I t would be an understatement to say that the institutional differences between fraternity rush and sorority recruitment exhibit a microcosm of the grander gender double-standard UNC Greek life practices day in and day out.
Female recruitment is an exhaustive practice that consumes an entire week and a half. The fact that this process occurs within the first month of school amplifies the consequences, essentially cutting off participants — particularly freshman women — from the rest of the school during one of the most formative times of their college career.
If the UNC Panhellenic Council wishes to retain this method of recruitment, its time frame should be adjusted to take place before the majority of students move in during August.
The “no booze, no boys” tradition is a laughable term describing the expectation that all potential new members should, as much as possible, cut out all partying and male interaction. They are expected to sacrifice the majority of their time — even at the expense of missing class — for a week and a half during their first month as UNC students. This is a particularly important time for connecting with fellow students and other groups on campus; eliminating a week and a half certainly affects students’ capacity to reach their potential.
Some have proposed moving recruitment to the spring. While this sounds like a solution, doing so would cause financial difficulties. Sorority budgets are carefully planned to replace the exiting members’ dues with those of the incoming fall class. Pre-move-in recruitment, as is the practice at several peer universities throughout the Southeast, seems to be the most realistic alternative.
