By Tim Curry
On Wednesday, Sept. 4, the College’s Greek life joined hands in an effort to show underclassmen what fraternity and sorority life is truly like at the College. “Rush TCNJ,” presented by the Inter-Greek Council, was the first event of its kind at the College. Over 250 unaffiliated freshmen, sophomores and juniors came out to the Lion’s Den to learn more about Greek life, talk to some of the leaders of Greek organizations and eat free pizza from Piccolo’s.
Rush TCNJ featured speeches from every Greek council and was topped off with a video, including several of the College’s prestigious fraternities and sororities. Speakers included Inter-Greek Council President Parth Parikh, Panhellenic Council President Deirdre Mari, and Inter-Fraternity Council President Ryan McMichael. The event was the brainchild of Robbie Nunes, the Inter-Fraternity Council’s vice president of recruitment. The beauty of Rush TCNJ was that everyone came together as one group, as opposed to the several organizations they come from. No one wore Greek letters or advertised specific fraternities or sororities. Each Greek organization sent two members to take part in the event, dressed in navy and gold “Rush TCNJ” T-shirts. The Greeks were happy to help with any questions or concerns that potential new members had.
The multiple viewpoints on Greek life helped freshman get a view of all different types of organizations, which will help to dispell the negative stereotypes often attached to Greek organizations.
After patiently listening to the speakers, the freshmen and sophomores in attendance were treated to free pizza from Piccolo’s Trattoria, a favorite spot for the College’s students. Freshmen and Greeks broke up into several smaller groups and got to know each other and the College’s Greek life a little better. The goal of the event was to expose freshmen and other potential new members to the ways of Greek life. Only time will tell how successful the event truly was. Rush TCNJ was a follow-up to the Welcome Week event “Meet the Greeks.” Based off of the spectacular turnout of these events, it seems that the College’s current Greek percentage of 20 percent will only be growing, thanks to the Class of 2017.
