After several weeks of rush, members of Duke’s Interfraternity Council fraternities and selective living groups have extended bids to new members.
The 15 IFC fraternities extended 372 bids to 291 rushees, IFC President Erskine Love, a senior, wrote in an e-mail Sunday. Of those offered bids, 244 students chose to join IFC chapters while 47 decided not to join.
Selective living groups also had a large turnout, said senior Lauren Powers, a member of the Selective House Council. Not including InCube, Jam! and Prism—whose presidents could not be reached—Duke’s selective living groups extended a total of 174 bids, according to figures provided by Powers and the groups’ presidents. The number of students who accepted those bids has not yet been finalized, Powers added.
“I think [fraternities] have greater visibility than they have in the past,” Love said, pointing to the first annual meet and greet events that occurred in the Fall. “Sessions helped the process and gave potential new members the chance to see all 15 of our chapters [before rush].”
The 244 mark for fraternities represents an increase of 10 recruits over last year’s numbers. As of the deadline for formal Greek bid acceptances, Alpha Tau Omega received the highest number of accepted bids at 25, said ATO President Michael Mandl, a junior. Phi Delta Theta had the smallest pledge class, with six members.
Delta Kappa Epsilon saw a substantial increase in recruitment numbers. The fraternity received 10 new members compared to just one last year.
“As always, I’m very proud of the men we’ve picked up,” DKE President Tucker Howard, a junior, wrote in a Wednesday e-mail. “This year has a great spread of freshmen, sophomores, juniors and even a senior.... I’m excited to see how a pledge class with such variety in ages comes together.”
With 13 new members, Chi Psi more than doubled its class from last year.
“We’re thrilled. This is the largest pledge class we’ve had in at least five years—probably longer,” Chi Psi President Daniel Simpson, a senior, wrote in a Wednesday e-mail. “All of the guys are excellent, social gentlemen, and we believe that each of them will be able to contribute immensely to Chi Psi in the next few years.”
Among selective living groups, Ubuntu, Langdorm and Wayne Manor extended the highest number of bids—25 each. Brownstone and Arts Theme House each extended bids to 10 new members.
For a number of the selective living groups, there were far more students interested in joining than available beds. Senior Catalina Hidalgo, rush coordinator for Roundtable, said that the SLG received nearly 200 applications this year and extended 22 bids. Brownstone placed 10 people on a wait list because the group has limited bed space.
“This is definitely the smallest class in memory that I know of,” Brownstone President Brett Schroeder, a junior, said. “But it always oscillates, and hopefully next year it will be bigger.”
Presidents of InCube, Jam! and Prism and could not be reached for comment.
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