In his Jan. 15 column, Marko Djuranovic paints an incomplete picture of sorority rush at Duke. Although the formal rush process does have some limitations, he makes the common mistake of overlooking the alternative way for women to find their niche in the Greek system--informal rush.
Not only does informal rush offer a comfortable atmosphere for getting to know members of a sorority, it is also truly indicative of sorority life. Informal rush events such as group dinners and bowling as well as watching basketball games together and eating dessert at Francesca's facilitate sisters' and rushees' getting to know each other on a more one-to-one basis. Informal rush provides more opportunities for socializing over a timespan of several weeks, so that the process is not focused on superficial attributes alone.
Many sororities at Duke participate in informal rush, and our sorority, Alpha Epsilon Phi, has made informal rush an important aspect of our member selection since 1995. We feel that it is unfair for the author to judge sorority life by his perception of formal rush, leaving out one of the most important aspects of the rush process.
If anyone still has doubts about the ability of sorority rush to create true and lasting friendships, we invite them to find out more about the informal rush process by contacting the Panhellenic Council office or by speaking with one of our sisters.
The writers are AEPhi's president and rush chair.
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