Many people cannot wrap their heads
around why anyone would want to join a fraternity. I can’t say I could either. I
grew-up beside ‘big’ Greek Life- the large university scary Greek Life that
ends up on the news. Because of this when I came to Butler,
I was not only never going to join a Greek House- I wasn’t even going to go
inside of one. But I did, however, fill out the recruitment application on the last
day it was due; so if, sometime over Winter Break, I decided I did want to
rush, I would be able to come back. I came back.
The reason I showed-up to
recruitment was so I could go through it and make absolutely sure Greek Life
wasn’t for me. The first day of recruitment I was excited but skeptical. We
took a tour of each house on campus and after that were left to our own
devices. Each day following, students were allowed to visit Greek Houses during
two 2 ½ hour appointments. Butler’s
recruitment is dry and students aren’t allowed to go to houses outside of these
specified windows. It is very structured,
very well run and (to my surprise at least) very relaxed and fun.
I was a skeptic. I wasn’t at all
sure about this Greek Life thing. So each day I asked good and important
questions. Each night I called people who’s opinions I respected and where generally
not for Greek Life. I was being won over, so I wanted to make sure that it was
completely legitimate. I thought about it all for a long time. But when it came
down to the end of the week- I wanted to be a Phi Psi.
Everything that happened after, mounds
together in what happens to be the best decision of my college career. I
love Phi Psi and it loves me back. I
never thought I would ever be Greek, but that is true to many men in my house. Butler’s
Greek Life is different. Many people can agree on that. Butler
has just 4,000 undergrad students. Because just a little over a third go Greek
it leaves a very manageable community for Butler
to watch closely- we couldn’t get away with things that large schools could.
Additionally, We do 2nd semester recruitment only. This means all
freshmen have an entire semester to get settled into college before they have
to make the ‘big Greek decision’. Also, because Greek students spent an entire
semester growing close to students that may not have gone through recruitment-
everyone has Greek and Non-Greek friends; we don’t have a huge rift in our
campus.
I would
recommend recruitment to anyone, even if they decide not to go Greek in the
end, you meet more friends in those four days than you could anywhere else. Men
interested in signing up for Formal Spring Recruitment (rush week) can do so at
http://www.butler.edu/greeklife/?pg=528
The form for has to be completed by Dec. 12. Interested
women should have already signed-up.
Posted
Mon, Nov 24 2008 9:52 PM
by
JoeW