Kaylee Liu
Features Editor
Lark Pinney
Features Editor
Rush season has rolled around again, like it does every fall here at the College. Under normal circumstances, rush would be an exciting semester of non-stop group gatherings, movie nights and events, both formal and informal. In the interests of public health, this year’s rushes have been moved online. All Greek groups on campus are conducting rush virtually, and we spoke to some of them about how they are providing the best rush experience possible for first years via Zoom.
Rush is an exciting time for fraternities and sororities to get to know potential new members and for interested students to learn more about Greek Life. Traditionally during this time, groups host events to get to know prospective members, as well as inform and educate them on their culture and ethos. Service is also an integral part of Greek culture, and groups on campus are heavily invested in giving back to the community and making a positive impact. Delta Theta Psi recently hosted their “Saturday Morning of Action” on Zoom, during which sisters made calls and wrote emails calling for change to show their support and solidarity with social justice movements. Other groups have been hosting more casual events like the “Pi Kappa Hangout” and Xi Chi Psi’s “Game Night” in an effort to get to know rushes better and to forge the friendships between active members and students that are so valuable in helping each other find their place in Wooster’s social scene.
In this article, we’ve consolidated information about all Greek groups on campus and their rushes. If you are thinking about rushing, we highly encourage you to go through all the information and to rush as many groups as you are interested in. Rush is a season of new friendships, learning about Greek culture and just having fun. Even if you have never thought of yourself as a frat boy, sorority girl or gender-neutral Greek, there’s a place for you in Wooster’s Greek Life, and we would love to help you find it.
Group Statements
Beta Kappa Phi: Beta’s virtual rush will be a gaming and question and answer session from our members around the globe. A majority of us are doing remote learning, so while we can’t meet everybody this semester, we plan to for the next one! Our rush information can be found on our posters or on our Instagram @betakappaphi or through this link: https://forms.gle/cbFb-kakkZwGgnPJ7A. Our second rush is on Tuesday, Sept. 15 from 6:30-8 p.m.
Statement courtesy of Beta Kappa Phi co-presidents Ivan Jaramillo ’22 and Shahroz Zaman ’21.
Xi Chi Psi: Xi Chi is a tight-knit, welcoming group. Whether it is throwing frisbees around on the residential quad, relaxing at the picnic table outside Bissman, heading down to Holly House to help
the homeless or huddling together in the chapter room for some study time, we love hanging out with one another. The bulk of Xi Chi members never expected to join Greek Life at the College, so virtual rush has made it much more difficult for us to connect with like-minded students that do not yet understand how distinct a local organization like Xi Chi is from a traditional national fraternity. However, we’ve already met some amazing rushes and hope to meet even more as the semester goes on! If you see us around, come talk to us, and if you’re interested feel free to fill out our interest form at bit.ly/rushxichi.
Statement courtesy of Xi Chi Psi president Angelo Williams ’21.
Phi Sigma Alpha: We’ve been hard at work finding a way to preserve the traditional rush experience virtually. We’re happy to have found a way to keep all of our rushes the same over Microsoft Teams.
We hope to recreate the in-person feeling of a good time, lots of laughter and bonding through our rush events. Our rush interest form is forms.gle/1NSBw6AtA3qxGmSC9.
Statement courtesy of Phi Sigma Alpha president Deshaun Jones ’21.
Delta Chi Delta: This year our rushes are virtual, but that doesn’t make them any less exciting or personal. We’ve been planning games, competitions and other fun activities that will help us get to know the rushes better but also let the rushes get to know us. Think you have what it takes to run with the Wolfpack? Be sure to follow @woosterdeltas or to email jmilan22@wooster.edu for any questions, concerns or updates.
Statement courtesy of Delta Chi Delta president Gerald Dryden ’21.
Epsilon Kappa Omicron: For rush this year, Epsilon Kappa Omicron (EKO) will be holding a completely virtual rush on Microsoft Teams, where we will be playing some online games, like Pictionary and cards against humanity, among others. During each rush event there will also be some time for questions about sorority life, how EKO does rush and about the group in general. Even though rush normally would be in person, EKO is still excited to meet potential rushes and get to know them! Our rush dates this year are Tuesday, Sept. 15 from 6:30-8 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 23 from 7:30-9 p.m. and Tuesday, Sept. 29 from 6:30-8 p.m. We’d love to see you there!
Statement courtesy of Epsilon Kappa Omicron president Marissa Camacho ’22.
Pi Kappa: This semester’s rush season is completely unprecedented, which is why I am equally anxious and excited for this year! Groups have to stray from tradition and brainstorm new approaches — a process I’m glad to be a part of. I hope that even without the in-person atmosphere, there can still be the same level of comfortability and excitement for our rushes. Our second rush is on Friday, Sept. 18 from 4-5:30 p.m. More information can be found on our Instagram, @pi-kappapeanuts.
Statement courtesy of Pi Kappa president Jenelle Booker ’21.
Delta Theta Psi: Delta Theta Psi (Theta) can be described as a group of individuals who support each other wholeheartedly, whether it be inside or outside of the classroom. Theta is an organization that
creates and fosters lifelong friendships. This rush season is going to be different than in the years past; however, we still want to make virtual rush a great and unique experience for each and every rush. For more information on active members and how to sign up to rush, visit our Instagram, @delta_theta_psi.
Statement courtesy of Delta Theta Psi president Megan Gronau ’21.
Kappa Epsilon Zeta: Kappa Epsilon Zeta is a relatively new Greek group on campus, and we are excited to keep getting bigger! A lot of us didn’t think that we would join Greek life, and we are often — especiallyrecently — trying to critique our own group to keep improving for ourselves and for potential new members. Overall, we are a group with very diverse interests, and we come together to help each other grow through reflections at our weekly meetings where we also find peace by spending time together. In regards to rush, we are doing things completely virtually. We have a Linktree on our social media accounts so that people can learn about us (see our Instagram for our 12 Days to Rush with each day featuring a different member of KEZ!) and sign up for rush; our formal and informal rushes will both be held virtually. We are also using our texting buddies more thoroughly this year (each KEZ member meeting at least once with their assigned rush) so that the rushes can feel closer to at least one of our members.
Statement courtesy of Kappa Epsilon Zeta Rush Chair Kennedy Bell ’21.
Eta Pi: We are open to everyone. A lot of the time people see fraternity and think guys only, but we accept people of all genders! This semester Eta Pi is approaching rush as all virtual. For the second rush we will be playing interactive online games; we aren’t sure which ones yet because we want to ask our rushes what onlines games are their favorite. So if anyone out there has any suggestions feel free to let us know! For more information, check out our Instagram, @woosteretapi.
Statement courtesy of Eta Pi President Skylar Billingsley ’21
Zeta Phi Gamma: Although rush is going to be challenging this year, Zeta is choosing to go into virtual rush with an open mind. We have various activities planned for all of our rushes that will take
place on Microsoft Teams. We are also able to get to know our rushes by having socially distant meals, that way we can have some sort of in-personcontact while remaining safe. We are a very close-knit group and intend to make our rushes feel welcome despite the challenges they are facing.
Statement courtesy of Zeta Phi Gamma President Dani Montgomery ’21.
Alpha Gamma Phi: We are a group that cultivates a loving and supportive environment that allows our members to continue to grow on their own path while strengthening their identity. Althought we are different, we share the same interests in supporting each other by providing a backbone for our members to lean on during the most transitional period of their lives! We want our rushess to know that we understand it can be an intimidating process but the outcome is lifelong friends and a Wooster family — after all, always good friends, always good times. For more information, our Intagram is @insta_gamms.
Statement courtesy of Alpha Gamma Phi President Hikmet Sherief ’21.