After the intricate, intense process of rush week — a full face of makeup, numerous different color-coordinated outfits and daily activities — went booming across TikTok under #RushTok, millions of Americans across the country were hooked. Today, the hashtag has 1.3 million posts, ranging from choreographed dancing videos to makeup tutorials and even veteran advice on how to avoid getting dropped during rush.
Nearly two centuries ago, pastor John Hart Hunter established the first Greek life chapter — Kappa Alpha — at Union College in New York. Since then, the culture behind the single-sex social clubs has sparked deep fascination around North America within the past 10 years.
Now, at the University of Alabama, nearly 40% of students participate in Greek life, stepping on campus and rushing the moment they get there — according to Forbes.
Senior Kelsey Johnson is attending the University of Alabama in the fall on a marine science track and said she has always known that she wanted to go to college out of state. Moreover, she said that she felt connected to Greek life because of her mother, who rushed at the University of Kansas during her time in college.
“Going to a school so far away where I don’t know anyone, it’s going to be one of the quickest ways to make friends,” Johnson said.
Before pledging to a sorority or frat, students participate in a series of days consisting of recruitment activities and networking for chapters to evaluate and pick their new members that will fit well into their organization’s attributes.
At the end of the week, students receive their bid: an invitation to join a fraternity or sorority, often in a letter. At most colleges, students from both in-state and out-of-state participate in rush week during the beginning of their academic school year.
Sophomore Julietta Keathley-Helms said she is excited to rush a sorority to meet new friends and make new connections. However, she said that the rush week process can easily come off as cutthroat and that, in turn, it can make or break a student’s sorority experience.
Most pledge activities take place during the beginning of their year — often resulting in hazing. Hazing is defined as the imposition of strenuous, often humiliating, tasks as part of a program of rigorous physical training and initiation, according to Google.
For fraternities, the most common hazing tasks can include drinking games, public humiliation, sexual harassment or even being woken in the middle of the night.
In the spring semester of 2023, 133 Greek life chapters across 55 U.S. colleges were shut down, suspended or punished after supposed offenses including partying, hazing, racism or sexual assault, according to Bloomberg.
Senior Adam Jakmouj said he feels that the prevailing reputation and culture of fraternities is
negative and therefore has decided against rushing. Jakmouj is majoring in business management in the fall at the University of Kansas.
“I’m not totally sure why people want to join when they’re going to get hazed. It seems like a weird roundabout way of having friends and making connections with new people when you could just join a dorm and meet new people that way,” Jakmouj said.
Many colleges implement additional Greek fees that support the institution and cover the costs of chapter fees, meal plans and more. At Alabama, the average cost a first year member, who lives in a regular dorm, has to pay is $4,170.03 per semester, according to their Fraternity and Sorority Life website.
Current University of Kansas sophomore Michael Lickert, who is majoring in exercise science, is in the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He said that after pledging and joining a frat house, he has found his second home within Lawrence and created countless memories.
“There [are] countless friendships made both within the fraternity and through mutual friends of fraternity brothers and that’s something that has made my college experience pretty awesome,” Lickert said.
Furthermore, Lickert said that he is grateful that he joined the right fraternity for him. Different chapters can obtain different requirements that can outline academic achievements, race, religion and more.
“There are some fraternities that recruit certain people based upon standards they have set … There are some that give bids to anyone with a pulse, so getting background on a fraternity through word of mouth or through friends is something that really impacted my decision on which fraternity to join,” Lickert said.
For many incoming freshmen, they note varying chapter attributes that are important to their beliefs such as a focus on academics or partying. In the future, Keathley-Helms said she is excited to find the right people and sorority for her, and said she knows she will. Keathley-Helms plans on rushing a sorority at either the University of Kansas or the University of Arkansas.
“It’s an easy opportunity to make friends and meet people, and my sister rushed, so I kind of got an inside scoop of it. I’ve been looking forward to it and am really excited to meet new people,” Keathley-Helms said.
