Sparring sumo wrestlers, whipped cream wars and scorched hair were all highlights of Winter Rush, which concluded on Sunday for 17 fraternities and on Tuesday for 12 sororities.
And the number of students rushing and joining a fraternity or sorority increased, said Steve Dealph, associate director for Greek affairs.
Interfraternity Council Vice President of Recruitment John Downey said Tuesday that about 400 students rushed this year and 283 students joined fraternities, up from 270 students last winter.
In an e-mail obtained by The Daily sent by Downey to fraternity presidents, Zeta Beta Tau led all fraternities with 32 pledges. Phi Delta Theta was second with 31 pledges and Sigma Phi Epsilon was third with 28.
Phi Kappa Psi had the fewest pledges, with two.
Phi Psi Rush Chairman Mike Kinsey said that the fraternity would continue mounting an effort to gain pledges.
“There’s going to be some sort of second effort made (to get pledges),” Kinsey said. “It’s not going to be a large pledge class, but I don’t think that it will put our fraternity in jeopardy.”
IFC President Dustin Cook said fraternities can offer bids at will now that Rush Week is over.
Overall, IFC leaders said they were satisfied with Winter Rush 2001.
“I was pleased with the way everything went this year because the week ran smoothly,” Downey said, “and the numbers did go up a little this year, so I was happy about that.”
Sororities also increased their pledge numbers this year, Panhellenic Council President Sarah Personette said.
Personette said 456 students attended preferencing parties Monday night and 418 were offered bids Tuesday night.
Although many sorority rushees believe rushing guarantees a bid, this is not true, she said.
“Everyone is not supposed to get a bid,” Personette said. “Everyone is told in the beginning that there is a strong chance they would get a bid and that we would like to place everyone in a sorority, but it depends on the rush process throughout the whole week in regards to the ratio of how many people are rushing and how many withdraw from rush.”
Personette said the 38 women not offered bids were called Tuesday morning by their rush counselors when the information became available.
The women were given options for other opportunities to pledge within the Greek system, including continuous open bidding and rushing as a sophomore.
Alpha Delta Pi, a new sorority, imported help during Rush Week since none of the approximately 30 members had previously rushed.
The international ADPi president and vice president and ADPi alumnae from the area assisted the Northwestern chapter.
ADPi members did not return calls Tuesday.
Those students who were offered sorority bids Tuesday gathered with their future sisters later in the evening.
“Each house has a bid night party and they (the pledges) get to meet all the girls in their pledge class,” Head Rho Chi Coordinator Jeanette Nelson said.
Prior to the bid offering, Rush Week was filled with a variety of activities.
Phi Delt hosted a sumo wrestling event on Thursday where rushees donned sumo-like suits and duked it out.
“Having an activity like that made the situation more comfortable for the rushees,” Phi Delt Community Service Chairman Srikanth Reddy said. “It helped relieve the tension that many of the rushees were feeling.”
Things also heated up in the sorority quad.
“I was in Alpha Chi (Omega) and a girl’s hair caught on fire during the most serious part of the ceremony when everyone was weeping,” Speech freshman Emily Petrone said. “Then I went to KD (Kappa Delta) and another girl’s hair caught on fire.”
Sorority Rush cooled down during an ice cream and whipped cream war at another house.
“When I was in this one house, two sorority girls got into a whipped cream fight and I was caught in the crossfire,” Weinberg freshman Alison Baenen said. “I got ice cream spilled all over me.”
Fraternities and sororities will now begin the pledge process to formally induct new members.
