For sophomores and upperclassmen unwilling to take the plunge and pledge a fraternity as a freshman, fall rush is the way to go. As this semester comes to a close, many upperclassmen are reflecting on their decision to pledge and the pros and cons of fall rush. Although there is an interest in fall rush - from which freshman are excluded - most of the time the pledge classes consist of only a small number of upperclassman. For example, 123 only has three pledges, ZBT has six, and DTD has two, while Zeta Psi, AEPi, and SigEp all decided not to hold fall rush.
For Jon Bram, a sophomore pledging DTD, pledging is an important time to build a bond with possible future brothers.
"You get to know a lot of people at that time," he said, adding that there are advantages to pledging after freshman year. For Bram, tennis practice prevented him from pledging last year.
Jon Snyder, president-elect of ZBT, understands why some choose to hold off on pledging until they've gotten a better idea of what the fraternity - and the University - is all about.
"I think that it is useful in that it gives potential brothers more time to think about the commitment they are about to make," Snyder said. "They can rush as freshmen during the spring, get a better understanding of the house by just making themselves visible at social events, and then they really know what the house stands for and the character of most of the brothers."
Although many fraternities acknowledge the advantages of having a fall rush, the issue is up for debate among others. Most sophomores already know about the fraternities and might have already gone through rush as freshman; thus, the usual fanfare of posters and advertising goes unnoticed. Since the size of a pledge class depends largely on people who are already familiar with the fraternity and the brothers, some houses do not even have a fall rush.
AEPi has never had a fall rush because they want their pledge class to be united. Thus, interested upperclassmen can only rush in the spring.
Nat Sager, a sophomore who pledged AEPi in the spring of his freshman year said that small pledge classes don't beget the overall unity that spring pledge leads to.
"We don't have fall rush and pledging because we feel the pledge process is designed to bring the pledge class together as a unit and that a small pledge class of three people defeats that purpose. You do not get the real experience if you do not have a full pledge class to support you through the process," Sager said.
Despite the controversy surrounding fall rush, smaller pledge classes do have some positive aspects. Since most upperclassmen pledges are familiar with the brothers in the house, it makes the transition easier. Also, the fall activities and events planned by the fraternities are generally less challenging than their springtime counterparts.
"The small pledge classes allow the new brothers to bond better because there is a more focus put on helping each other out with house projects and events. A larger pledge class however does help the house lower its dues for each member, but may hinder the idea of brotherhood if the group becomes too large," one ZBT pledge said.
