Three smaller fraternities and one smaller sorority will accept sophomore, junior and senior members this fall, with the first rushes beginning on Wednesday.
The first round of Omicron Xi Chi, Nu Kappa Psi, Trojans and Pi Kappa end on Friday, and the second round will be on Sept. 17-19. Bid Day will be on Sept. 27, and New Member Orientation will take place over the next week.
The option to host a fall joining is given to the smaller greek organizations every year. However, this is the first time anyone has decided to accept the offer, said Robin McPherson, senior coordinator of fraternities and sororities.
“I’ve been here five years, but none of the small groups ever take us up on it,” McPherson said, “So it was just the decision of the small groups that chose to participate this year, really, it’s always been an option.”
Some may recall OXC adding new members in past falls, but OXC would not comment.
For Pi Kappa, this will serve as the first rushing and joining class since the club’s return this year. Hawke Ratliff, Pi Kappa’s new member orientation director, said the club has 22 members, but he hopes people will add to the revived fraternities numbers by joining this semester.
“It’s a lot more word-of-mouth, connections-based, so there’s a lot of people who knew about us in the Spring, but they were a little too late to actually pledge with us, but they are still very much interested,” said Ratliff, junior electrical engineering major from Garland. “There are still a lot of guys like that who don’t want to wait all the way until spring to join.”
Pi Kappa was founded in 1996 and was disbanded twice in 2007 and 2020, and it was revived again last year.
The club’s mission is “To challenge men to honor Jesus Christ, pursue brotherhood, practice purity, build Christ-centered relationships, support the church, reach beyond barriers, serve the Abilene community, and influence the world.”
As they prepare to accept more members, Ratliff wants to uphold this mission and set the club apart by focusing on faith.
“One of the big things is we want people who are on fire for the Lord,” Ratliff said. “If you join this community, we expect you to not only strive for that higher standard but also call each other up to that higher standard.”
To register for fall rush, students can visit Suitable. Potential new members must fill out a $2o non-refundable fee to begin the process.
*Note: The original version of the story said Hawke Ratliff was Pi Kappa president instead of new member orientation director. The change to the NMO director was made to reflect the accuracy of the Pi Kappa leadership. Daniel Pierce is the president of Pi Kappa.
