MSU greek community showcase to gain new recruits

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MSU fraternities and sororities gathered for Greek Fall Welcome at the rock on Farm Lane on Tuesday to highlight the benefits of being a part of greek life.

The event required no commitment from those who attended, said Interfraternity Council President Bill Zajac, and was intended to show how each of the fraternities and sororities were
involved in philanthropy, scholarships, community events and social life.

“The past couple of years we’ve had an increasing
number of potential rush numbers and we expect that
positive trend to continue,” Zajac said.

Interior design junior Molly Johnson said the event was all about trying to showcase the size of the greek community at MSU.

“We’re trying to get the word out so freshmen and sophomores can see how big the greek community is and show them a different side of us than the bad connotations that we usually get,” said Johnson, a member of Pi Beta Phi.

Johnson said Pi Beta Phi focuses on philanthropy events that promote literacy. They host a spaghetti dinner and broomball competition to raise money, as well as taking a trip to read with second and third graders.

She’s been a member of Pi Beta Phi since she was a freshman.
“My whole family is pretty much greek and I was in love with it when I got here,” Johnson said. “We’re trying to grow, this is definitely a growing year for us. But despite what people might think, the greek community here is alive and thriving.”

Communication junior Melissa Schofding, a member of Sigma Kappa, also joined her sorority as a freshman. Her sister and her mom both were sorority members, which was her biggest push to join, she said.

“It really helps to make a campus of 40,000 people smaller and more intimate,” Schofding said.

Chemical engineering sophomore Jake Hoppert rushed the Triangle Fraternity during the spring semester and recently became a brother.

“It’s probably the best thing I’ve ever done,” Hoppert said. “Greek Week is my favorite part. Last year we raised a quarter of a million dollars for the American Cancer Society.”

English and pre-law senior Ditte Woodson stopped by the rock to check out the multi-cultural sororities and see how the greek community interacted as a whole.

“I wanted to see what the greek environment was like because I heard all of them were coming out,” Woodson said.

One of the big fall philanthropy events MSU Greek Life will be working on as a community is Safe Halloween, in which each of the chapters helps set up a street carnival for children in East Lansing, Zajac said.

“We have games set up for (the kids) and create a fun and safe environment for them to trick-or-treat with their parents,” Zajac said.

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