By Steve Holt, Staff Writer

This week marked the first contact social club members had with prospective pledges, as formal and informal rushes began Monday.

Undergraduate students interested in joining a social club this fall mingled with club members at a variety of men’s and women’s rushes, most of which offered food and a fun theme.

“It went really well,” said Emily Owen, rush chair for Alpha Kai Omega. “We had hors d’oeuvres, punch, candlelight and music. I think we’re going to have a good pledge class too.”

Gamma Sigma Phi rush director Cal Benaglio said he was encouraged that 100 men showed up to the first “Turkey Leg Rush” Monday night.

“These are some of the greatest guys I’ve ever met,” Benaglio said. “They genuinely want to get to know us, and that’s how it’s supposed to be. They’re doing it right.”

Benaglio said GSP will likely give bids to 50-60 prospective pledges. The office of student organizations delivered invitations for the next formal rushes to prospective pledges Thursday, a different format from past years, when each club mailed invitations through the ACU Mail Services, said Amanda Spell, coordinator of student organizations and activities.

“It was such a load on Mail Services trying to get all those distributed that we just decided to go back to the way we had it before,” Spell said.

Most clubs had an additional formal rush and one informal rush this week. The next invitational rushes will occur early next week. Most prospective pledges who registered properly at the initial rush were invited back to the subsequent rush, most rush directors said.

Sharon Wallace, Sigma Theta Chi pledge mom, said about 160 women attended the first “Siggie Cinema” rush in the Hilton Room Monday night.

“It’s always an honor to have any girls interested; it was a high number,” Wallace said. “All the girls are great. We have total trust that God’s plan will prevail.”