In the first in-person rush since 2020, both sororities and gender-inclusive Greek houses experienced a significant increase in rush participation. The Greek houses have also welcomed more new members into their houses compared to previous years.
According to Inter-Sorority Council president Molly Katarincic ’22, 308 bids were extended to those who participated in the sorority rush process. The number is a sizable increase from the 237 bids extended during the fall of 2019, the 239 bids extended during the fall of 2018 and the 284 bids extended during the fall and winter terms of the virtual 2020-2021 academic school year combined.
Alpha Phi sorority extended 43 bids, Alpha Xi Delta sorority extended 48, Chi Delta sorority extended 46, Kappa Delta sorority extended 38, Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority extended 43, Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority extended 48 and Sigma Delta sorority extended 44, according to Katarincic. Five and three students were admitted to A Phi and AXiD through the houses’ continuous open bidding process, respectively. KD’s continuous open bidding process is ongoing.
All sororities that participated in the ISC process welcomed more new members this fall than they did in the fall of 2019 or the fall and winter terms of the 2020-2021 school year combined.
Epsilon Kappa Theta, the smallest sorority, did not participate in the traditional rush process this year after being required to in 2018, EKT president Laurel Semprebon ’22 said. The house is conducting continuous open bidding and has so far accepted seven new members.
After two terms of virtual rush, sororities finally returned to the standard procedure of hosting rush in person. Between the Class of 2023 and the Class of 2024, a total of 417 students registered for rush this year, according to Katarincic — a 12% increase from the 372 students who registered to rush in the fall of 2019.
According to Katarincic, of the 417 students who rushed, 308 were offered bids, a retention rate of about 73.9%. Katarincic said that this retention rate is comparable to last year’s. It is an increase from the 63.7% who received bids in 2019 and the 62.2% who received bids in 2018. Similarly, the withdrawal of 109 people this fall is less than the 124 who withdrew in 2019 and the 139 who withdrew in 2018.
Sigma Delt president Sophie Kwon ’22 attributed this rush season’s success to the return to a physical setting.
“We had a chance to showcase the energy and nature of the house in a way that doesn’t come across over Zoom,” Kwon said.
Similarly, Chi Delt president Yuna Kim ’22 noted that returning to the physical house allowed Chi Delt to have “a more fun and organic” experience while rushing.
“While masks were involved, they didn’t really change anything. We were able to bring back a lot of the functional aspects of pre-pandemic rush,” Kim shared.
Gender-Inclusive Greek Spaces
33 bids were extended by Phi Tau coed fraternity and Alpha Theta coed fraternity, two of the College’s gender-inclusive Greek houses. Both Phi Tau president Kai Frey ’22 and Alpha Theta president Mara Kotz ’22 said that their houses extended more bids this year than in recent years.
Kotz noted that interest in GIGC houses on campus is growing. Alpha Theta and Phi Tau offered “rolling rush” in which potential new members could sign a rush book — free of registration dues — to demonstrate interest in the house. The non-binding agreement allows students to be considered for participation while simultaneously leaving their options open, Kotz said.
This fall, Alpha Theta has extended 23 bids and has welcomed nine new members so far, Kotz said. This term’s results so far demonstrate an increase in participation from the virtual rush seasons, in which “over the three terms, nine or ten people sank their bids,” she added.
Similarly, according to Frey, the return to an in-person rush process has “blown [Phi Tau] away.” They said that the Phi Tau welcomed two new members during each virtual term, but since the return to campus, ten people have signed the rush book, “more than in the virtual terms and the past couple of years.”
Frey said that Phi Tau has been a relatively small house since 2012, “staying around 20 people.” Yet, Frey added, if every signature the house has received this fall results in a new member, they will already have 20 members.
GIGC chair Tanvir Islam ’22 and The Tabard president Jason Carpio ’22 did not respond to requests for comments by press time.
An article about fraternity rush will be released in the coming days.
