Spring quarter brings many fresh starts: better weather, blooming flowers, happy students and the much anticipated Greek rush — a period of recruitment in which fraternities and sororities welcome a new wave of members. For students who participated in rush, the process was both exciting and nerve-wracking. 

“The stereotype I had was from Alabama, and they take it super seriously in the South,” said Vanessa Lim ’28, a participant in this year’s sorority rush. 

Approximately 15 to 20% of Stanford’s student body is involved in Greek life, which includes 24 organizations formally recognized by the University, 12 of which are housed. Some chapters began holding informational sessions open to first-year students during Week 5 of winter quarter. 

Formal recruitment occurred at the beginning of spring quarter, with Greek bodies hosting events to get to know prospective members. Some organizations may also have informal recruitment for upper-class or transfer students, such as continuous open bidding (COB), throughout the year. 

Going into rush weekend, students carried different expectations. For Bheshta Kohistani ’28, Stanford’s rush process was much more laid back than in her hometown in Virginia, which she appreciated. 

“It’s slightly surprising how straightforward it is,” said Cole Spencer ’28, another frosh who participated in rush. “It’s a really simple process. You kind of just talk to people, which is the organic way to do it.”

While the process was simple, it was also draining for some, given the duration and frequency of interactions with a high volume of people. 

“I was most surprised by how much energy I have to put into it,” said Lim, who attended rush events from 1:30 p.m. to midnight on Friday. She mentioned that the conversations not only revolved around Greek life but also academics and internship tips. 

Sorority recruitment started Friday, with prospective members attending parties hosted by all six sorority chapters. After meeting each group, prospective members submitted rankings for their top four choices. They received a schedule showing which sororities reciprocated interest the following day. 

Based on a matching process, prospective members typically attended between one and four parties. Then candidates narrowed their options to two final sororities and indicated their top choice. The process concluded Monday when prospective members received their results in sealed envelopes. Throughout this process, current sorority members simultaneously evaluated and ranked the candidates.

The rush process is not something everyone partakes in — many frosh referenced the culture associated with Greek life as reasons for staying away.

“A lot of my friends don’t drink and I also don’t drink, and I don’t think there’s a sorority necessarily accepting of that,” Diya Karan ’28, who didn’t rush, said. 

Another frosh who also didn’t rush and chose to be anonymous added: “My friends were telling me that it [the conversations] would be very surface level, and I didn’t really want to be a part of that.”

For others, themes of friendship and community routinely surfaced as motivation for rushing, as underclassmen are presented the chance to get acquainted with upperclassmen and make connections beyond the frosh bubble. 

“I’m looking for inclusion and just a good time,” Kohistani said. “Something that doesn’t add stress but is a good support system.” 

Over the past few years, the atmosphere around Greek life on campus has shifted. In 2021, 58% of respondents of an ASSU survey on Greek life supported de-housing Greek life. In 2022, members of the sorority Alpha Phi (APhi) discovered “Abolish Stanford Greek” stickers on their cars.

At Stanford, rush takes place in the spring so students have time to fully transition to college before considering Greek life. While sorority recruitment typically follows a structured weekend process, the Chi Omega sorority took a slightly different approach the past few years due to chapter size. After Friday, they withdrew from the formal recruitment process and instead held informal events that last throughout spring quarter, including movie nights and candle-making events. 

“You can get to know us on your own terms in a more relaxed environment and see if you actually see yourself in the organization,” said Joanne DePierre ’25, a former chapter vice president of Chi Omega and a writer and diversity, equity and inclusion co-chair for The Daily. 

The fraternity recruitment process works slightly differently, beginning with one or two open events where prospective members meet current fraternity members. Following these initial gatherings, candidates who made a positive impression received invitations to exclusive “invite” events.

“I was surprised that people are actually really smart at frats,” said Andrew Lee ’28, referencing Kappa Sigma in particular.

After the invite phase, the candidate pool was narrowed to those selected for formal interviews, after which successful candidates received bids on Tuesday. It’s possible to receive multiple bids, giving candidates a choice of which fraternity to join. Candidates had until Wednesday at 6 p.m. to accept their preferred bid.

“The biggest advice I would give is to just be yourself and explore all spaces,” said Eddy Duran ’27, a member of the Phi Psi executive board. “Anywhere you go, they’re going to be able to tell that you’re not fully yourself.” 

Will Yu ’27, a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, described the rushing period as pivotal to broadening one’s circle. “I think there’s very few opportunities in life where you get to meet as many people as you do in rush,” Yu said. “It’s so rare that you get to spend time with older people who are willing to give advice.”

Many frosh emphasized authenticity and community of Greek life during the rush process

“I think it’s really easy, especially with frats that have a strong homogenous culture, to feel that you have to conform to a stereotype, but I’m looking for something where you still have a sense of brotherhood while having a sense of individuality,” Spencer said. 

This expectation was echoed by current Greek life members too. According to Yu, SigEp has given him a “community of guys that I feel like I can just go to for everything… We can sit together, talk about classes together and go out on weekends.” 

Still, many students choose not to join Greek life. 

“The main benefit would be food and housing, but I already have my housing plans situated, and if I wanted the food, I could just crash at [my sister’s] place and get the food. So, I didn’t feel the need to join,” Annalise Mak ’28 said. She also shared that her current extracurricular activities, including Intervarsity Christian fellowship and Bridge peer counseling already provide her with a welcoming community. 

Another frosh was concerned about time commitment. “I felt like the process would seem even more overwhelming because I would’ve come into it with no background or understanding of how the process worked,” Anjali Prabhu ’28 said. “The experience would have given me more stress than support.”

While many students have personal reasons for not joining Greek life, those within these organizations often feel there are misconceptions about what fraternity and sorority membership truly entails. “Some people oversimplify what being in a fraternity is,” Duran said. “[They] automatically assume that there’s a lot of partying and drinking and socializing. But what a lot of people don’t realize is that at the end of the day, fraternities and sororities are communities first.” 

This article has been updated to remove the name of a source who did not agree to public comment.