representatives from each house will be available for prospective new members to meet and ask questions.

This is the second formal rush event this school year. Blair said the fall rush event, typically held in Dunn Meadow, is more social and informal.

On Saturday and Sunday, houses will be open for potential new members to tour.

In addition, Blair said the IFC is looking to hold some “greek-wide” events in the next few weeks so that people who are unable to attend Friday’s event have another opportunity to meet individuals from each house.

“We want them to fit us into their schedules,” Blair said. “We’re trying to become accessible to everyone.”

Every IFC fraternity will then be open for potential new members to visit for the next three weeks, when fraternities will submit their lists of recruits to the IFC and new members will begin the process of becoming brothers.

Blair said the spring event is generally much smaller due to a smaller pool of interested candidates.

“Most individuals who decided to join have already joined,” Blair said.

Additionally, Blair said some students who might potentially be interested in going greek do not attend because they have already signed leases for off-campus housing and believe this will make them unable to join.

“It’s a misconception,” Blair said. “Most houses will help you get out of a lease.”

IFC President Colin Nabity said he was also concerned about how the cost of joining a fraternity might keep people away.

“One of our bigger concerns is with the economy,” Nabity said. “We’re not sure if that will affect how many people will come out to rush.”

While he remains unsure about how financial issues will affect recruitment this spring, Nabity said he believes there are still plenty of possible new members for IFC fraternities.

“We’re always looking for talented, driven young men to join the greek community,” Nabity said.