All you need to know about C.O.W. fraternities and sororities

Anna Duke

Senior Features Writer

The start of October marks the beginning of rush season for the Greek groups on campus. With all of the dates and flyers, rush season can be overwhelming, especially for the students who are new to Wooster’s unique Greek system. To help reduce confusion, here are some of the most popular questions asked about Greek life on campus.

What is a “rush”?

Rush is a slang term for recruitment. Each Greek group hosts rushes to meet and get to know the students who are interested in going Greek. At Wooster, each organization hosts two rushes where anyone who is interested in joining can come. After two rounds of rushing, there is an invite-only third rush. Rush is a great time to see if you could picture yourself as a member of that group.

What does it mean to get a “bid”?

After all three rushes have taken place, each group discusses which students would be a positive addition to the group. Usually, this is a tedious process and takes many hours. When a group decides which new members they would like to join their organization, they give them a “bid,” which is an offer to join. When a student receives this bid, they are able to accept, deny or defer the bid to join that fraternity or sorority. Deferring a bid is like deferring a college admission; you are able to postpone it for a year. This year, bids are distributed on Sunday, Nov. 18.

Many students rush a Greek group, but not every person who rushes gets a bid. “I recommend that [the person] should rush again the next year,” said Theta Alex Dereix ’14, “but often times not getting a bid turns out to be okay because it forces people to go out of their comfort zones and gives them time to broaden their horizons and try something that they wouldn’t have done because they were in a Greek group.”

What comes next?

After accepting the bid to a group, new members will go through a process called “new member education” or “pledging.” This is not to be mistaken with hazing, which is illegal for any fraternity or sorority to do anywhere in the country.

“Pledging is about getting to know the group and its history” said EKO Arielle Cerini ’15.

If I go Greek, will I only be friends with other Greeks?

The Greek community makes up roughly 15 percent of the students on campus. Many Greeks feel that they can have Greek friends and non-Greek friends. “If you want to go Greek and your friends don’t, you just have to put the time in and make it clear that they are also a priority,” said Olivia Gregory ’14, an Alpha Gamm. “I think the most important part when going into a Greek group is to not lose the friends that you made freshman year.”

Do all of the Greek groups get along with one another?

“Overall, all of the groups get along well,” said Xi Chi Stephen Ryan ’13. “Comparatively to the [national groups on bigger campuses] we get along much better…” Students feel that they can have friends in other Greek groups as well.

“My two best friends are Alpha Gamms and I am a [Peanut],” said Clara Hobson ’14. “I have my sorority and they have their’s, but we still make time for each other.”

What makes Wooster’s Greek life unique?

The Greek system at Wooster is made up of local chapters, meaning that there are no other fraternities or sororities across the country with the same letters. We even have a co-ed “frarority” on campus, Eta Pi, that would never be allowed in a national Greek system.

Additionally, Wooster’s Greek system is more than just a social group. Each fraternity and sorority has to complete a minimum of 12 hours of community service on- and off-campus. Some groups increase this to put a greater emphasis on helping the community. Recently, Wooster was recognized by Best Colleges Online as one of 10 schools that “Get Greek Life Right.”