When DU students hear the word “rush,” they may think of potential new sorority members running around Josephine Street, singing songs and clapping together. For fraternities, students may conjure up images of poker nights, go-karting or barbeques. However, this year’s rush shifted to a completely virtual format due to COVID-19.
This year, DU sororities and fraternities focused on having one-on-one conversations through Zoom and did not get the opportunity to meet new members in person before offering bids. Zoom is becoming the new normal, but is it a substantial way to meet people and get to know their personality?
This year, rush was more difficult because there were less interpersonal connections that both sides could experience.
“When I am talking and getting to know people, I always need to sense their energy,” said Laura Osborne, a member of Delta Zeta. “Over Zoom, I had difficulty not being in the same physical room as my peers, which made the process more challenging overall.”
Even with these adversities, it was crucial for students to be given the opportunity to rush. Rush is a means to make students feel part of the DU community outside of the classroom.
Fraternity rush was held from Sept. 23 through Sept. 30.
“Rush went a lot better than expected this year,” said Kyle Waggoner, the Vice President of Recruitment for Beta Theta Pi. “Less freshmen came out compared to previous years, but most chapters were still able to do well with a virtual rush. It was more difficult to get to know guys over a virtual setting.”
Waggoner noted that Beta received 27 new pledges from spring and fall rush events.
A freshman associate member of Lambda Chi Alpha, Michael Maloney, was grateful to have been involved in recruitment because of the limited in-person events and classes on campus.
“Although rushing online was disappointing, it was a lot better than I thought it would be,” said Maloney. “Even over Zoom, it was a great way to meet people and make friends.”
For freshmen, it would have been very disappointing to have no form of rush at all. However, the virtual rush demonstrated that there are ways to get involved at DU and have an enjoyable quarter, even during COVID-19.
Sorority recruitment took place from Oct. 2 through Oct. 4th and 241 women participated. Current sorority members spent around seven to eight hours on Zoom each day to meet and recruit new members.
“Despite recruitment being online via Zoom this fall, everything went really well,” said Sasha Day, the Assistant Director to New Member Educator in Chi Omega. “We had amazing conversations with all the women and enjoyed getting to know other DU students. I am looking forward to becoming closer with our fantastic new members.”
Savannah Kelley, the VP of Social Standards for Delta Gamma, also acknowledged that, even though virtual rush was unusual, it gave DU women a chance to connect with each other.
“Delta Gamma was just as excited to welcome new members home on Zoom as we are in person,” said Kelley. “During this time, connection in any mode is very valuable.”
Sorority bid day occurred on Oct. 5 and it was an exciting night for members to find out which sorority they would be joining. They got a Zoom link for their chosen sorority and got to meet more current members through small break out rooms. After the celebration on Zoom, many sorority members on the leadership team dropped off goodie bags at the freshman dorms, which included shirts and masks for the new members.
Sorority and fraternity rush proved successful in an online format and the energy of bid day was still omnipresent. Members strive to be together at weekly chapter meetings soon but recognize how they can still make meaningful connections through Zoom.
