Fraternities make the most of new recruitment process

By Haley Cooper
Transcript Correspondent

From SkyZone with Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji) to Broom Ball with Delta Tau Delta (Delt), fraternity rush events have been bouncing their way into the past week.

Unaffiliated men have been getting involved with the rush events held by Ohio Wesleyan’s eight fraternities.
Sophomore Paul Priddy, vice-president of recruitment for Sigma Phi Epsilon (Sig Ep), said the fraternity’s Casino Night event was successful.

“We had a great showing of quality guys who I hope can have an immediate positive impact in our house,” he said.
According to sophomore Philippe Chauveau, 40 unaffiliated men went to SkyZone, an indoor trampoline park, with the brothers of Fiji.

“I think it went great,” he said. “We had a lot of people sign up for it, including guys that we, as a fraternity, have never met. This means we are expanding to all corners of the OWU community.”

Sophomore Caleb Dorfman said Delta Tau Delta hosted Broom Ball.

“Broom Ball is basically like hockey, but you use brooms and don’t wear ice skates,” he said. “It went well. We had a good number of rushes turn out, which was good.”

Freshman Matt Spatz said rushing has helped him meet new people.

“Most of the people I know are swimmers, and I spend every day with them,” he said. “It’s fun to meet new people that you aren’t around 24/7,” he said.

Spatz said he was a little crunched for time when it came to attending the fraternity rush events.

“They tend (to) avoid athletic practices, but after practice, some people still have homework to do, which makes it tough to make all of the rush events,” he said.

Freshman Nicholas Fonseca said he thinks the rush events are planned out very well.

“When it comes down to it, if you want to go to an event, you’ll find or make time for that rush event,” he said.
There are many different reasons why unaffiliated men join fraternities. I joined Delt because I got along really well with the brothers and I wanted to be apart of something bigger than me,” Dorfman said.

According to Priddy, Greek life is the opportunity to become a better person.

“The bonding, whether it be brotherhood or sisterhood, defines all those who become members,” he said. “It is a way to propel yourself into the real world with a distinct advantage above the rest, as well as becoming a more well-rounded and complete person.”

Priddy said Sig Ep is involved in philanthropy and scholarship programs, as are all other fraternities on campus.
“I joined Sigma Phi Epsilon for the tremendous opportunity available, the Balanced Man Program, which makes SigEp stand out among the Greek community,” he said.

According to Priddy, the Balanced Man Scholarship is a continuous development experience focused on scholarship, leadership and life skills that complement a university’s classroom curriculum.

Fraternity rush events will continue until Feb. 11 when prospective members can sign formal offers, called bids, to join.

“My advice to unaffiliated men is to just keep an open mind. Just go out and meet the guys,” Chauveau said. “There really is no commitment if you don’t want to join, no hard feelings whatsoever.”

“Go to events and try to meet some guys. You might find a fraternity that suits you really well.”