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For many college students who are a part of the Greek community, recruitment is one of the various events that take place at the beginning of the fall semester. For potential new members, it is an opportunity to meet members of different sororities and fraternities while making new friends at the same time.

While it is an exciting time for the Greek communities, coronavirus halted not only the remainder of the spring semester but the way recruitment will occur this fall semester, as the event deals with a mass gathering of students. Usually, recruitment takes place either in large conference rooms or in off-campus locations for FAU. The dates for the Greek recruitment – better known as “rush” – were Aug. 30 through Sept. 6 for sororities and Sept. 14 through Sept. 18 for fraternities.

The brothers of Phi Delta Theta fraternity had been discussing fall recruitment throughout the summer and making sure CDC guidelines were being followed, in the case of in-person recruitment.

“Let’s see if we can extend [recruitment] week for two weeks,” said Anthony Powell, Phi Delta Theta Vice President. “I think [the interfraternity council] would have to extend to two weeks, so we’ll have time to obey those rules that the CDC has.”

While Greek communities wait until Fall Recruitment to reach out to potential new members, Sigma Chi has been a step ahead. In a pre-coronavirus world, potential new members do not meet Greek life before recruitment week.

“We’re talking to these [potential new members] one on one virtually, whether they live in Boca or across the country,” said Vincent Fernald, Sigma Chi’s Chapter Advisor. “That’s how you make the personal connection.”

The brothers of Phi Delta Theta will still be adapting to any rules by FAU and CDC, as the brothers were still hoping for in-person recruitment.

“The problem is when you can’t talk to someone face to face, you don’t get a very good idea of what you’re getting yourself into,” said Powell. “[It can] throw a lot of kids off.”

Planning events like recruitment and adjusting them to fit guidelines is what is planned for now, said Cassidy Long, Theta Phi Alpha’s chapter president.

Long said that Theta Phi Alpha’s executive board has been brainstorming ways to make events and meetings virtual for sisters who chose to stay home. In the spring semester, Theta Phi Alpha conducted chapter meetings through Zoom. The chapter’s public relations chair also posted Instagram challenges for sisters.

The College Panhellenic Association team at FAU is currently monitoring and preparing contingency plans for future events, said Caroline Young, president of the College Panhellenic Association at FAU.

While the fear of a second wave may not be keeping the Greek community from planning far into the future, there is one thing that is keeping having brothers or sisters from coming back to campus.

“A lot of people can’t come back because they live at home and their parents aren’t going to pay for them to stay [at FAU] when you don’t have to go to school in person,” said Powell.

In sororities like Theta Phi Alpha, they will work with any bumps in the road as those bumps come up said Long.

No matter what happens in this fall semester, Sigma Chi will be ready to prepare for the worst in case of a campus shutdown, said Kevin Smith, Sigma Chi’s vice president.

Natalia Ribeiro is a staff writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected].