When Trish Capuano '11 attended her first rush meeting in February with members of Alpha Chi Omega and Kappa Alpha Theta, she was unsure which, if any, of the two campus sororities she would eventually pledge. In fact, she didn't even know which sororities the girls were members of, because they kept their allegiances secret. But what was absolutely clear was the "one rule" of rush.
"Whenever you see a sister on the street, of any sorority, they can't talk to you," Capuano said. "If you see a sister, you just kind of wave and look the other way."
The rush process, which ended last Tuesday, is highly structured and governed by Brown, local and national standards. But alongside stringent rules, which restrict events to weeknights between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. and require that they be alcohol-free, sorority traditions and fraternity parties - open to rushes but technically unaffiliated with the process - are also an integral part in drawing interested students.
Richard Bova, senior associate dean for Office of Residential Life, said the rush schedule is designed to regulate the events and ensure that groups and students are given equal opportunities.
"That creates a sense of fairness throughout the whole system because you may have a prospective person who would like to look at multiple organizations," Bova said.
Capuano said the schedule was organized so that the sororities held three rush parties each and on the same nights, with one sorority's party lasting from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. and the other's from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.
"There was a representative from each sorority ... present at each party to watch and make sure everything was fair," Capuano said, adding that her time at the sororities was restricted only to the rush events.
"The sisters are not mad about not being able to talk to us," Capuano said. "These are their traditions and they respect them a lot."
But fraternity officers said they do not follow the same traditions or formalities as the sororities. Theta Delta Chi President Mike Dougherty '09 said some fraternities, including his own, find that their regular weekend parties are more popular than their official events during the week.
Delta Tau Rush Chair Mike Mochizuki '10 said that while the alcohol-free policy is generally followed for official rush events, these additional events increase the appeal for many prospective pledges.
"A lot of kids are making these decisions because they drink," Mochizuki said. "We're drawing from a very large drinking crowd."
Some prospective pledges said they prefer the unofficial fraternity events during rush. "Most kids would rather go to the frats on the weekends to get a feel for their regular dynamic than go to an official rush event," said Carey Dorman '11, who is pledging Delta Phi.
Because many of the fraternities host similar rush events, Dorman said it was sometimes difficult to identify what distinguished each group. "For example, almost every frat took the kids bowling," Dorman said. "My impression was that they all seemed like pretty much the same thing in a different building."
Bova said the University is aware of these events but considers them parties that are unrelated to the rush process.
"They may be having parties, and people who may be interested in them may be attending them," he said. "They do not have 'unofficial' rush events."
Despite the popularity of parties that take place during rush, the official weekday rush events are still a primary draw for prospective pledges to some fraternities, Sigma Chi President Matt Bubley '09 said. Bubley cited Sigma Chi's open house rush events as an important time for rushes to meet and connect with the brothers.
The University has the final say in determining the structure of official rush events, Bova said. "Every organization has their own governing group, whether it be national or local, but those rules do not supercede those that the university has in place," he said. "The University's rules are the most stringent."
Mochizuki said the national fraternities follow additional rules for the rush process that specify how to talk to prospective members and how to present themselves. Bova also said that, like Brown, none of the national or local fraternities or sororities allow or advocate the use of alcohol during rush.
Bova said the University and Greek Council encourage collaborative events as well.
"Even though they are competing for members, we are trying to maintain a sense of community," he said.
Bubley said he found a good deal of overlap in the students rushing various fraternities.
Some fraternity officers said there is a fairly high level of competition over rushes among groups. "Between the frats, it's pretty much anything goes," Mochizuki said. "There's kind of shady stuff that happens. I've heard of some frats trying to take rushes from other fraternities' events."
Other officers, like Bubley and Dougherty, said they find that the competition is less intense. "We have really good relationships between fraternities," Bubley said. "There is competition, but I would say it's friendly competition."
But Dougherty said Thete is generally not a part of this competition. "I don't find that anyone we talk to is interested in joining another fraternity," Dougherty said. "But from what I understand, I know some houses compete for kids."
