The Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) recruitment process, “rush” as it is informally called, is my favorite time of the year. I have been the rush chair for my fraternity, Iota Chi Rho, since I joined two years ago, and it has consistently been one of my favorite aspects of campus involvement. It is such a joy to meet new people and help them find their footing on campus. With my experience in the role, I’ve learned a lot about the process, and I firmly believe that many students misunderstand the rush process here at Trinity.

See, I don’t think rush necessarily has to be about joining an organization on your first try, or even joining one at all. If you didn’t receive a bid this year, all is not lost. The rush process has plenty to offer, all without the hassle of committing to one sorority or fraternity.

The reason I do this job is to meet people excited about Trinity and finding their community. Maybe that community isn’t with my organization, and that’s okay. My biggest piece of advice for first-years who aren’t happy with how rushing went this year is to try it again. And for those who didn’t rush at all, consider trying it out next year.

Perhaps surprisingly, my experience rushing as a sophomore is the only reason I joined FSL, and I think for the right people, that can be a vastly superior experience. As a first-year, joining FSL can be daunting, especially on top of finding your footing at Trinity. Being a sophomore (or even an upperclassman), you have a much better understanding of university life, and this makes it easier to leave your comfort zone.

Having found your footing a bit more, you may feel more comfortable branching out and trying new things with a potentially different set of FSL orgs. I have successfully encouraged multiple people to rush again after they were rejected, dropped out or avoided FSL entirely.  Sometimes, it’s just the timing, availability or your capacity for exploration that gets in the way. I’d highly recommend you give it a second try if this is the case.

The rush process is not without flaws, and I think the biggest problem is with voting on rejection. It can’t feel good to not get into an organization, especially after a full season of trying your best to get to know these people. But, I hope to contextualize some of this process to alleviate some of the stress it can bring.

It’s never easy to be in the room where we vote on new members. As exciting as it is to welcome a new active class, it is equally disheartening to have to turn someone away. More often than not, however, it’s not even remotely related to any merits that reflect poorly on the potential new members

Belonging is a complex equation, and there is so much we consider when deciding on a new member. Are they committed? Have they made an effort to get to know the whole club or just one subset? Did they spend enough time with us to make a proper judgement about joining? Did we spend enough time with them to do the same? Are they authentic with us or just trying to assimilate?

This flurry of questions isn’t a reflection of character, but a reflection of fit. There are many people I’ve met during the rush process, who, despite not getting a bid from Iota Chi Rho, are still my friends to this day. At the end of the day, rush is about so much more than getting a bid.

Here and now I am going to spill the secret that “Big FSL” has been hiding from you all this time: the people you meet during rush do not suddenly vanish if you do not receive a bid. Focusing on getting a bid leaves out the very human element of this process, in that most of your time will be spent with individuals. Your conversations with these people go so far beyond rush. Rush dates, interaction at rounds, in classes or around campus can be valuable even if they are “for rush.” We are still getting to know each other! I have made so many friends out of people who did not end up joining.

And hey, joining an org can be a lot of work. Between paying several hundred dollars in dues, orientation, service hours, meetings and potential chair positions, you have your work cut out for you if you join. Perhaps it’s a kind of life-hack to focus on befriending people during rush instead of having to do all the legwork that joining FSL entails.

All of this is to say, rushing has so many benefits. It’s a time for you to branch out socially and maybe even find your niche at Trinity. It has its flaws, but you get back what you put into it. Enjoy the ride, and trust that you will find your place no matter where you end up.

*This column was updated on Feb. 11, 2026.