Despite the hype and excitement swirling around Rush Week on many campuses, some students are celebrating just the opposite–not going Greek.
Each fall, students living in residence halls at the University of Idaho celebrate not being Greek with a series of lighthearted competitions. “Gosh Darn Independent” week (GDI) occurs two to three weeks into the school year, after Rush Week.
“It’s a time for halls to come together, to show their pride and independence from the Greek system,” said Jennifer Dion, Residence Hall Association events coordinator and head of GDI week at University of Idaho.
GDI week kicks off with a banner contest, followed by karaoke and skits. It culminates in “Penny Wars” — a fund-raising competition between halls for charity.
Though nothing similar to GDI exists among Northwestern’s residence halls and residential colleges, students still have plenty of opportunities to become involved on campus.
“Honestly, I don’t think we need (GDI). Because we have deferred rush, there’s no pressure in the fall,” said Adam Wu, Sargent Hall residence hall coordinator.
According to Kyle Pendleton, associate director of Residential Life and Greek Affairs and head advisor to Panhellenic Association and Interfraternity Council, 35 percent of NU students are members of a fraternity or sorority .
Jan. 6 – Jan. 14 marks 2003 Formal Recruitment or “Rush Week” at NU.
Weinberg freshman Stacey Ruff said a GDI-type activity at NU would be a good idea.
“I think there’s always room for new groups because of the diversity on campus,” she said.
Though more than one third of the student population is Greek, she said a large portion of students aren’t interested in Greek life. However, if something akin to GDI was brought to campus, she wouldn’t participate, opting instead for other philanthropic events.
Panhel President Francesca Rodriguez dismisses the notion of Greek and non-Greek tensions.
“Most of our programming is made with the intention of availability and applicability,” she said. “We want to address issues and topics of interest to the entire Northwestern community and even beyond.”
Communication senior Adam Wu agrees: “Because of deferred Rush people meet each other before they turn Greek. When someone goes Greek, it’s just like someone being in another major.”
Wu admits some aspects of the Greek system make it difficult for residential halls to compete.
“The extra challenge is that it’s hard to plan large-scale activities,” he said. “Students in university housing are assigned and pursue diverse majors and interests.
“In a Greek house, people are there by choice,” Wu said.
Regardless, Greek events are not only for those who are in fraternities or sororities, according to Rodriguez, a Communication senior.
“People in the Greek community are very outgoing on campus,” she said. “A lot of the programming is for the entire campus. Nobody is really excluded.”
