The Hunt for Potentials

The first few weeks of a new semester at Sacramento State can be a bit hectic for students, and adding to the chaos is what is known to many as “Greek Row.”
As students roam from class to class a number of different student organizations immerse themselves in front of the library and union looking for potential new members.
For those in a sorority or a fraternity the start of a new semester means re-uniting with friends and reminiscing about their vacations, but more importantly it means the start of rushing.
The term rush in a nut shell means: the act of attempting to recruit new members so he or she can become part of your organization. For many first time students this can be an intimidating process.
Countless times will a person attempt to stop another individual in order to persuade them to either meet some other members of their group or to come out to a rush event being put on by that organization.
Being able to start up a conversation with a complete stranger while selling your fraternity or sorority at the same time is an art, yet it goes unnoticed by passer bys who turn the other cheek and continue walking passed booths.
Dustin Mora, the rush chair for the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, spends most of his day at or near the booth trying to recruit new members.
"It is really hectic in the sense that I have to add classes, set-up rush events, talk to potential new members and spend a large portion of my day at the booth," Mora said.
Day in and day out members of fraternities and sororities engulf their booths, hoping that the next person that walks by will show interest in their organization. Once the student reaches for a rush flier or pamphlet the “rush process” has commenced.
Recruiting new members can not only build a stronger chapter, but it also guarantees that the traditions put in place by the group can continue on for years to come.
" If you don't have a good rush the chapter can't get the quality of guys we're looking for, which hurts the chapter because we don't improve the strength of the organization," Mora said.
Rushing is a two way street, not only does the organization play an important role, but the person who is showing interest in a certain group has complete power in their hands. Making them the most important piece to the “rush puzzle.”
At times rushing can not only be time consuming, but it can also be difficult Mora said.
"Having active members show up at the booth and talk to perspectives and try to get them to come out to our rush events can be hard," Mora said.
Rush Week can be an interesting time for students at Sac State because one can either be annoyed with all the extra foot traffic that it brings, or one can live it up and visit each booth and potentially make a life changing decision with a simple hello.