What is Rush?

New Member Recruitment, or "Rush" as it's called, is the the period during which potential members become introduced to Greek life to see if it is for them. It is a time to meet many new people. It is also a time for making decisions. "Is Greek life for me?", "Which organization do I feel the most comfortable with?", "Which Greek members will I feel Brotherhood/Sisterhood with?", "Which Organization has the ideals and values which best match my own?" These are all questions that you will have to answer while you are learning about the Greek system and preparing to join. Participating in Rush does not mean that you MUST join, it is for you to decide if you WANT to join. It is a fun and exciting time! To help you understand terminology of Recruitment, a Glossary follows.

Recruitment Glossary

Bid: An invitation to join a Greek Letter Organization (Fraternity or Women's Fraternity/Sorority). Bid Matching: In Women's Formal Rush/Recruitment the matching of Potential New Members with Houses based on the choice of both parties. It is performed by a group of Alumnae representing each House.

C.O.R.: Continuous Open Recruitment. (Also called Informal Recruitment) Women's Rush outside of the usual Formal Recruitment period. On many campuses, new members interested in C.O.R. can only Rush one organization therefore limiting the Potential New Member's selection. It is in the best interest of the Potential New Member to attend Formal Rush/Recruitment. Almost every Chapter on every Canadian campus holds a C.O.R. sometime during the school year. Some chapters hold C.O.R. all year long in order to attain Total.

Formal Rush/Recruitment: Recruitment Events organized by members of National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) to facilitate Rush for women. It is in the best interest of a Rushee to go through Formal Recruitment because the Potential New Member will go to all the Houses and meet all the members during short (30-60 minute) non-alcoholic conversational parties. It can last anywhere from 5 days to two weeks long, depending on the campus, and culminates with Bid Matching. Not all campuses hold a Formal Rush/Recruitment.

Fraternity: A single-sex Greek Letter Organization whose members follow a same philosophy for personal development, scholarship and Brotherhood/Sisterhood. Some Women's Fraternities are called Sororities.

House: Another name for Greek Letter Organization (GLO) or Social Fraternity/Sorority. Also refers to the actual building which is the Fraternity/Sorority residence.

Intentional Single Preference (ISP): In Women's Formal Rush/Recruitment, this is when a Potential New Member only makes a single selection on her Membership Recruitment Acceptance (bid sheet). This is discouraged as it is possible that the Potential New Member will not match and end up an "Unmatched Bid". Always list more than one preference!

Potential New Member (Rushee): A man or woman interested in joining a GLO and is going through Rush in order to get more information about GLOs.

Quota: In Women's Formal Rush/Recruitment, this is the maximum number of bids a House is allowed to extend. It is approximately calculated by taking the number of Potential New Members (Rushees) and dividing by the number of Houses to ensure that each Rushee receives a bid. Quota for all Houses is therefore the same.

Rho Chi: Pronounced row-kh-eye. Also called Rush Counsellors. In Women's Formal Rush/Recruitment, these are unbiased Sorority members who guide and assist Potential New Members throughout the period of Recruitment.

Rush/Recruitment: The process of exchanging information. Fraternity and Sorority members give information about their respective organizations to Potential New Members (Rushees). The Potential New Members give information about themselves and inquire about the missions, philosophies, financial obligations, Alumni opportunities and membership commitment of the organization that he or she is Rushing. It is an active process on both sides to ensure that new members are properly matched with a Greek Letter Organization (GLO). Every Fraternity is not for every Potential New Member and vice versa.

Total: Also called Chapter Total, Campus Total or Campus Ceiling. This is the maximum number of members allowed in a House. The limit is set by the Panhellenic Council, Greek Council or other Greek governing body on the campus. On some campuses, it is set by the individual chapter. Chapter Total is typically used only for Women's Fraternities/Sororities. It is not meant to be discriminatory for Potential New Members but rather to ensure that larger Houses will not put smaller Houses at a disadvantage during Formal Rush/Recruitment.

Unmatched Bid: In Women's Formal Rush/Recruitment, this is when a Potential New Member does not place with any House (does not get a bid) and is usually the result of having Intentional Single Preference (ISP), which is discouraged.