RPI Allow Rush and Recruitment!

Class of 2017

I would not have been able to get through college after losing my mother if I did not have my sorority’s endless support.

Greek life has given me so many amazing opportunities to develop as a leader and a scholar.

RSE '77. RSE board member and past AIGC member. My donations and others from my house and others will cease if RPI disbands fraternities and sororities.

RPI graduates who went Greek overwhelmingly represent the most well-rounded student body group coming out of that school. I have a hard time believing the school will be able to produce communicative and sociable professionals without the help of Greek life.

While as a parent of college age children, I fully understand the concerns and many recent reports of misconduct by fraternities and sororities, I agree that the solution is not to effectively kill the greek system's membership and financial stability by withholding recruitment. Greek life is so much more than parties. It creates leadership opportunities, life long relationships, a spirit of stewardship and community service and helps to preserve alumni interest in the school itself. 32 years after pledging a sorority, I still maintain the friendships that I made. My son who graduated last year headed to RPI with no interest in greek life but wound up joining a fraternity and had a fabulous experience and he too gained some of his closest friends. More importantly, he lost a roommate and brother to OD (unrelated to any fraternity function) and found his strongest support in his brothers. I can't imagine him having to experience that without such a network. So please RPI, do not take the easy way out on these issues because what the students will lose is far greater than what you will gain! [Class of 1990]

As an RPI Alum (class of 1981) and a founding member of the Alpha Gamma Delta chapter at RPI, I strongly oppose the suspension of rush & recruitment. Having the ability to recruit new members is vital to the sustenance of any Greek fraternity/sorority. This ban would certainly put an unfair financial burden on the chapters. It would also have me stopping my annual donation to the Rensselaer Fund. Perhaps rules of engagement could be put into place surrounding rush and recruitment events, but to totally ban them would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

this is ridiculous

Class of 2004

The support and sense of family that the Greek system provides is invaluable! It's not about the party, the booze, the hookup. It is about the support network that helps get you through the tough curriculum while you try and define who you want to be. I knew many Greek members who didn't drink or date. They received wonderful support from their Greek family and contributed greatly to their Greek family! As a record holding RPI athlete, a Panhellenic President, an AF ROTC cadet and Engineering, it was my sorority that gave me the support and confidence to tackle some of my biggest challenges. Don't rob the next generation of the RPI family from the support they need to grow into GREAT Alumni. GREAT Alumni that give the Rensselaer name great prestige and the success to financial contribute.

Greek life was an enormous part of my college experience and help me though difficult times in my life. It helped me both in college and continues to benefit me in my career. Stopping recruitment would strongly discouraged me from donating to RPI in the future.

Not allowing recruitment is fundamentally opposed to the ideals of every national and local fraternity.

But you can't hold a whole fraternity responsible for the behavior of a few, sick twisted individuals. For if you do, then shouldn't we blame the whole fraternity system? And if the whole fraternity system is guilty, then isn't this an indictment of our educational institutions in general? I put it to you, Greg - isn't this an indictment of our entire American society? Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but I for one am not going to stand here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America.

Being extremely overwhelmed as a freshman, Fall Greek Life recruitment was critical to my being able to integrate to college life, connect with friends and get support for school and personal issues. No doubt, I would not have survived without it. I was sexually assaulted at RPI. It had NOTHING to do with Fall Greek recruitment. It would be egregious to stop Fall recruiting in your efforts to control drug/alcohol and sexual abuse. My sorority sisters PROTECTED me. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.

Greek life was an invaluable part of my experience while at RPI and is the main driving force of what has kept me involved with RPI years after graduating. While the Task Force may have good intentions, it does not seem as if it will solve the problem at hand and will result in driving a wedge between the school and both current and form students.

RPI administration needs to toughen up and take responsibility for its sexual assault problems instead of scapegoating an entire community. Greek life is and always has been a positive influence on the university and the city.

Greek Life was a compelling factor for me to choose RPI. I joined a specific program for my career goals, but I was also accepted to other colleges with the same program. Greek Life was a valuable experience for me at RPI with many amazing experiences socially, developmentally and career wise. Drinking and parties will ALWAYS continue on college campuses. Destroying Greek Life will not fix that. Greek Life actually creates protective environments to help counteract adverse events from drinking, i.e.by providing safe and sober drivers throughout the week.

As an alumnae and previous advisor of AGD who worked closely with the Rensselaer Greek Life Office, I view this as a path that is easiest for the Task Force without taking into consideration the financial harm it will cause individual chapters. As someone who lives near RPI, I know incidents happen to RPI students outside of Greek organizations. You may think this looks good, but will this solve your problem? Greek life offers enriched growth and social opportunities that are unique. In many ways, those connections bind us far more than Rensselaer itself. I view this action as short-sighted and not really addressing the larger issue. Kim (Doyle) Deal '90

This is cruel just to be cruel and poses no benefit for the RPI community or any other community.

Greek life was such an important and positive part of my RPI experience. It would be a disservice to future and current RPI students if fall semester rush was suspended.