Spring Break
Large first-year class sets record-high sorority formal recruitment numbers
Editor in Chief
Issue date: 1/12/07 Section: Front Page
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"Everyone loses their voices during rush," said junior Claire Dickerson, the incoming vice president of Panhellenic public relations. "Everyone is cheering and shouting. It's an exciting time."
Following in the footsteps of Miami's record-setting Class of 2010, out of 3,744 students, 968 women participated in this year's recruitment open house - as opposed to 812 last year. This has become Miami's largest female rushing class.
"I was absolutely elated with the number of potential new members participating," said Emily Valade, vice president of recruitment for the Panhellenic Council. "We try to keep attendance to 35 people at each event so we've extended the time period for chapter events."
Because of fire codes, no more than 60 people can be in a
sorority suite at one time but this hasn't hindered the recruitment process and, according to both Valade and Dickerson, it has only revealed a greater appreciation of Greek life on Miami's campus.
"Thirty-three percent of the student population is Greek," Dickerson said. "It influences both your academic and your social life."
Dickerson made mention of the housing requirement for first-years rushing this year who must live in sorority corridors located in Central quad dorms next year.
"By next year most of Central quad will be Greek," Dickerson said.
First-year recruits were required to sign a housing contract during rush saying they would live on campus their sophomore year. Also new this year is that the GPA for potential new members has been dropped from 2.6 to 2.3.
"The Panhellenic chapters voted on this proposal in the spring of 2006 because there are chapters at Miami who are allowed to recruit women who have a 2.3 according to the national guidelines/rules and the consensus was that it was unfair to deny them this opportunity," Valade said.
Rosie Landau, president of Sigma Local Jewish sorority, has another reason to be excited.
"We became an Alpha Epsilon Phi interest group and are working on getting our national affiliation," she said. "We can't participate in formal recruitment but we did participate in the open house."
