Nearly eight months after the Board of Trustees urged reform for the Greek system, the methods used to accomplish that reform are beginning to take shape in time for fall recruitment.
The reform will be coordinated largely through a restructured Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, which just months ago had no staff.
The office will conduct a more substantial orientation for new members of the Greek system, as well as more instructional seminars for members.
Last fall, members of the Board of Trustees expressed concern that freshmen are forced to choose too quickly to join the Greek system. In November, the board mandated spring rush for all Greek organizations, and presented a set of instructions to Winston Crisp, vice chancellor for student affairs.
“A lot of girls felt pressure to go into recruitment immediately after coming into school,” said Lindsey Stephens, president of the Panhellenic Council. “They needed to know basically a week into school whether or not they were going to make this commitment.”
Stephens said sororities in the council have caps on the number of new recruits they accept each year due to national policies, which make sororities favor freshmen.
But starting this fall, these sororities will reserve a certain number of spots for non-freshmen.
Brent Macon, Interfraternity Council president, said pressure for freshmen to join is not as strong for fraternities because they do not have recruitment caps.
Macon added that the Panhellenic Council and the IFC will advertise spring rush more heavily.