FAQ: General

Recruitment, a more long term and developed method of attracting new members, has been suggested as a supplement and even an alternative to Rush. To date, it is still widely debated what combination of rushing, recruiting, timing, rules, and general atmosphere leads to the best results for all parties: potential new members, fraternities and MIT. Hopefully the future will determine the combination that works best as fraternities and MIT continue to adapt.

The Good

Rush can be one of the funnest times of the year at MIT and certain events provide a very quick opportunity to learn things about MIT, Boston, and the surrounding area. You'll meet a lot of new people in a short amount of time and there is ample opportunity to make new friendships and acquaintances.

The Bad

Rush can also be one of the most pressured times at MIT especially having to choose which fraternities you will check out and ultimately, which one you will join. Having to conform to the regulations and deadlines that fraternities place on Fall Rush can also be frustrating. During Rush, it can be hard to determine which fraternity will be the best fit especially in a short amount of time in which everyone shows a smiling face and open attitude. Furthermore it can be hard to distinguish the feel of everyday life in a particular fraternity (which is most of the time) from the Rush atmosphere. For two weeks fraternities concentrate very hard on one thing: rushing new members, and when a bunch of MIT students focus their minds collectively on one goal for two weeks, amazing things happen. But, this focus on Rush does not last by far throughout the semester and potential new members must distinguish between Rush personalities and everyday personalities.

What is Recruitment and how is it different for Rushing?

Recruitment is a strategy used for getting potential new members to join a fraternity. Despite widespread misconception, recruitment is actually a more active form of obtaining new membership than rush. Recruitment involves the active year round commitment of seeking out high quality potential new members who already fit within the values and goals of a fraternity whereas Rushing implies waiting till the designated rush period comes around once a year, being told what can and cannot be done with regards to the limited pool of potential new members who willingly come and participate in pre-planned events. Recruitment is traditionally less glamorous and exciting than Fall Rush, being characterized often by everyday interactions and events taking place throughout the semester. Recruitment involves less pressure than Fall Rush and is arguably less stressful for freshmen. Finally, whereas Rush almost always refers to obtaining new freshmen members, recruitment, because it is less dependent on time, is more open to acquiring new members from all classes.

Why does SigEp focus on Recruitment?

It's very important to understand that although SigEp does participate in the formal recruitment periods, Rush is not the main emphasis nor most important strategy for gaining new members. This being said, the reasons why SigEp focuses on Recruitment rather than Rush are simple: Rush is short, can be superficial, and highly pressuring. It only really happens once a year and not everyone participates thus, the pool of new members is limited. Our fraternity doesn't want to rush anyone into a decision that, in the end, will not be right for SigEp or the new member. Recruitment allows us to work on our own time schedule, not being limited by potential superficiality, pressure, or limited pool of applicants and we feel we and the potential new members we seek can all be "ourselves" a little bit more than we would during Rush.

What are some things to keep in mind when joining a fraternity?

Simple. Be yourself. Be yourself. Be yourself. Keep in mind that joining a fraternity can be a pretty big decision so you should never feel "rushed" into a decision. If you feel yourself being rushed into anything, don't let yourself be. Take some serious time to stop and think all your options over. All guys at MIT should however honestly contemplate joining a fraternity even if you think it's not for you or you're not "fraternity material". A common theme at MIT which also extends to Greek Life is that you should try to explore as much you possibly can. There are a lot of different options out there, so don't feel you have to conform to any particular plan of action. Finally... HAVE FUN!