Info about: Rush, Pledging & Hazing

RUSH

Rush is a term used to describe the period of time when students are seeking to join fraternities or sororities. You may hear it used in different contexts, such as:

"Come over for a Rush event at our house tonight"
"We're rushing new members for the next few weeks, come on by and meet the brothers"
"RUSH AKΛ"

At Purdue, usually the first three weeks of each semester are considered the time when fraternities host Rush events. These events are where the current members of the house invite those students who want to join the fraternity to come over and get to know each other. There is usually food of some sort involved, as well as a chance to get to know the members, see the inside of the house, and see if it is the right fit for both you and the current members.

Throughout the rush period, the current members will decide if they want to issue an invitation or "bid" to become an associate member, or "pledge". Once you get the bid, you will have a few days to make up your mind if you want to join the fraternity.

Once you have accepted your bid, you should start thinking about the other friends you have made at Purdue, and if you think they would be be interested in joining you, then bring them along to another rush function. You have the ability to help determine who you spend your next four years with at the fraternity, and a good way to assure you are among friends is to encourage your other friends to rush with you.

PLEDGING

Once the rush period is officially closed and you have accepted your bid, you will become an associate member or "pledge". You will be part of a pledge class along with all the others who have been issued and accepted bids. Your pledge class brothers will likely become some of the people you are closest to in the fraternity, and your pledge class will be a source of pride well beyond your time at Purdue. Most of our alumni can tell you what pledge class they were in and who their pledge brothers were.

During a typical pledgeship, associate members will be asked to learn about the heritage of our fraternity and get to know our brothers. The length of time a pledge class will remain pledges varies from class to class.