First the fresh cut flowers, now the Black Monday festivities. Members in Greek chapters on campus will have to wait before celebrating their new pledge classes.
Last semester DePauw’s Interfraternity and Panhellenic councils revised bylaws regarding Spring 2015 recruitment creating changes to structure and function of recruitment.
Voted into the bylaws back in 2007, National Panhellenic made a unanimous agreement that all 26 organizations on campus would agree not to have a grade point average requirement.
National Panhellenic has rules against discrimination against women regarding their age, race, sexual orientation or grade point average. DePauw’s National Panhellenic Council was unaware of the grade point average rule as of 2007.
Last fall, the council amended their bylaws making a decision no longer requiring women to have a 2.5 GPA requirement for this spring’s 2015 recruitment.
The requirement was previously required in the first place because National Panhellenic Council values the importance of academics.
Although there is no longer a requirement to register and go through recruitment individual chapters have their own GPA standards.
According to Maggie Hayes, coordinator or sorority life, all six houses require above a 2.5, except Kappa Kappa Gamma requires a 2.67.
“Despite no longer having a GPA requirement we didn't want women to have false hope,” said Libby Warren, Panhellenic President
Although there is no longer a GPA requirement, Panhellenic does not have the authority to delegate if chapters choose to select women below their specific requirements.
“Rho Gammas have really stressed the importance of academics in Greek 101, Ice events,” said Warren. “Alexa Masters, [Vice President of Recruitment] has done a good job making sure these women know that academics are important to individual chapters.”
Although chapters have individual GPA requirements they do have the ability to welcome women with a lower GPA.
“It is difficult to say if this change will effect numbers this year,” said Warren.
Although the freshmen class is smaller than last years, percentage of first year women participating in recruitment increased. Thirty-two sophomores will be joining their first-year classmates during recruitment.
However, men that will be participating in Spring 2015 recruitment are required to have a 2.5 and IFC requires men to have a 2.0 to receive an open bid.
“National headquarters all have a standard that is higher than a 2.0,” said Eric Wolfe
Although the GPA requirement for IFC didn't change, this year during recruitment first round was split into two days. Instead of having potential new members visit all ten chapters in one day, men visited five chapters on Saturday and five chapters on Sunday.
“Men participating in DePauw fraternity recruitment are raving about the change from one to two days,” said Myrna Hernandez, “People’s spirits were high from potential new member standpoint,” said Myrna Hernandez.
Changing this aspect of recruitment gave fraternity members the opportunity to see what worked the first day and what didn’t work, allowing them make changes for the second day.
Wednesdays day of inclusion not only impacted Sorority Alternative recruitment, but it also had an impact on the message chapters are sending to potential new members.
“The day of inclusion had a positive effect on men recruitment,” said Eric Wolfe, “especially planning first round presentations and making sure they were congruent with the message that has been present on campus.”
Traditionally, on the Monday following sorority Bid Day many women newly accepted into chapters go-out and party at different fraternities.
However, IFC held a discussion last September deciding to no longer allow fraternities to hold events on the Monday after recruitment.
“Panhellenic women are many of the women that attend events held in fraternities, and they are expected to be respectful to the men in these chapters and follow the rules IFC will be forcing,” said Warren.
Wednesday an email was forwarded to chapter presidents, social chairs, new member educators stating: “This decision to eliminate these events stems from the poor attendance to classes on Tuesday. As a member of a fraternity/sorority chapter, scholarship is a foundation of your organization. It is important that we strive to continue to succeed academically and recognize that skipping class on Tuesday, due to Monday’s events, sends the wrong message to the rest of the DePauw community.”
Not only is the Greek community worried about people skipping classes on Tuesday but they are worried about the impression “Black Monday” leaves on new members.
“It doesn't send a positive message to new member classes,” said Hernandez. Instead of going out on a school night, CLCD is encouraging students of Greek Chapters to organize and activity solely for your new members and the chapter. CLCD is even offering to pay for the costs of these chapter events.
Unfortunately, fraternities that choose to have people attend events Monday evening are in jeopardy or their off-campus spring formals being cancelled.