<p>Cal Poly Fraternities Defer Rushing for New Students</p>
<p>Leaders of Cal Polys Interfraternity Council have announced a new plan that will bar new students from joining fraternities during their first quarter of enrollment. The change, effective fall quarter 2010, applies to both freshmen and transfer students. The aim, said Interfraternity Council President Andrew Farrell, is to give students who are new to the Cal Poly campus a chance to acclimate and establish themselves academically and socially before they think about the time-consuming and demanding process of joining a social organization.</p>
<p>actually think it is a great move - let the new kids settle in and figure things out a bit before they look at potentially going greek. much much prefer spring rush</p>
<p>I agree completely. My son is convinced one of his friends is failing because he pledged a frat in his 1st qtr. I’m amazed that that has been permitted and glad to see they have come to their senses.</p>
<p>I’m wondering now why things weren’t always like that. Just the thought of freshman rushing their first quarter doesn’t quite…I don’t know…seem right to me. I guess I never found frats appealing at all, but why would you want to join right when you get to some new place, are living on your own, etc.?</p>
<p>@mattrice92, for some, i.e. my only-child nephew who attends an out-of-state school, making new friends and getting to a new place is really intimidating and stressful. Joining a frat solves that problem. I don’t think most of the kids or parents forsee the academic problem rushing right off the bat creates…a whole new problem, involving grades, which is probably bigger than the problem they tried to avoid. </p>
<p>I think it’s good that CPSLO will make the students wait a semester, but I also think they should have required that Rush only last one quarter. At my nephew’s school, you are a Pledge for an entire year. He may well hit the probation level this second semester. This would be deadly, here in CA, as CPPSLO has mentioned tightening up their probation policy to one semester instead of two.</p>