EDIT: This post was made with the sole intention of getting on Derek’s story. It succeeded. Thank you for participating in this social experiment.

KIND OF SERIOUS:

Whether you love it or hate it, greek life is a significant part of the social scene at Penn. Not any more. New policies will make it significantly harder to recruit a new year's pledge class. Fraternities will need to develop new methods to recruit rushes due to the absence of parties. No longer will freshmen receive mysterious envelopes under their door. Dorm buildings will likely restrict access from non-residents, and freshmen will be further spread out. If sorority and fraternity rush happens this year, it would have to be on a much smaller scale in the spring. If it does not occur at all, greek organizations could be in financial trouble.

Usually, University-owned houses must be at capacity, or Penn will fine them. This year is a different situation, of course. Due to housing restrictions, some greek houses will not be able to make capacity. I expect Penn will not fine them, but the organization will make less money from members. This change in capacity may create more demand for off-campus housing.

But what if there is no rush this year? At least, greek organizations will suffer financially. At most, off-campus houses will not have enough residents to pay for next year.

What does this mean from the social side? A new generation of freshmen and rising sophomores will have little preconceived notions. NSO is a unique time when students have no work and can learn about fraternities through partying if they so choose. Many times, NSO is where students first learn about each fraternity. Freshmen will not have this opportunity. They will have little knowledge of historical inter-greek politics.

Next year will be an excellent time to recruit students based on what really matters: sisterhood and brotherhood.

Rush Spades.

Please leave a peer review using this rubric. Let me know what you think!