The start of a new semester at UNC marks the beginning of rush season for Greek life. Starting Monday, campus will be flocked with young, impressionable first-years navigating the treacherous and hectic ropes of Greek recruitment in pursuit of community and acceptance. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
All across the country, a growing number of colleges and universities are adopting a deferred rush policy. This fall, the University of Southern California adopted one such program, following in the footsteps of the University of Michigan, Cornell University and several others.
Deferred rush programs require fraternities and sororities to delay recruiting new students until the spring semester. These programs intend to alleviate the burdens of rush until students are more acclimated to college.
Delaying rush by one semester would allow first-years to properly manage their transition into college without the additional stress of Greek organizations’ recruitment processes. With deferred rush, first-years could explore the large variety of opportunities available at Carolina. It would also encourage first-years to create relationships that extend beyond their sorority or fraternity. Carolina’s campus is bustling with opportunity for students, and first-years in particular should not be limited to joining Greek organizations in their first semester.
Most importantly, deferring rush could help protect naive first-years from being coerced into vulnerable and precarious situations due to hazing practices associated with Greek organizations.
Our campus would be better suited by a deferred rush policy which would allow students more time to better understand the realities of both university classes and being involved in Greek organizations.
UNC should encourage its student body to make informed decisions. Rushing a fraternity or sorority your first semester at Carolina is not an informed decision. It is a choice too often made in haste and panic, motivated by a fear of being left out and isolated at a large state university. Joining a fraternity or sorority is a major life decision and should be treated as such. Pressuring first-years to make such a momentous choice within the first two weeks of college is inappropriate and unjust.
