Right on track, Greek Life is rushing full ahead into the rushing season.

Students are preparing for round one of open rush on Nov. 6-10 and round two from Nov. 13-17. Invitational Rush round three will be on Jan. 17-19, round 4 will be on Jan. 26, 29 and 30. No two Fraternities and no two sororities will have rushes at the exact same date or time. The time will depend on each organization. 

“At Open Rushes, Potential New Members (PNMs) may attend as many rushes as they would like to attend during the two rounds,” said Robin McPherson, senior coordinator for Fraternities and Sororities. “They must attend at least three different organizations in the first round and two different organizations in the second round. At the Invitational Rushes, they will be invited back to visit organizations that they ‘preffed’ or gave their preferences to after the first two open rounds of rushes.”

Currently, 268 females are interested in rushing a sorority and 135 males are interested in rushing a fraternity. The registration process is online and will end at noon on Nov. 19. Bid Distribution will be on Feb. 2, 2024, and students will receive an email about where they need to show up to accept their bids. Bid Day will be on Feb. 3, 2024. New Member Orientation Activities will take place for two weeks from Feb. 4-18, 2024. 

“They will need to complete an online Hazing Prevention Training before they will be allowed to attend their Bid Day,” McPherson said. “They will need to access the Campus Director in order to make preferences and know what their rush schedules are.”

The All Fraternity Rush is Friday from 4-6 p.m. in the campus mall. Students will be able to rotate to all six organizations to learn more about them. Sorority Teas start in the Beauchamp Amphitheater on Saturday from 1 – 5:30 p.m. PNMs will be given instructions on the rotations they will make on campus to all seven organizations. They will be asked to scan QR codes at each stop with their phones.  

There are two new Recruitment Counselors this year who are specifically being paid to help PNMs navigate the process from beginning to end, in case of confusion, questions, concerns and anxiety. Hannah Holst, a student life graduate assistant and graduate psychology student from Abilene, is one of the new Recruitment Counselors.

“A lot of people end up choosing where they want to be before they hear what groups have to say and show who they are, and by junior year, they regret their choice of being close-minded,” Holst said. “My biggest hope that I have for students during the rushing process is that they find a group of people. Friends that they would have not originally thought that they would connect with and that genuine bonds get created.”

These recruitment counselors are in the office on Monday, Wednesday and Friday but can also be reached via email. Austin Britten, graduate psychology student from Abilene, is the other new Recruitment Counselor. 

“We are here to answer questions and ensure that students’ rushing experience goes as smoothly as possible,” Britten said. “If a student is experiencing frustration, anxiety or other distress related to rushing, Ivory and I are here to be a confidential, empathetic listener.”

Fraternities and sororities are founded by students who petition the university and receive approval for their proposed charter. They must maintain the standards of the university. Activities participated in by Greek Life include intramural sports, Sing Song, Homecoming activities, social events and service projects. 

McPherson said the university supports the efforts of Greek Life to stimulate a closer bond of friendship among students and enhance each student’s loyalty to ACU. The fraternities include Frater Sodalis, Galaxy, Gamma Sigma Phi, Nu Kappa Psi, Sub T-16 and Trojans, and the sororities include Delta Theta, GATA, Ko Jo Kai, Omicron Xi Chi, Sigma Theta Chi, Tri Kappa Gamma and Zeta Phi Alpha.

“Since 1919, social clubs, now referred to as Greek Life and fraternities and sororities, have been a part of the ACU experience,” McPherson said. “Through Greek Life, many students fulfill the need for close, personal contact and for social interaction.”