IFC has record turnout of men at rush

Men's rush began Friday with an event in Dunn Meadow and ended Sunday with the conclusion of chapter tours. Interfraternity Council Vice President of Rush Kevin Gfell, a senior, said IFC experienced a record number of men at the events.\n"We had a record turnout of 1,048 men participate in Friday's kickoff event," Gfell said. "It was about 200 more people than have ever participated before."\nGfell added that around 200 men participated in every house tour and were entered in the IFC scholarship raffle. The drawing was held Monday and five winners were selected at random.\nWinners of the $100 scholarship offered by IFC included freshmen Cory Steger, Chris Puttmann, Sachin Bhatt, Matt Welnak and Mark Faloon.\nFrom this point forward, Gfell said IFC steps out of the rush process and initiative must be taken by chapters and rushees to contact each other. Gfell said some chapters will be looking to extend several bids, while other houses such as Sigma Chi and Phi Gamma Delta have filled, or are close to filling, their fall pledge classes.\nGfell also noted that Alpha Sigma Phi will be looking to completely rebuild its chapter with new members.\n"Alpha Sig is starting from ground zero and building back up again. It is a good alternative to what's already on campus," he said.\nBoth Gfell and rush counselor Josh Lieberman, a sophomore, said it is important for rushees to keep their options open.\n"It's really important to keep an open mind about houses," Lieberman said. "It's important to meet a lot of people and try to find where you fit in."\nAlthough there was some concern that the newly implemented IFC alcohol policies would affect rush turnout, the number of men who participated and reactions from rushees indicated otherwise.\n"I had a good rush experience," said freshman Brian Moak. "I planned to rush before coming to IU."\nGfell also said the alcohol policies had little affect on rush turnout.\n"A lot of people thought the new alcohol policy would change things," he said. "But the freshmen all seem very excited about the greek system."\nGfell added that the weekend was successful for IFC.\n"We had a record turnout, participation was great," Gfell said. "It was a fantastic weekend for us"