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Got this from Wake Forest's "Old Gold and Black" on line paper. Looks like IFC rush will be structured somewhat like Panhellenic.

IFC changes formal rush, bid process
By Jae Haley
News editor

April 27, 2006


In an effort to enhance the rush experience for both rushees and fraternities, the Interfraternity Council has significantly changed the rush process in preparation for the fall 2006 semester. The new measures aim to allow each rushee to find the fraternity best suited to him and each fraternity to increase the number and quality of its members.

The IFC said it felt that the rush process needed to be amended after realizing that the number of bids extended was significantly less than the number of rushees. For the fall 2005 rush, approximately 350 men rushed but only 180 bids were extended. IFC president junior Cory Cavazos attributed the dip in numbers to the fact that some rushees did not find the fraternity they wanted. “Had they gone to other fraternities, they might have realized that they fit in better there than some other frat,” he said.

Furthermore, the smaller fraternities, Cavazos said, do not get an opportunity to extend as many bids as their larger counterparts as they simply do not meet as many rushees. He said the current rush process inherently favors the larger fraternities who have more resources to devote to rush. The new changes try to amend this disparity, as they have the potential to give the smaller fraternities more advantages that they did not have under the old system.

One of the most noticeable changes to rush is the move to online registration and payment online. Online registration will allow rushees to provide fraternities with more detailed information about themselves.

Formal rush period also will be altered to force every rushee to meet every fraternity instead of rushees picking and choosing which fraternities they visit. Furthermore, formal rush will be held in a neutral setting instead of in the fraternity houses.

During rush week itself, weekday rush events cannot run past midnight and past 2 a.m. on the weekend. “There will be no interaction between frats and rushees after rush events,” said IFC rush chair Scott St. Amand. While this is currently a rush rule, Cavazos said the IFC was going to enforce it more strongly than in the past. He said the rule is in place for the best interest of the rushees whose grades may suffer due to devoting too much time to late-night rush events.

The IFC will also be enforcing the dry rush period, because “you can’t base how you’re going to choose your brothers based on how hard they party,” Cavazos said. The IFC hopes that by enforcing dry rush, fraternities will increase the quality of members while simultaneously bringing parties back on campus. Furthermore, the IFC hopes that dry rush will encourage fraternities to advertise themselves using the service aspect rather than the party aspects.

In another effort to exert more control over rush, IFC members will disassociate from their respective fraternity during the rush period in order to monitor fraternity parties. “If there are any violations, we will crack down,” St. Amand said.

Lastly, the bidding process for those who receive multiple bids will be altered so that those individuals have greater opportunity to receive a bid from their fraternity they most want to join. Cross-bids will receive their bids earlier than the other rushees, but they will have to remain in their rooms until the fraternities have given out their bids to all non-cross bids.

The new rush rules will apply beginning in fall 2006 and will be adjusted according to the feedback the IFC receives from the rushees and the fraternities.