Deferred Rush

Adjusting to college life can be difficult enough without the necessity to respond to intense peer pressure characterizing a typical fraternity ‘rush period’. USU student policy must now defer fraternity or sorority ‘rush’ to the second, or spring quarter, or 2nd year of college life. Students require time to acclimate themselves to an academic life, meeting friends outside the Greek system, and setting individual goals. Rushing to rush can lead to pledging in the wrong house - chosen without scrutiny, examination, or comparison of options. At best, fraternities and sororities can offer a great tightly-knit group of friends, a ready-made social life, a sense of place, and an opportunity to meet classmates from a position and confidence. At worst, they can be non-diverse, isolated hives of racism, bigotry, and peer pressure, where individual identities succumb to a searing herd mentality that numbs the mind and deadens the spirit. Fraternities can be isolating in that there’s always cold beer to be had, videos to watch, people to hang out – making it all too easy to forget that a world of opportunity and individual achievement beckons, patiently, outside in a world one misses out on every time students default to hanging out at the frat houses. Contact your legislative representative today.

‘Princeton University does not officially recognize fraternities and sororities because we do not believe that, in general, they contribute in positive ways to the overall residential experience on campus. They can contribute to a sense of social exclusiveness, and in the case of some fraternities, they detract from the quality of the residential experience by placing an excessive emphasis on alcohol. We are especially concerned when students elect to participate in fall rush their freshman year, thereby restricting themselves to one set of activities and acquaintance before they have had a full opportunity to explore a variety of interests and develop a diverse set of friendships.‘ - Princeton University

‘At Stanford, we did, and still do, have deferred rush for freshmen-rush is third quarter, and I thought that it worked well for me…this really allowed me, and I hope others experiencing life away from home for the first time, time to adjust to their new surroundings and to actually get to see (frat) houses before rush – which can sometimes paint an artificial picture of what ‘rush’ is all about…and I think that even in those few months from high school senior to college freshman, the more time a student has to actually become a college student can’t hurt.’ - Stanford University

‘I’ve always felt that traditional (frat) recruitment puts less emphasis on going to college for an education and more on getting in ‘the right house.” It puts a lot of pressure on 18-year olds, and sometimes gets in the way of their academic performance.’ – Glasgow, Scotland

‘The decision to defer rush at ASU was based on a study conducted by the university’s Office of Student Development. This investigation provided evidence that students who wait at least one semester before joining a Greek organization do better than those who do not. The results revealed that male students who pledged a fraternity during their first semester had GPAs that were statistically lower than male student who did not pledge during the same period. This investigation also found that fraternity and sorority members were less likely than non-frat and sorority members to participate in other student activities available on campus and also had lower scores on critical thinking and reading tests.’ - Arizona State University

‘The deferred rush decisions made at the institutions mentioned above were often in conflict with the views and desires of the universities’ Greek organizations. For example, immediately after the decision to defer rush at Lehigh, articles in the campus newspaper speculated that the move could lead to the death of the Greek system. The actual impact, however, has been just the opposite, with fraternity and sorority membership at an all time high. This is attributed both to Greek organizations having more time to make good decisions about to whom to extend bids to and better choices being made by first year students regarding which organizations to join.’

‘The first year on campus should focus students academically and prepare them for a successful college experience. Universities which have implemented deferred rush policies collectively believe that fall semester should be used by first year students to adjust to the demands of college and to establish positive study patterns capable of sustaining them through their college years. The FYE Task Force also thinks that deferred rush will contribute instilling a deeper academic tone on campus; it may also help Georgia Southern dispel the university’s ‘party school’ image.’ - Georgia Southern University