Leaders of Cal Poly’s Interfraternity Council (IFC) recently announced a new policy that will defer first-quarter students from joining a fraternity.
The changes will take effect fall quarter 2010 with the intention of giving new students a chance to adjust academically and socially before considering the demands of the greek system, according to Student Life and Leadership director Ken Barclay.
“The concern is that first-time freshmen aren’t given enough time to get comfortable with the university,” Barclay said. “Students will have a quarter under their belt to get to know leaders of a fraternity before rushing.”
The university’s new mandate makes it so incoming freshmen and transfer students will only be allowed to formally join a greek fraternity beginning their second quarter.
“I have to give credit to the IFC for taking the initiative to do this,” Barclay said.
The alcohol-related death of Carson Starkey in 2008 sparked questions about the pledging process. Starkey was part of an alleged hazing incident in Dec. 2008 while pledging Sigma Alpha Epsilon. He was a freshman finishing his first quarter at Cal Poly at the time of his death.
Assistant IFC director Matt Lancara said the climate in the greek system is definitely different after the Starkey incident, but there is not necessarily a direct relationship between the mandate and the tragic event.
“We are acting in a way that is responsible and proactive to shape the greek system to prevent tragedies like this from happening again,” Lancara said.
Since the IFC proposed the change from previous years, the rule only applies to the 17 fraternities. Sororities will still be allowed to have newcomers rush during fall quarter, but the Panhellenic council is considering the idea of deferring rush as well.
“We can better prepare men for what they are getting themselves into,” Lancara said. “They can get their bearings around campus … and when winter comes around, they can make a more educated decision.”
Deferring rush is not new to Cal Poly. It was mandated in the past but only for brief periods of time.
“It’s something that’s indefinite,” Lancara said. “We want to see if it will actually change numbers. It’s pretty much an experiment.”
Wishing to remain anonymous, a Cal Poly senior who has been in the fraternity system since he was a sophomore, said the majority of his fraternity and other people in the greek system he has talked to are not thrilled about deferring rush for fall quarter. Even alumni are upset, he said.
“It’s really unfortunate,” he said. “It’s going to force all the frats to impress people during fall quarter, which could mean even more parties without the structure of rushing. Fall rush is about 90 percent freshmen … so it makes our whole situation that much more difficult.”
Concerned about the number of available pledges, he said fewer members will also mean fewer people for fall philanthropy, such as food drives.
Barclay explained members of the greek system in the past have asked to have deferred rush reconsidered because of a fear of losing numbers. He believes the recent mandate won’t hurt membership.
“That’s just an assumption,” he said. “There is no data to prove that they lost members. I think this is best for everybody. It’s best for the greeks, and it’s best for the students.”
IFC President Andy Farrell said this is the right move for the fraternity system.
“I believe the good this will do is greater than the damage,” Farrell said.