A proposal is being put forth this week by the Interfraternity Council (IFC) to cut down by half the length of the freshman freeze, the rule that drastically limits Greek activity during the first four weeks on campus. After being considered by ASG, the proposal is headed for William Banis, vice president of student affairs. Describing the rules as “out of date” and “doing more harm than good,” Lucas Artaiz, President of IFC, explained the motion to ASG on Wednesday. Instead of asking the University “please,” what IFC and the other Greek organizations are really, and justifiably, saying is “it’s about time.”
The freeze has been a thorn in the collective side of the Greek system since 1989, when the rule was established. The idea behind the concept was to introduce freshmen to the Greek system gradually, instead of it having a direct influence on students’ first month here. As Artaiz explains, the rule was “designed to account for the realities that existed in 1989.” When the rule was initially proposed, it was meant to promote deterred recruitment. Up until the establishment of the freshman freeze, it was common practice for houses to begin recruiting freshmen as soon as they arrived on campus.
The Greek system (to which I belong) has undoubtedly changed since then. Though dirty rushing — rushing before the prescribed time — still exists, Artaiz pointed out that new recruitment regulations have been put in place and that Greek houses are now dry. The negative aspects of Greek life present when the rule was established have either been done away with or regulated under the strict guidelines of Greek organizations like IFC, Panhellenic Association, the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC), and the National Pan-Hellenic Council. The proposal submitted to ASG on behalf of the Greek community suggests that the freeze has long since completed its objectives and now hurts the houses by remaining unaltered.
There is no longer a valid reason to keep the four-week freshman freeze. Artaiz is correct when he says that the statute is out of date. One of the problems cited in the proposal was that the freeze does not account for MGC, which was created after the rule was established. The proposal calls for an inclusion of all Greek societies.
The Greek culture at Northwestern is not the least bit reminiscent of the infamous Delta House from Animal House. A house like that wouldn’t stay on campus for more than one party with IFC looking over its shoulder. Now that the Greek system has changed significantly and for the better, a measure as extreme as four weeks of freshman freeze just seems based on old stereotypes of the Greek system, like it’s some big, bad, scary thing that new freshman are too delicate to encounter in their first weeks of school.
One of the biggest problems I’ve personally experienced with the freshman freeze is the skewed image it conjures for the houses. As a freshman, I initially had little to no interest in rushing. The idea of freshman freeze made it seem like the university was trying to protect me from something. I couldn’t get an idea of what any of the houses were really about until a month into school, when houses had to scramble to put together the traditional Sunday night dinners to make up for lost time. Instead of a natural introduction to the Greek system, I had to take the plunge as soon as the freeze ended. As a Greek sophomore, I can now see why people who hold similar views on the Greek system that I once had don’t join a house. Because of this, they’re missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The biggest problem with the current state of the freshman freeze rule is that it entirely undermines any level of personal responsibility in the freshman class. We’re told that college is supposed to be a time of adulthood and deciding things on your own, but as soon as we get here, we’re told where we can’t go. Where is the freedom? The personal responsibility? I thought I left mom and dad back in the suburbs.
One of the biggest benefits of the potential repeal would be the ability to conduct and advertise for philanthropies. Under the current rules, Greek organizations can’t hold philanthropic events during freshman freeze, and they can’t even advertise during the four weeks for events that occur after the freeze. If anyone remembers, we’re supposed to be service organizations. I think that should be the first impression freshman get of us, not the “you can’t go there” mentality that the university instills in them as soon as they arrive.
This proposal should and hopefully will go through. What harm could really come from allowing freshmen into Greek houses after their first two weeks on campus? It will certainly keep them from flocking to sketchy off-campus parties, where cops have to get involved. There would inevitably be concerns of an increase in dirty rushing, but if IFC keeps it promises to regulate recruitment more closely, this shouldn’t be a problem worth halting the proposal for. Cutting the freshman freeze in half is the least the university can do for the almost 40 percent of the student population in the Greek system, and for the 2,182 incoming members of the class of 2013.