The past couple of weeks here at Lake State have brought upon us many activities involving the different Greek organizations on campus. We have just reached the end of the Greek Rush period here at Lake State. Rush is a period of time of membership recruitment by Greek organizations. Rush is primarily a process for exchanging information, fraternity and sorority members give information about their respective organizations to potential new members, or rushes. The rushes give information about themselves, inquire about the missions, philosophies, financial obligations, alumni opportunities and membership commitment of the organization that he or she is Rushing.  This is done through different activities put on by the Greek organization throughout a two-week period.
After the Rush period is over, the members of the Greek organizations decide which rushes they want to become pledges, or new members and give them bids to join. A pledge is a person who has accepted a bid to join a fraternity or sorority chapter but has not yet been initiated. They have to go through a new member program, which is a time before initiation during which new members learn about their fraternity or sorority, their fellow new members, activities, and responsibilities. 
The first general fraternity is considered to be the Kappa Alpha Society, established at Union College in Schenectady, New York on November 26, 1825 by John Hart Hunter. Kappa Alpha Theta (January 1870) and Kappa Kappa Gamma (October 1870) are formally recognized as the first Greek letter fraternities for women. The term sorority was not yet in use, so the earliest houses were founded as "women's fraternities" or "fraternities for women." The first national womens fraternity  to adopt the word sorority was Gamma Phi Beta, established in 1874 at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York.
There are seven greek organizations here at Lake State: four fraternities, and three sororities.   The Fraternities are Delta Sigma Phi, Lambda Sigma Beta, Tau Kappa Epsilon and Theta Xi.  Delta Sigma Phi, Theta Xi and Tau Kappa Epsilon are national fraternities, meaning that there are chapters of each all over the country at different universities. Lambda Sigma Beta and all three sororities are local organizations, meaning that you can only find them here at Lake State.  The three sororities are Alpha Kappa Chi, Alpha Theta Omega, and Sigma Lambda Sigma.  All of our organizations are looking for more members, so be sure to take advantage of the rush periods.  There are two a year, one in the fall, and one in the spring.  
As you consider rushing, remember this: 48% of all U.S. Presidents, 42% of all U.S. Senators, 30% of all U.S Congressmen and women and 40% of all U.S. Supreme Court Justices are members of Greek Organizations.  Also keep in mind that many celebrities including Condeleeza Rice, Chuck Norris, Angelina Jolie and Babe Ruth were Greek.  In fact, President Ronald Reagan and quarterback Terry Bradshaw were both in Tau Kappa Epsilon; while author of the Garfield comic, Jim Davis and actor Bruce Davison were in Theta Xi.

By Stephanie Rice and Meghan Bamberger
