C of C sororities have traditionally recruited freshmen and newly interested girls the first week of school. For the fall of 2010, however, the Panhellenic Council is moving recruitment up a week, beginning before classes start.
The council is effectively inconveniencing the entire campus, especially existing members and freshman girls.
The recruitment schedule will not be finalized until another vote April 21, but as of now girls must register for rush by August 10. Many girls do not come to college planning to join a sorority. Information from orientation and events like student organization street fairs and “Taste of Greek Life” can be the only things to convince many girls to rush. Out-of-state students attending the final orientation session August 19 will miss the chance to learn about Greek life at C of C before they commit to rushing. The change will disadvantage girls who do not know they want to join a sorority before they get to Charleston.
Moving rush to before classes start and forcing girls to commit even earlier will hurt C of C sororities because they will lose a huge pool of recruits. While freshmen are moving into their dorms, saying goodbye to their families and meeting their new classmates, committed girls will be distracted by rush and everyone who did not know enough in advance will be locked out of the opportunity to join.
No other student organizations make recruits commit before school starts, but that does not mean it is an unfair advantage for sororities. Organizations generally want to raise student interest and attract more members. Sorority membership will only shrink if it is more difficult to join. Maybe the council wants a more exclusive, committed rush group, but in the end it will only be robbing sororities of possible members.
The council may also increase the upperclassmen quota for sororities, forcing them to accept a mandated number of older girls. On one hand, it may help upperclassmen get into a sorority, but it is also a form of affirmative action. The council does not need to impose any more rules or demand that a certain percent of new members are from any certain demographic.
Traditional sorority recruitment already seems way too complex and convoluted to most of the non-Greek college community. Demanding earlier commitment, enforcing new rules and dominating girls’ lives before classes even start will only separate the Greek community from the rest of the campus and create more tension among the sororities themselves.