Opposing views on CSULB's fraternities, sororities

By Stacey DeFever, On-Line Forty-Niner

Tuesday, September 9, 1998

Mixed views of national fraternity and sorority rush exist within the student body at Cal State Long Beach.

When rushing a Greek organization, students attempt to find a house that best suits their personalities. According to a brochure published by Student Life and Development, the Greek community offers opportunities in leadership, scholarship, friendship and service. A broad range of social events are also provided by the houses.

Seven fraternities on campus are governed by the Interfraternity Council, and seven sororities are governed by the National Panhellenic Conference.

Kim Padulo, director of Greek affairs at CSULB, said that there is a house for almost every student on campus.

Many students, such as senior sociology major James Thing, do not feel the same way.

"The whole system seems a little exclusionary," Thing said.

He said there are too many stereotypes that go along with the Greek system at CSULB. Thing sees each house as segregated groups of different types of students such as partygoers, athletes, beautiful people and ugly people.

"But of course I'd never forbid anything anyone would like to do, just because I don't agree with the purpose of the organization. Whatever floats your boat," Thing said.

Other students see the system as beneficial to the campus. "The Greek system sounds like a good idea to help introduce new students to campus life, but for me, it would take too much time," said Summer Miller, a freshman geology major.

Padulo agrees that joining a house on campus does take up a lot of time, but for those who decide to join, it is well worth it.

"You get out of it what you put into it, so it usually pays off in the end," Padulo said .

IFC rush begins Sept. 8 when approximately 50 prospective members will be taken by bus on a tour to each of the fraternity houses.

Students will have 15 minutes at each house to look around and talk with the current members.

They will then be permitted to return to the houses they liked best over the next three days. During this time, a fraternity may choose to give the men a bid, an invitation to become a member of its house.

NPC rush is more structured than IFC. Sorority rush begins Sept. 10 with an orientation night at the University Student Union. Each woman who rushes will be placed into a group headed by a rush counselor called a Rho Chi. Rho Chis are members of a sorority on campus who are selected to temporarily disaffiliate from the house they belong. Their job is to assist the rushees in their selection process, and they are not permitted to communicate with anyone from their house during this time.

Throughout the following weekend, the rushees will visit every national sorority on campus.

Each day, they list the houses in order of preference. Similarly, the sororities use a selection process unique to each house.

This process will conclude Sept. 14 when each student will be paired by computer with one of their top choices and will receive a bid from that house.

Other Greek letter organizations on campus that do not participate in NPC or IFC rush include the Black Greek Letter Council, which has a different rush period, and the Independent Organizations, which are conducting their own methods of membership recruitment.