STUDENT VOICE —

Last year I, like many students at Wofford, attended a forum about the possibility of moving fraternity and sorority recruitment to the spring term of the school year. The meeting had a large turnout, filling Leonard auditorium. The students who spoke were largely in opposition to the proposed changes. Despite this almost unanimous opposition to spring rush, the college has continued exploring the possibility of making this change.

The movement of rush from one term to another seems like a very small change, but the implications of this change should be well understood. Those who are for the delay in recruitment believe that it could possibly help solve some of the college’s major problems; transfer rates, social isolation, and poor academic performance by freshmen. These problems persist at almost every college campus in America regardless of Greek presence.

The problem is that the Greek system has become the scapegoat for problems of the college. The turnout at the forum, and the passionate response by students should have been a sign that participation in Greek life is one thing that Wofford students care about in a time when students are increasingly apathetic. Instead of trying to benefit from this passion the college seems to be attempting to suppress it.

Recent studies have consistently shown that participants in Greek life have higher graduation rates, higher GPA’s, and higher campus involvement rates than similar students who are uninvolved. The question at our college should be how to get more students involved in meaningful organizations like fraternities and sororities, and how to do it quickly. Delaying fraternity and sorority rush implies that joining these organizations is a bad thing, a messy process that first semester students aren’t ready for. If the college truly believes that these organizations are bad for the campus then there is a very serious disconnect between the administration and the students. Simply put, it seems unlikely that delaying admission into groups that most of the campus holds in very high regard would improve the experience of any students. I believe that the problems that will allegedly be solved by the changes in Greek recruitment will only grow worse if the changes are made.

I am certain that the college should do everything in its power to prevent students from transferring, the college should help students assimilate into the school and succeed academically as soon as possible. These goals do not mean that involvement in Greek life on campus needs to be suppressed or delayed. To try to solve these huge issues of the American higher education system by delaying involvement in one largely positive aspect of our campus life would be a mistake. Delaying involvement in Greek life implies that the administration believes in Animal House stereotypes about fraternities and sororities. Wofford students have voiced their opinion that early involvement in Greek life is one thing that we still hold in high regard, and it is time for the school to listen.