After a date change was announced in August, the official schedule for Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic recruitment has been finalized.
The Panhellenic recruitment process is scheduled to begin on Friday, Jan. 27 and will consist of six 45 minute rounds. On Saturday, Jan. 28 there will be four 50 minute rounds and finally on Sunday, Jan. 29, there will be two, one hour rounds followed by bid night. In past years, Panhellenic recruitment has lasted four days instead of three.
The Interfraternity Council Recruitment (IFC) is scheduled to commence on Thursday Jan. 26, and include nine 25 minute visits. The second day on Friday will consist of five 50 minute rounds and will conclude Saturday, Jan. 28, with two one hour and ten minute visits followed by bid night.
“Before classes start there will be no stress, if it was like it was last year I feel like I’d be really stressed out with the beginning of the school year and rush as well,” said first-year Maddie Lombardo.
Campus Living and Development Coordinator, Nick Stepaniak, views the change as promising. “Moving it up two days will be beneficial because there will be no dead week in between so students won't be talking to people in between the recruitment times so they’ll be able to make decisions faster and not have that week interfering with their academics,” Stepaniak said.
Some students sympathize with those who have to miss recruitment due to winter term return dates, but feel the change as still being beneficial for DePauw students.
“I think that rush being earlier definitely is unfair for the people who want to go on winter terms, but I think while looking at the bigger perspective of the semester, being able to rush earlier and being able to start the semester off in whatever house you’re in provides a longer and better experience,” said first-year Julia Bork.
Stepaniak said early recruitment not only benefits underclassmen, but upperclassmen as well, “Looking at it from an upper classman standpoint, some of those classes you have to do prep work, so they won't be practicing, doing recruitment, and then working on homework into the late night.”
Upperclassmen in sororities are pleased with the change. “I think it gives the girls less amount of time to be stressed out,” said sophomore, Regan Giesting, “And that way they really get to learn about themselves in a short period of time and just really embrace it.”
Fraternity upperclassmen are happy that recruitment will not leak over into Sunday, allowing them to have their bid nights on Saturday as they have in past years. “I think Saturday night is good given some of the traditions that some of the houses have,” said senior Akil Davis. “If it were on Sunday, any events that may carry on through the night would affect classwork and people’s lives throughout the week.”
Alternative recruitment will be held, but the dates have not been decided.
After the official opening of Greek property on Oct. 28 , some first-years are excited to embark on the next journey of choosing a Greek chapter without the first week of school distracting them from their decision, “I can focus solely on rush and figuring out what house would be best for me instead of worrying about school work,” Lombardo said.