With twice the number of sophomores participating in rush this year as compared to last year, sororities are attempting to deal with a dramatic increase that few of their members saw coming.
Whereas last year between 35 and 40 sophomores signed up for sorority rush, this year the number hit 90, which Christina Ponig, Panhellenic Council vice president for rush, said is "absolutely unprecedented... From a Panhel standpoint, it makes our numbers more uncertain."
Traditionally, Panhel sets the size limit for each sorority's pledge class, the vast majority of which tends to be made up of freshmen. The increase in sophomores, however, has called that limit into question, since Panhel officials want to give sophomores the same opportunities as freshmen in the rush process, Ponig said.
But this may be easier said than done. The National Panhellenic Council, which oversees all national sororities, "very strongly recommends" that for a school of Duke's size, pledge class membership for each individual sorority not exceed 45, Ponig said. Because Panhel is not supposed to challenge these guidelines, it may be difficult for them to contend with the increased number of sophomores without having to cut the number of freshmen that are accepted.
"Emotionally, it makes the process even more grueling," Ponig said. "It really makes things tense when it comes time to invite the girls back, to possibly not be able to have your best friend back at your sorority."
But she added that when dealing with 500 rushees and 1,000 sorority members, the process ultimately has to come down to numbers.
Sororities seem to be taking different approaches to dealing with the increase, with some limiting the number of sophomores accepted on a rough percentage basis and others ignoring class altogether.
Trinity senior Heather Purtle, president of Alpha Delta Pi sorority, said that there are both positive and negative sides to rushing as a sophomore. On the one hand, sophomores are more likely to have friends in particular sororities who will be able to speak up for them and keep them from getting lost in the crowd of some 500 women who rush every year. But on the other hand, she said, it is difficult for sororities to take too many sophomores, because when that class graduates the sorority's numbers could be cut down significantly.
Last year, ADPi took about 36 people in its pledge class, no more than six of whom were sophomores, Purtle said, adding that while there are no set numbers for class distribution, sophomores are usually taken on a percentage basis.
She said, however, that ultimately the numbers are not terribly important. "Basically, we're just concerned with getting quality rushees, whether they're sophomores or freshmen," she said.
Trinity junior Kelli Knox, president of Delta Gamma sorority, declined to comment on the inner workings of the rush process, citing confidentiality rules that are adhered to by all sororities. But she did say that it is difficult for a sorority to take too many sophomores because of the lopsided effect that it would have on distribution among classes.
Other sorority presidents seemed even less concerned with the increase in the number of sophomores.
"In a way, it's not really going to affect us at all," said Trinity senior Emily Diznoff, president of Kappa Alpha Theta. "They're still the same people." She added that every sorority has a different way of handling sophomores, but declined to elaborate on the policy for the Thetas, citing concerns about confidentiality.
And Trinity senior Tricia Weber, president of Pi Beta Phi, said that the jump in sophomore rushees speaks well of the role of the greek system on campus.
"Sophomores, after experiencing one year as independents, have realized that maybe it is beneficial to be involved in the greek scene for maybe an increase in opportunities," she said, and added that her sorority does not have specific guidelines as to how many sophomores they will accept.
"It depends on how many sophomores pick us," she said.
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