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Fraternities see unusually low open house turnout

Austin Fast

Numbers at last Sunday's Interfraternity Council sponsored open house may have been down, but that does not necessarily indicate problems with the system of Greek life at Miami University.

The open house took place from 1-5 p.m. Sunday afternoon at the fraternity houses in Oxford. According to senior Patrick Bloom, president of the Miami chapter of Delta Upsilon, attendance at their open house was sporadic.

"We had several large groups of 15 to 25 guys come through, but then everyone had large spaces where no one came through," Bloom said.

Luke Pittman, chapter recruitment chair of Beta Theta Pi, also observed that the number of men coming through their open house seemed erratic.

"We didn't have a consistent flow of guys," Pittman said. "A ton of guys would show up at once and we would get backed up. They would show up in the middle of our routine, but then we had nobody for 40 minutes or more."

Pittman explained that during the Interfraternity Council open house, first-year students who show interest are escorted with other residents of their halls from house to house to get a feel for each of the different fraternities offered on campus. Because these students see so many houses on the same day, the members of Beta Theta Pi try to make their open house memorable.

"We like to have a lot of energy, because they go through so many houses," Pittman said. "When they first get to the door, all the brothers start clapping and cheering. Then they come into the living room, and we introduce ourselves. We also show a video that we made including pictures, traditions, famous Betas, and principles that concern us such as leadership and development of community."

Both Bloom and Pittman also mentioned the fact that the open house was scheduled during Family Weekend, which most likely contributed to decreased attendance.

"Scheduling was inevitable," Bloom said. "It's tough to get good fall weekends. I think they did the best they could."

Scott Irlbacher, assistant director of the Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and Leadership, also cited Family Weekend as a significant influence on attendance at the open house.

"There was a lot going on with the football game and all the other activities," Irlbacher said. "There is another open house coming on Sunday."

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According to Irlbacher, the Interfraternity Council is sponsoring a second open house from 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Bloom seems confident that this second event will see increased participation.

"I think the second day will be more successful as far as numbers go," Bloom said. "Some guys will go back and talk to other guys in their dorms about the houses they liked or not. This is also a more open weekend, so more guys will come."

According to Irlbacher, interest in fraternities is slow during the first semester of the year, as students cannot officially begin the rush process until the beginning of spring semester.

"The numbers are average, but there is above average interest in general," Irlbacher said. "Interest is higher than in previous years, which is great to reverse the trend going on for about the past 10 years. However, high season for recruitment isn't until spring semester."

Pittman explained that over the past few years, numbers in the Greek system have been declining from the 300 men he saw three years ago as a first-year student rushing Beta Theta Pi.

"Typically we'll have between 150 and 200 guys come through door in January rush," Pittman said. "I don't expect much different from that (for this year)."

Bloom also remains confident that they will have enough men decide to rush Delta Upsilon in January.

"I'm not really worried," Bloom said. "We've seen low numbers in the past. A lot of the guys who will join are guys who don't go through this (early) process. They use other routes to find houses that they're interested in. I'm not concerned about it. A good number of guys will rush."

Pittman also believes that the Greek system at Miami is shifting from the stereotypical image of fraternity men and sorority women and moving toward more important issues.

"In general, the whole Greek system is going away from Animal House mentality," Pittman said. "Miami has kicked off at least one chapter a year. They are also re-founding chapters to make them more focused on more meaningful things that will benefit guys when they leave this campus in the long term. As long as that trend continues, the Greek system should attract different kinds of guys. It will be interesting to see how this trend will affect Miami's Greek system."

According to Claire Dickerson, vice of public relations for Miami's Panhellenic Association, the number of women interested in rushing sororities next spring is looking optimistic.

"The Panhellenic Association is very happy with the amount of women who have signed up for recruitment," Dickerson said. "The numbers are strong, especially since the sign up for recruitment doesn't end until Dec. 7."

Dickerson explained that the informal sorority recruitment process is already underway, with many planned events to attract potential members including a Go Greek! Homecoming Tailgate, to be held on the Millett Lawn before the Homecoming football game Oct. 13; a Sorority/Fraternity Info Fair Oct. 28 and a Sorority Coffee Shop question and answer Nov. 11.