The men of Sam Houston State University’s Interfraternial Council are preparing to welcome new members following their recruitment period known as “Rush Week.”
IFC fraternities are different than other Greek councils, according to Phi Gamma Delta member Ryan Cayacoya.
“What sets IFC apart from other Greek councils is the unity,” he said. “Even though a lot of us are affiliated with other chapters, we can still be good friends and hang out, whether it be around town or helping each other in the classroom.“
Cayacoya said that there are many benefits in joining a Greek organization, such as scholarships, networking and making life-long friendships.
The recruitment process for IFC began before the semester started at “Sneak Peek at Greek,” a Welcome Week event in which Greek organizations were able to present their groups to students, according to Cayacoya.
“The IFC recruitment process is pretty simple,” he said. “We start the year off with Sneak Peek at Greek and it’s a chance for incoming students to meet some of the chapters and to help them see the benefits and how well they would fit with the chapter.”
IFC “Rush Week” begins Sept. 16 with orientation. Prospective new members will visit the houses they are interested in and are given quick overviews about membership from the presenting fraternities.
The following nights, known as “Pref Nights,” allow fraternities to learn whom a new member is. This allows the fraternity to offer the prospective new member an offer to join their fraternity in the future.
“Pref Nights” also help a prospective new member decide which fraternity best suits them in case they receive bids from multiple groups.
After “Pref Nights,” bids are extended to the new members on “Bid Day” and the prospective students can then accept or decline to join that fraternity.
After bids are accepted, the prospective new members are accepted to the fraternity at Initiation. Cayacoya says the typical inducting class is around 15 people. There are currently 11 IFC organizations at SHSU.
For more information, visit shsu.edu/greeklife.