Where have all the pledges gone?
By Jeffrey Patch - The Daily Iowan
UI freshman Jeremy Schreiber is pushed around a circle of Alpha Epsilon Pi members during an initiation for new members Tuesday night. Whitney Kidder/ The Daily Iowan
Leaders in the UI Greek system say the number of pledges has unexpectedly dropped by as many as 100 this fall, puzzling the community as it scrambles to recruit members through less-traditional means.
Some venture to guess that a tuition increase of 18.5 percent is to blame for the low numbers, which is forcing some fraternities to count on informal rush to fatten their numbers.
"Basically, I think numbers were down this year because students were hesitant about doing anything that would cost extra," said Jenny McClure, the vice president of recruitment for the UI Panhellenic Association. "I think right now students are facing a lot of increased prices with the university."
Greek representatives said last year's controversy surrounding a whistleblower's claims of alleged hazing at the university did not factor into this fall's low numbers. They declined to comment further.
The number of sorority pledges dropped from 640 last fall to 540 this year, McClure said. Numbers for fraternities were not available, although many frats reported low figures during formal rush during the week of Aug. 19.
The blame for low recruitment falls on entire fraternities and not select individuals, said UI sophomore Josiah Ball, the recruitment chairman for Phi Kappa Theta.
"A few [fraternities] have had some pretty low numbers, but we're doing really well with our rush," he said. "Prices of fraternities could possibly be a factor."
Membership and living in a frat house runs $4,876 a year, according to the UI Greek Web site. Membership without residence costs $1,037 a year. Sororities charge $4,616 and $1,160 for membership with housing and membership without residence respectively.
Greek officials say the prices are comparable with living in the residence halls, which charge from $2,029 to $5,426 according to room type.
Some fraternities, such as Sigma Alpha Mu, have lost their houses and, in turn, interest in membership, Ball said.
Alpha Epsilon Pi inducted seven pledges last year, and fraternity officials were surprised to see the number rise to 12 this year.
UI senior and Alpha Epsilon Pi pledge Sigil Jenkins said he enjoys the bonds formed in fraternities.
"It's good to have an extended family on campus because when things go wrong, you have people you can count on and trust," he said.
Jenkins admits to having had some second thoughts about joining, but he said he soon became comfortable with the Greek lifestyle.
"I was fearing a cult atmosphere," he said. "I don't have that reservation anymore."
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If your school was faced with budget cuts, have you noticed a difference in the number of people going greek?
