Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

NEWSLETTER
Sign up for our twice-weekly newsletter!

Spring fraternity rush draws lower turnout than expected

Web Extra

All 16 chapters of the Inter-Fraternity Council held spring recruitment events last week, but the Inter-Fraternity Council president said the number of students who joined fraternities was lower than expected.

IFC President Chas Pressner attributed the low turnout to the passing of Phi Sigma Sigma sorority member Laura Treanor the week before spring recruitment, which delayed events. Pressner also cited bad weather during recruitment events and the current economic environment.

Pressner said 86 new pledges joined fraternities this spring, with some organizations not receiving any new members at all. IFC policy prohibits a breakdown of the numbers by fraternity.

“In response to [Treanor’s] death, the participating fraternities delayed an event scheduled for the night of Treanor’s memorial service so that brothers and rushes could attend,” Pressner said. “This resulted in confusion about when the event started and resulted in a low turnout.”

Though this may have deterred potential new members, Pressner said he does not regret canceling events or delaying the start of rush.

“Everything we did was out of respect for Laura and we would never change any of that,” he said.

Pressner added that fraternity dues, which are often costly, may have also deterred potential new members.

More to Discover
Donate to The GW Hatchet