SLUs (Small Living Units) only had 10 days to finish interviews and deliberate to meet this year’s Jan. 25 deadline, leaving some SLUs struggling to advertise openings and fill spots.
Sophomore Katasha Ross, a member of the Inter-Faith House, said that the early deadline limited interest.
“The dates and deadlines this year made it more difficult to get out information and advertise the fact that we have open positions,” Ross said.
“And with half the house being a part of formal recruitment for sororities last week, we never had the chance to hold a SLUsh event during the spring semester,” Ross said.
The early due date also put pressure on SLUs.
“It becomes difficult, even in my smaller sized house of 10, to find enough mutually free hours in order to conduct interviews that we can all attend,” Ross said. “Between the half hour interview slots and the large amount of time it takes to deliberate about who will we want to live in our house, who will be put on an alternate list and who is not put on either, we have had some pretty late nights here at IF this week.”
Sophomore Alex D’Amore-Braver, a House of Thought resident, said that deliberation is hard for other reasons as well.
“It is a stressful and long process, because most SLU members have a favorite candidate. Adding to the fire is the fact that multiple SLUs attract the same candidates.
SLUsh week is the time when SLU members prepare to be at war with each other over (applicants). Although it is crazy, it is very important. We pick people to ensure that our passions are preserved at OWU,” D’Amore-Braver said.
Applicants accepted into one or more SLUs had until Jan. 27 to make their decisions, a mere two days after they were told of their acceptances.
Though some may have had a hard time deciding, sophomore Amy LeFebvre said that she is happy that the Inter-Faith house offered her a spot.
“I wanted to be part of its family,” LeFebvre said.
“When I toured this school, I thought that they were the coolest things ever; a bunch of people with similar interests living in the same area. It was practically part of a friendship algorithm,” LeFebvre said.
Though some SLUs have struggled this year with recruitment, the houses remain as integral parts of the Ohio Wesleyan community, displaying the many interests of the OWU community.