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"CU-Boulder's fraternities, sororities swelling with recruits"
By Melanie Asmar, Colorado Daily
October 19, 2009, Retrieved October 19th
F raternities and sororities at the University of Colorado are booming.
Five years after the Greek system at CU took a hit following the alcohol-poisoning death of a freshman fraternity pledge, nearly 2,000 men and women turned out for fall rush earlier this month.
A record 976 women participated in fall recruitment activities for CU's nine sororities, said Courtney Krebs, a CU senior and the Panhellenic membership recruitment coordinator. Of those, 700 accepted bids to join a house, bringing the total number of sorority sisters at CU to 1,833, she said.
Last fall, there were about 1,200 CU women in sororities, Krebs said.
"It's the biggest, most successful recruitment the University of Colorado has ever had," she said.
Membership in fraternities is also on the rise. About 940 men attended at least one fall rush activity, said Marc Stine, a Greek advocate who works for the 14 off-campus fraternities. At the end of rush week, 338 men were invited to join a fraternity; another 360 did not receive an invitation, he said. That's 300 more than last year, when 60 potential pledges were turned away, Stine said.
Today, there are 1,184 fraternity brothers in Boulder, a number that will likely increase this week because potential pledges have until Saturday to decide whether to accept the fraternities' invitations, Stine said. That's up from 2006 -- the first year for which Stine has data -- when there were 903.
"There are people who say fraternities are passe, they're old-fashioned," said Stine, who works for the Interfraternity Council. "The fact is, we're growing. And we turned away more guys without bids this year than the number of guys who received bids totally in the fall of 2006."
The Interfraternity Council is not affiliated with CU because it rejected a series of reforms -- including a delayed spring-semester rush -- in 2005. CU's sororities agreed to the reforms and retained their affiliation, but they were allowed to hold fall recruitment again starting last year, after their numbers declined.
Greek leaders partly attributed this year's success to the fact that the fraternities and sororities recruited during the same week in early October. Last year, the fall rushes didn't overlap, they said.
"(The Panhellenic Association) has been working really closely with the IFC and we decided to have recruitments during the same week so that it created a really big buzz in the dorms and across campus," said Becca Levin, a CU senior and recruitment counselor coordinator for the sororities.
Scott Greenwood, a CU senior and president of Kappa Sigma, put it more plainly: "When all the girls go, a lot of the time, the guys will follow."
Patrick Shortall, president of Sigma Phi Epsilon, said hundreds more men filtered through his fraternity's house during the two open-house nights of rush week this year.
"It was literally just like waves," said Shortall, a CU junior. "There were so many people in our house having food and watching football that it was exhilarating. .. I was beyond excited."
He said it was a challenge to interview so many potential recruits -- a problem he's happy to have. When brothers asked potential recruits why they wanted to join, many said they were looking for a group that shared their values and provided camaraderie, not because they like to party, Shortall said.
"The brothers were just beyond impressed with our new class," he said. "A lot of us joke that had we been in this class, we wouldn't have gotten in. They're the coolest kids we've ever had."
To meet the growing demand for spots in fraternities, the Interfraternity Council hopes to add a new fraternity every semester for the next two years, Stine said.
Phi Gamma Delta, which closed its CU chapter in 2005 due to alcohol-related violations, is in the process of reestablishing it now.
Representatives from Phi Gamma Delta, also known as "Fiji," started recruiting "founding fathers" last week, a process that's expected to take six weeks, according to fraternity officials. Fiji has been given a list of the 360 men who didn't receive invitations from fraternities this fall, Stine said.
Phi Gamma Delta was one of several fraternities to close down following the drinking death of Lynn Gordon "Gordie" Bailey Jr. Bailey's own Chi Psi house closed, as did Tau Kappa Epsilon and Phi Kappa Tau. None of the others have returned.
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"Relationship between CU-Boulder, fraternities warming"
By Brittany Anas, Daily Camera
Monday, September 14, 2009, Retrieved September 14th
"Chris Tothpal is considering transferring to the University of Colorado from a community college in California, and he said he thinks joining a fraternity could help him meet friends and feel at home on a new campus.
During a break between official university activities for transfer students held at CU on Friday, he talked with fraternity members who had recruitment tables set up outside of the student center.
After a fall-out in 2005, the relationship between CU and the off-campus fraternities now appears to be warming a little -- symbolized by the decision to allow the 14 Boulder fraternities to recruit on campus at an event last week.
The Interfraternity Council -- which lost its affiliation with the university after refusing to sign on to a series of reforms, such as delayed spring-semester rush -- was invited to set up tables at the Greek Fair outside the University Memorial Center on Friday.
Over the past few years, fraternities have been required to pay vendor fees to set up recruitment tables, or use campus buildings for meetings, events or philanthropy, such as blood drives.
But the fraternities weren't billed for their recruitment event on Friday, according to Marc Stine, a Greek advocate paid by the Interfraternity Council.
The Greek Fair -- sponsored by CU's student government -- was even touted in a university news release about a broader "Involvement Week" that encouraged students to volunteer or join student clubs.
Gardiner Tucker, assistant dean of students for student success and retention, said the fraternities have maintained "good behavior" over the past three or four years.
"It's not a matter of, 'When are you going to clean up your act,'" he said. "But it's a matter of how can we help one another be successful."
There are no formal documents between the university and the fraternities outlining a future relationship.
"We're in more of a dialogue about reshaping the relationship between the fraternities and the university," Tucker said. "We're talking about what a relationship would look like if one were forged."
University administrators demanded fraternities delay rush following the 2004 alcohol-poisoning death of a freshman fraternity pledge because they said it gives new students time to adjust to college before being exposed to the social pressures of Greek life.
In past years, the school has sent out letters to incoming freshman male students and their parents explaining the school's stance.
Meanwhile, interest in the off-campus fraternities continues to surge with membership making gains every year.
Stine said there are about 900 students in the campus's 14 fraternities, and there are twice as many students registered for fall rush -- which begins Oct. 1 -- compared to the same time last year.
"Officially, the policies haven't change," Stine said. "Over time, and with a change in personnel at the university and in the fraternity community, there has been more open conversations and willingness to work together.""
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"CU's sororities, fraternities give back through Miss Greek pageant"
By Christy Fantz, Colorado Daily
Sunday, April 12, 2009, Retrieved April 14th
"BOULDER, Colo. — The University of Colorado's fraternities and sororities are heading into their annual Greek Week with a big-ticket goal in mind: topping the $65,000 they raised two years ago at the annual Miss Greek pageant.
While Greek Week -- which opens today and runs through April 21 -- features everything from kickball and powder-puff football tourneys to a trivia bowl, organizers are focusing on the good they can do.
CU junior Henry Murray III, vice president of external affairs for CU's Interfraternity Council, which is coordinating events with the Panhellenic Association, said the week highlights the Greek community's collaboration in assisting those in need.
"The most important aspect of Greek Week is our dedication to service," Murray said. "Throughout the year, all of our chapters host individual philanthropies, supporting a wide variety of great causes. But Greek Week is where we all come together to host and take part in the events -- donating as a true community."
The week's big fundraiser is the fourth-annual Miss Greek competition, set for 7 p.m. Tuesday in Coors Events Center. Attendees are asked to donate $15 at the door; proceeds will benefit Clinica Family Health Services and the Tennyson Center for Children.
The pageant features the top representative from each sorority, based on community service and school spirit, as opposed to beauty, said CU junior Zach Silverstein, one of the philanthropy chairmen of Miss Greek.
Each representative will answer questions from six judges as well as perform a talent.
"The event itself is based on how much they give back to the community," Silverstein said. "Our hope is to generate as much money as possible -- that's the biggest goal of the event.
"So at the very end we can just give a huge check to each of the nonprofits."
CU senior Kristin Waitkus helped host Miss Greek two years ago. This year she's in the competition, representing Kappa Alpha Theta. She said she'll be dancing to a '90s-themed song mix with the words altered to represent CU spirit.
"I've been very actively participating in giving back to the community in my sorority for the past four years," Waitkus said. "It's really exciting to be able to participate in an event like this."
Greek Week's other big event is SongFest, set for 6 p.m. April 21, also at Coors Events Center.
Murray, of the Interfraternity Council, said SongFest is one of the CU's longest-standing traditions. The event features sorority and fraternity teams performing dances that demonstrate pride in CU and the community.
Judges include CU basketball coach Jeff Bzdelik; Ron Stump, executive director of the CU Alumni Association; and Julie Wong, the Boulder campus' vice chancellor for student affairs.
Proceeds from that event will benefit Children's Miracle Network.
CU junior Gerardo Ortiz, the other and philanthropy chairman for the event, said the Greek Week events demonstrate the importance of the Greek system putting forth good ideals and values.
"Every Greek house gives back to the community," Ortiz said. "We wanted to show that we spend countless hours just trying to make everything more unified."""
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"Facebook helps CU's sororities, fraternities"
Colorado Daily
Sunday, March 08, 2009. Retrieved March, 12, 2009.
http://www.coloradodaily.com/news/2009/mar/08/facebook-helps-cu-sororities-fraternities/
"BOULDER, Colo. — Years after alcohol related deaths threatened recruitment for fraternities and sororities at the state's two largest universities, Facebook is helping the groups make a comeback.
Membership in fraternities at the University of Colorado is up 65 percent since just before their fall 2005 recruitment, while sorority membership is up 50 percent since 2007. And the Greek community at Colorado State University has grown 45 percent since 2005.
"Facebook is our No. 1 recruitment tool," said Marc Stine, a "Greek advocate" employed by Boulder's Interfraternity Council, which represents all 15 Boulder fraternities.
Membership in CU's fraternities dwindled to 660 in 2005 following the September 2004 alcohol poisoning deaths of 19-year-olds Lynn "Gordie" Bailey, Chi Psi pledge at CU, and CSU sophomore Samantha Spady. Both were found in fraternity houses.
Now with Facebook helping with recruitment, Boulder fraternities have grown to 1,092 members.
Facebook, the fast-growing online hangout with more than 175 million worldwide users, allows fraternities and sororities to move away from their image of drunken party houses to showcase their activities that including study groups, formal parties, and philanthropic work.
"Facebook is a culture-changer. It has totally changed the game," said Royal Carson, a CU sophomore and president of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. "We have to take advantage of that kind of technology, and it is working for us."
Carson's fraternity has grown from 24 members in 2005 to 92 now, including 31 Facebook-savvy pledges from last fall's rush.
Facebook has become a crucial recruitment tool after fraternities at CU chose not to follow a school mandate to end recruitment of first-semester freshman. The university severed ties with the groups — no longer mentioning them in university literature or Web sites — and in 2005 and 2006 the school sent letters to parents urging them to be wary of fraternities.
Even though the school stopped sharing addresses of incoming students with sororities, those groups at CU now have 1,500 members — up from 1,000 in 2007.
At Colorado State University, membership in the 21 fraternities and 14 sororities was 958 in 2005 and reached 1,395 in 2008.
Fraternity membership nationally has reached 350,000 undergrads at 800 campuses, nearing the peak membership of 375,000 in the late 1980s. Membership in sororities is nearing a decade high of 250,000 in 2,956 chapters.
"If you don't have a digital presence, you are going to be left in the dust," said Pete Smithhisler, president and chief executive of the North American Interfraternity Conference.""
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