Zoe Camardo, Lifestyle Writer
Students interested in joining a fraternity might not know where to start or could feel timid about attending recruitment events. The best advice: be open.
Rushing, which is attending Greek organization recruiting events, is a way to meet different fraternities on campus and get connected with their members. For those interested in joining Greek life, the numerous options NIU offers can be daunting or overwhelming. It’s important to know the people you’ll be spending time with and understand the community a fraternity offers before joining.
Rush events can help students truly understand and experience the environment for themselves. Rushing events are designed to help students connect with different chapters, and one of the easiest ways to do so is showing up.
Beyond just showing up, students can benefit from opening up and asking questions. Asking questions during recruitment, allows students to learn more about the chapters before deciding to join. Although it may be difficult to open up, students interested in joining Greek life can benefit from taking an active role in learning about the fraternities. There’s no shame in bringing a friend for moral support.
Students may or may not have an idea of which fraternities they are interested in before recruitment, but either way, it’s good to keep all options open. Students are unable to guess the kinds of communities that can positively impact their lives until they give them a fair shot.
Gabe Chanthalangsy waited until the second semester of his freshman year to join Chi Sigma Tau.
“Don’t give into peer pressure and know what you’re getting yourself into before you rush into things,” Chanthalangsy said.
Fraternities are a great way to be involved in NIU and grow life-long friendships. They hold endless resources that can help students with their academic goals or even their careers. But at the end of the day, if students aren’t feeling connected with Greek life, it’s better to wait than to join a fraternity and not know if it’s the right fit.
Evan Macejak, a senior psychology major, and member of Delta Chi encourages anyone interested to reach out. Though it might seem scary at first, fraternity brothers want to get to know you.
“I’d say definitely go to rush events, or even just seeing someone wearing letters around campus and approaching them,” said Macejak “I know it’s awkward talking to new people and can especially be when it comes to fraternity brothers, but everyone is super friendly and would be more than willing to talk to you and get to know you and fill you in about what to expect from Greek life!”
