University of Arkansas Fayetteville - Razorback Yearbook (Fayetteville, AR)

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ltS them Sorority and fraternity recruitment offers social opportunities to students. Worrying about what to wear, what to say and which house to choose were some of the concerns that swirled around in the minds of the more than 1,000 students who participated in fall recruitment. During the four days, the potential members visited hous¬ es, and each night they decided which ones they wanted to return to the next day. Women’s recruitment took place the week before school started, and the parties were held from the morning until the early evening. The seven sororities on campus provided interested students with entertaining skits, refreshing lem¬ onade and relief from the heat. During the first day of recruitment the potential members visited every house and learned about the philanthropies that each sorority supported. On the second day, the women were given a tour of the houses to which they returned, and the third night was reserved for the elaborate dances and skits. The final night, known as Pref Night, was more serious than the other days and was the night that the women made their final decisions. “Towards the end of rush it got harder to decide who to cut,’’ freshman Ashley Pounders said. “But on Pref Night it wasn’t too hard because I went to two very different hous¬ es.’’ Men’s recruitment did not occur during the summer, instead they waited until the fifth week of school, which allowed incoming students time to adjust to life on campus before going through recruitment. The twelve fraternities blared music, danced around and introduced themselves to the men, each house doing their best to convince the poten¬ tial members that they had the best fraternity on campus. One thing that both the women and men seemed to re¬ member most about their experience was the large number of people they met throughout the week. They were able to meet people their own age as well as older members of the fraternities and sororities. Most of the students agreed the recruitment process helped them become more social. The climax of Recruitment Week was Bid Day - an im¬ portant and memorable occasion for everyone involved. The event took place on Old Main Lawn for the men and at the Greek Theatre for the women. While waiting to open their bid cards, the new members heard the chants of Greek let¬ ters, saw a sea of colorful balloons and witnessed their Rho Chi or Gamma Chi reveal their own Greek affiliation. After discovering which houses they received, new mem¬ bers greeted their new brothers or sisters, then they ran to their respective houses where lunch was served and group pictures were taken. Even though Recruitment Week was exciting for some, it was a scary experience for others. A few out-of-town fresh¬ men were wary about joining an organization where they did not know any of the members, but for students from Little Rock or Fayetteville the transition was a lot smoother. “I really wasn’t nervous or scared because I figured I’d end up where I was supposed to be,’’ freshman Lynn New¬ man said. Once the bid day activities were over, the new members began their phase of pledging in which they went on coke dates, held functions and attended pep rallies with their new friends. by Dana Huggins 2Q tue esit i e

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( T7 ci Ion The UA offers refuge, housing and an education to victims of Hurricane Katrina. As Hurricane Katrina’s rough waters ravished the Gulf Coast, it caused mounds of destruction and forced many stu¬ dents from schools in Louisiana to drift inland and enroll at the UA. Many New Orleans institutions suffered both minor and major damage during Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding. Some of the universities affected included Tulane University, Xavier University, Dillard University, Loyola Uni¬ versity New Orleans and the University of New Orleans. The American Council on Education estimated 75,000 to 100,000 college students in the New Orleans area were affected by the storm according to their Web site. Displaced students scattered across the nation to attend other universi¬ ties. The UA opened its doors to the students and extended fall enrollment for two weeks for those students in need of academic refuge, as well as offering free or reduced tuition and fees to students who were enrolled in colleges and uni¬ versities near New Orleans. Dawn Medley, director of admissions, said in a UA press release that, as of September, a total of 66 students had en¬ rolled at the UA from schools affected by Hurricane Ka¬ trina. Ryan O’Hara, senior management and legal studies ma¬ jor, was enrolled at the UA after Tulane cancelled classes for the fall semester. Originally from Little Rock, Ark., O Hara sought the UA over other schools in Arkansas because he had friends enrolled here, he said. O Hara expressed concern when he was unable to return to his fifth floor dorm room to retrieve his things after being evacuated from the city. “I was only able to grab about four changes of clothes and my iPod,” he said. O’Hara’s first weekend in Fayetteville was spent cheering on the Razorbacks at the first football game of the season. He had to sleep on his friend’s couch until he moved into Carlson Terrace Apartments, he said. Another student from Tulane University, Elesa Billie, soph¬ omore business and pre-dental major, also sought out the UA as her educational haven. The UA students and faculty were supportive and welcom¬ ing and “took care of me,” Billie said after she got settled. “I actually liked it a lot more than I thought I would be¬ cause of how welcoming and comforting everyone was,” Billie said. As scattered students of the affected universities had to enroll in new schools and adapt to new ways of life, they also found ways to touch base with their home schools. The affected universities had letters on their official Web sites from chancellors and presidents expressing sadness, grief and hope for the schools and strewn students. Scott Cowen, president ofTulane University, wrote in his letter on Sept. 21, 2005, ‘‘Not a single day goes by when I don’t think about our campuses and the ambience of New Orleans - walking among the oak trees uptown and listening to the rattle of streetcars on St. Charles Avenue.” Though many students planned to move back to their Gulf Coast universities in the spring, they would never forget the home provided by the UA during their time of need. by Jill Griffin sjuc ents £ ? ou suum +9

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tT L,l 1 =- — v 1 Prior to opening iheir bid cards, new members waich as dieir Gamma Cbis reveal which sorority they belong to. Gam¬ ma Chis served as counselors to the girls who were going through Recruitment. Members of farmhouse frater¬ nity greet a new member. Ihe fraternity had much to cheer about as they welcomed five new members into their fra¬ ternity. Photos by Wes Putt recra zm it