Standard fare in recruiting new members to fraternities usually includes casino nights, game nights and arcade nights. But some fraternities this year are hoping to draw in students with more exotic offerings.
Chi Psi helped their guests relax Monday night with professional masseuses. Many fraternities are giving out prizes such as the Nintendo GameCube. And tonight, Beta Theta Pi will turn its house into a laser tag arena.
Fraternities’ Winter Rush kicked off Monday evening as more freshmen flocked to the social events that will continue through this weekend, Greek leaders said.
Newcomers Alpha Epsilon Pi and Pi Kappa Alpha have fewer members than more established fraternities.
But both houses have seen strong showings so far, said Gabe Drucker, Interfraternity Council vice president of recruitment and membership.
“Everything points to numbers going up,” said Drucker, a Weinberg senior. “The change this year is the smaller houses have done a good job recruiting.”
Older fraternities have also seen healthier numbers in their opening nights, leaders said.
Sigma Phi Epsilon Rush Chairman Jason Hill said the house entertained between 90 and 100 prospective members for dinner on Monday night, up from about 75 last year. Delta Chi Vice President Terrence Linz said the fraternity recruited 16 members last year but hosted 15 rushees on Monday alone.
“When I first came to Northwestern, the last thing on my mind was that I would join a fraternity,” said Leo Lamontagne, a Speech freshman and Delta Chi pledge candidate. “They’re a great bunch of guys who I’d love to hang around with and be able to call my brother.”
After years of rushing new members during Fall Quarter, music fraternity Phi Mu Alpha also has joined Winter Rush, although it is not part of IFC.
Ryan Schneider, the fraternity’s president, said the shift should streamline the house’s initiation rites, a process that was previously interrupted by Winter Break. In the past, some pledges did not complete initiation because of the awkward scheduling, he said.
Rescheduling events for traditional Winter Rush might increase membership in Phi Mu Alpha, Schneider said.
“We’re hoping the general rush atmosphere will have guys looking at all fraternities,” said Schneider, a McCormick junior.
Pike leaders said the fraternity’s recruitment events have been successful despite the lack of a house from which to base its operations. About 25 prospective members met at Foster-Walker Complex to watch Monday Night Football. On Tuesday, they moved their events to the Norris game room.
“We were enthused about the numbers,” said Pike President Lee Lockwood, a McCormick junior. “Because of our size and lack of a facility, we’ve had to be creative about how we go about rush.”
McCormick freshman Paul Balash visited several fraternities during Fall Quarter, when the fraternities informally recruit freshmen by taking them to football games and inviting them to their houses for dinners and parties.
“Most guys I’ve talked to have a frat in mind,” Balash said. “Tons of people are going to the frats to hang out and relax because it’s their first week back. It’s a great way to meet other freshmen and older upperclassmen.”
Fraternity Winter Rush is less formal than sorority rush because individual houses run their own programs, whereas the Panhellenic Association sets uniform rules for sorority events.
Most fraternity houses host dinners starting at 5 p.m. and events starting at 8 p.m.
Beta President Bassel Korkor said increased publicity has helped the fraternities boost their recruiting numbers.
“There’s been a lot about the Greek system going around Fall Quarter,” said Korkor, a Weinberg junior. “In the next couple of years … these freshmen joining this year might have a vastly different Greek system than the one we had four years ago.”
