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Article by Kathy Logan <kalogan@ursinus.edu>
A common Ursinus student experience is getting an influx of emails from our school. These emails cover information about on-campus events, club meetings, and Ursinus News. But among those countless emails students also get a flurry of messages from organizations sponsoring various fun events like tote-bag painting and ice cream socials. These organizations are the Greek Orgs on Campus reaching out to every Ursinus Student about their rush week!
Rush week is a week-long tradition among fraternities and sororities to meet new people and recruit potential new members. Events during rush week include those listed above, spa days, movie nights, and more.
Theresa Harding rushed last year and Senior Olivia Fiorella rushed two years ago. Harding ended up joining one of the sororities on campus: Sigma Sigma Sigma, commonly referred to as Tri Sigma or Sigma, and Olivia joined Tau Sigma Gamma (Tau Sig). Both were asked what about their sororities’ rushing process made them want to join. Harding happily responded, “Even before rush week, all of my friends that I really looked up to happened to be members of Sigma. This sparked my initial interest. When rush week came around I was running to events (or calling in because I had Covid the first part of the week). All of the girls at the rush events were inviting and interested in getting to know me. Even at the daily [rush] events, I felt at home.”
Fiorella replied with a smile, “At first, I had no intention to rush any sororities, but I really liked the activities they had planned like tie dyeing, making s’mores, rock painting, and I liked the idea of meeting of new people so I thought I might as well go. Eventually, once I had met all the sisters, I genuinely enjoyed hanging out with them and I really liked how I felt around them, so I decided to join!”
Harding was asked what her favorite rush event was, to which she said, “We had friendship bracelet making last year and that had been my favorite. Now it is not on the schedule this year, but it was not the bracelet-making that made me love it. A few of the sisters did not know how to make one so I spoke up and told them that I did. I proceeded to sit down with a few of them and showed them how. While sitting there we had the funniest conversations cheering each other on in our ranging friendship bracelet-making skills.”
Since Fiorella is a senior and has been a part of the rushing process for two years now, she was asked what she did to attract new members to Tau Sig, “For starters, I would talk to them. That was the biggest thing for me because talking to them made me want to be a part of the org so I could get to know them further. Obviously, I would want them to know more about the org itself, but rush is for us to get to know them and for them to get to know us as sisters.”
Olivia was then asked what she thought potential new members should know about the rushing process. She replied, “The events are for the potential new members and are supposed to be low-stress. It’s really good to try and talk to as many people as possible and become a familiar face to the sisters.”
Sigma Sigma Sigma and Tau Sigma Gamma are not the only sororities having a rush week! There are other sororities like Kappa Delta Kappa (KDK) and Phi Alpha Psi (Phi Psi)! Sorority members Cecilia Grahn ‘24 from Phi Psi and Kaitlyn Murray ‘24 from KDK have provided us insight into their rush week. Cecilia notes: “As an organization, we always look forward to this week. This week ended up going well for us, and it was super fun to spend time with my sisters and meet new people! As for why I went Phi Psi: I rushed to find a group of girls I could call my forever friends way past college!” Murray explained to The Grizzly that many of the sisters joined because they liked the “small” sorority feel and that “KDK is a small sorority with many people who did not think they wanted to join Greek life but ended up finding their home in our sorority.” During rush week, Murray mentioned, KDK is very careful with letting people know about the time and monetary commitment. Check out these sororities next year for rush week and get a chance to meet the sisters! Sorority Pi Chi did not participate in this semester’s rush week, but The Grizzly will provide further updates regarding the organization.