“Dirty rushing” needs reform

By Caroline Griesbach

As a fourth year member of the Greek system, I’ve concluded recruitment to be unreasonably competitive, ruthless and outright dishonest. “Dirty rushing” involves a woman promising a Potential New Member (PNM) a bid to her chapter. However, the irony of the Greek system lies in the Panhellenic Council’s lack of rule enforcement. Regulations prohibit sorority members from communication with PNMs outside of recruitment. Some rules reach the extreme: forbidding a PNM from exiting a house with objects such as food or trash, as these items may be misconstrued as gifts. I can’t imagine Panhel’s distress upon hearing that houses were text messaging PNM’s during rush as they left their premises, much less the consistent (and often broken) promises of acceptance that several houses would extend. Could Panhel be too concerned with tracking down the PNM who left with chewing gum on the sole of her sandal? Panhel will penalize for such insignificant activity, yet they are ignorant of the deceitful behavior that several houses have consistently exhibited through the years. Panhel needs to regulate houses’ illegitimacy and put an end to these empty threats. The catchy slogan ought to be modified accordingly: Be strong, Be unique, Be united, Be a sneak.

Caroline Griesbach

Senior in LAS