As an individual, I cannot defend the rush process. As a sorority president, I know that we must have some form of rush because we have no other way to introduce underclass women to the sorority system. The following article is the collaborative opinion of the sorority presidents.
First, none of us will deny that the process is greatly flawed. All I can say is that I have seen members of the sorority system, namely Marcie Handler '97 and Jess Russo '97, work for an entire year to make rush as positive as possible for each rushee. There are intelligent, capable women spending large amounts of time thinking about how to make rush better.
In addition, the amount of discussion around campus and in The D devoted to the rush process, mostly by sorority members themselves, shows the constant reevaluation of rush within the sorority system.
It bothers the sorority presidents, Panhell, and most women in the system that any woman at Dartmouth have been disappointed by rush. That is precisely why we guaranteed bids. This fall, any woman who wanted to be in a sorority would have been extended a bid if they listed all six sororities on their preference card on the final night of rush.
The system itself is not exclusive. Individual houses are exclusive.
If sororities were not limited in size and became larger than they are now, they would be unable to provide a sense of community for their membership.
The sorority system is not in decline. Over 250 women in the Class of 1999 signed up for rush. While 250 women could fit into the sorority system as it exists, we believe smaller numbers make for a better sorority experience. That is precisely why the sorority presidents have always supported the formation of another sorority. There needs to be more women's space at Dartmouth.
Complete rush randomization is a seemingly pleasant alternative to the rush process -- everyone would be in a house and no one would get hurt. That denies realities of the sorority system. Sororities have different environments and different people feel comfortable in different places. Complete randomization takes any choice out of the hands of the rushee.
In fact, rushees partially control their own destiny during rush. They accept or reject houses in the third and forth rounds and they choose how many houses they want to write on their preference card. Rushees make the process exclusive when they write down less than six houses on their preference card.
Above all else, the houses try their best to make a difficult process better for the rushees. It is a highly flawed process, but we have done our best as individuals to make it better.
From an organizational stand-point, we see no other way to show our houses to rushees, break down preconceptions about the houses and allow individual rushees to determine if the system is for them.
If someone out there wants to change the process, go to it. Become an active member of Panhell and change the process. The sororities follow Panhell rush rules. If you are a member of a sorority, you define the sorority system. If you think it needs to be changed, change it.
