Vice President of student affairs Paul Oliaro has recently amended Fresno State’s fraternity and sorority recruitment policy. In an effort promote safety and prevent alcohol abuse, he’s delayed the start of formal recruitment for all Greek organizations by one month. The semester began yesterday, August 21, and recruitment will begin September 23 and go until September 30. The semester ends December 24 (I’m assuming finals week begins around December 15), meaning that pledge programs can physically only be about nine weeks long, unless they’re secretly extended over winter break.
Naturally, some people are outraged. Some fear that without Greek life, they’ll be unable to make friends, which is ridiculous. If you can’t make friends, you wouldn’t have gotten into a Greek organization anyway. Fraternity members, I’m sure, are pissing themselves in anger, at the idea of having to clean up after themselves for the first month of the semester, and then God forbid, having shorter pledge programs.
I don’t necessarily think that starting later (for sororities, anyway) is the worst thing. At my school, formal recruitment for sororities took place in the spring, which I didn’t mind. There were some negatives, but from both the perspective of a sister, and a PNM, I saw more positives. I made tons of friends outside of my sorority, which, given some of the politics within a sorority, I think is important. It also gives members who are unsure about recruitment a chance to realize that, duh, Greek life is awesome, and they want to be a part of it.
The reasoning behind this change is what troubles me. Alcohol-related hazing infractions are serious, but what makes NO sense, is believing that the behavior of new members, and especially actives, will be any different if bid day is delayed. Freshman are still going to be eager to get wasted off the cheap liquor they never would have found in their parents’ house throughout the first 18 years of their life, and actives are still going to be eager to, errr, celebrate having a brand new pledge class. I’ll be damned if fraternities aren’t sure to…celebrate harder than they initially would have, given their abridged pledge period. Your call though, Fresno.
[via The Modesto Bee]
Image via LaxBuzz
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Veronica Ruckh
Veronica (@VeronicaRuckh) is the Director of Total Sorority Move for Grandex, Inc. After having spent her undergraduate years drinking $4 double LITs on a patio and drunk texting away potential suitors, she managed to graduate with an impressive GPA and an unimpressive engagement ring -- so unimpressive, in fact, some might say it's not there at all. Veronica has since been fulfilling her duties as "America's big," a title she gave to herself with the help of her giant ego. She has recently switched from vodka to wine on weekdays. Email her at veronica@grandex.co
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