What About Rush? How Covid-19 might impact greek life

With the coronavirus putting the fall semester of college into question, many incoming freshmen are concerned with how greek life will be affected.

The University of Kansas and Kansas State University both typically hold a Sorority and Fraternity Life Experience Day every spring for prospective students or transfer students to learn more about what their greek life could look like on campus. 

Due to stay-at-home orders, KU changed this experience to a virtual one and held it over Instagram for two hours on April 25. K-State has posted information sessions on their website for students to get the “inside scoop” on the recruitment processes for the year.

Since the news is constantly changing and no one is sure about the timeframe of a possible second peak, most colleges have kept quiet about what rush and the fall semester might look like. But according to incoming freshman Maddy Slaughter, the University of Arkansas has been consistent about updating their community, and sororities have been maintaining the same positive outlook through GroupMe.

“Arkansas has been really adamant about sending things out,” Slaughter said. “I got a letter last week and they were like, ‘we will see you in the fall.’ I think they’re trying to reassure people . . .  I mean [greek life is] really big at Arkansas, there’s thousands of people involved and so I think safety wise it probably makes sense for them to move it.” 

There have been rumors floating around about the possibility of some schools, such as the University of Arkansas and TCU, moving rush to October or even to the second semester. According to incoming TCU freshman Chloe Sowden, everyone is uncertain as of now. 

“The chancellor was saying that it will most likely be moved back,” Sowden said. “But then I was talking to one of my older friends who goes there and she thinks it will start on time, so I think just nobody really knows exactly what’s gonna happen yet. I just think it really depends on how the summer goes.”

For other colleges such as Miami University and Baylor University, rush is typically in the second semester, so planning that far in the future would be based on little available information regarding what the pandemic will look like. 

Overall, students like Sowden and Slaughter are hoping to find out more in the next few weeks regarding rush, but preparations for students are going on as normal. 

“I think everyone’s still pretty unsure about it,” Sowden said. “I mean most of my friends have just been preparing for rush like it will be in August . . . I’m guessing in the next few weeks we will hear if it got moved.”