Spring semester Involvement Fair replaced by Greek Fair

According to recent statements made by university officials and the Director of University News and Media Relations at Rutgers, Jeffrey Tolvin, it has been decided that this semester’s involvement fair will be replaced by the Greek Involvement Fair due to attendance and interest issues. There has also been much speculation surrounding this sudden cancellation that states that the involvement fair will not occur due to failure of sufficient funding. Tolvin encourages students to use the Rutgers online campus involvement resource, GetInvolved, if they wish to join any non-greek organizations because it, “allows students to search for an organization by name or thematic area and allows the system to suggest possible organizations based on interest.” Like all major Rutgers decisions, there will be pros and cons with replacing the involvement fair with a Greek life fair.

As many of us have come to know, Greek life has continued to maintain a fairly bad reputation across college campuses nationwide, however what a lot of students don’t realize is that beneath the stereotypes and the horror stories of initiation, Greek chapters pride themselves on upholding virtues that are beneficial to both students and society. Sigma Alpha Epsilon takes pride in being ‘True Gentlemen’ and incorporates a program called the True Gentleman Experience into the brotherhood of the fraternity, which enables its members to sharpen their ability to be scholars, leaders, and stewards by the time they graduate.

Another element that Greek life provides for its members are the many scholarships they offer to active brothers and sisters. Tau Kappa Epsilon offers scholarships to members of the fraternity if they serve the requirements of being young philanthropists, leaders, academic achievers, or dedicated university students. These scholarships not only serve to make it easier for members to afford an already expensive school, but also gives students an incentive to be their sharpest. It’s not just the scholarships that help out those involved in Greek life though, it’s the promising futures they create as a result of the crucial career connections they make. In 2013, Delta Upsilon was named one of the “17 Fraternities with Top Wall Street Alumni.”

One other very common beneficial element to Greek life is the charity events they hold. Each group has a specific philanthropic cause they are heavily involved in. Alpha Kappa Delta, for example, focuses on breast cancer. A lot of Greek chapters are also involved in local philanthropy projects. Sigma Pi was able to transform a local preschool playground from a near-abandoned wreck to a fun, safe, and beautiful place for children to use again.

While there are many positives that make the Greek Involvement Fair a great thing to stop by and see, many students oppose the idea of replacing the entire fair. According to Kashif Butt, a third year student, “I was disappointed. I’m in a frat, but I’m also involved with other organizations, too.  I don’t think it’s fair that students won’t get a chance to find out about other organizations at the general involvement fair.” Such sentiments are common among students. The case of funding is still very questionable. Butt goes on to say, “The involvement fair was canceled due to a lack of funding, in which case, it is somewhat understandable why the Greek one is still on, as Greek life is self-funded through dues.”

However, Peter Lee, another third year, stated that this was an unfair distribution of school funding. “The whole point behind the involvement fair was to introduce organizations to students without seeking benefits, and gives the body to the idea of student involvement that RU seems to love.” Many organizations look forward to the day of the involvement fair, as it is one of the biggest opportunities for groups to advertise themselves. So many people already have social media accounts to promote their organizations, the involvement fair was one of the few ways a group could publicize itself without being drowned out and overlooked.

While there are obviously many ups and downs in regards to this massive change in decision, the deal is done. The only thing Rutgers students can do now is make lemonade out of lemons, and try and see if they’re interested in Greek life, or head onto GetInvolved to check out some clubs. Unfortunately, I don’t see any huge walkouts or protests happening soon, and I will miss the involvement fair, but as with all things in life, good things must come to an end eventually.