Information for First-Year Students

Are you thinking about membership in a fraternity or sorority at DePauw University?

Rush, Recruitment and Intake

You will have many opportunities made available to you at DePauw, one being Greek Life. The tradition of Greek Life at DePauw dates back to 1845. Today nearly sixty-nine percent of our students affiliate – or join – a fraternity or sorority here at DePauw. If you are interested in fraternity and sorority life, you will have the opportunity to join during either Fraternity Recruitment, Panhellenic Recruitment or through the membership intake process for National Pan-Hellenic Council, Multicultural Greek Council or local organizations.  

Membership is by invitation obtained through a process called “recruitment.” Anyone admitted to the University as a regular full-time student and who meets academic standards is eligible to participate in fraternity and sorority recruitment activities. It is important to note that some students with Community Standards sanctions may have restrictions on participation in this process.

IFC and Panhellenic organizations have their own chapter houses through not-for-profit alumni housing corporations. While these facilities are private property and not University-owned, they are approved by the University as student housing, with costs comparable to residence hall living. Membership is obtained without regard to race, religion, national origin or physical ability. Rules governing fraternity and sorority recruitment are published each year by the Interfraternity Council (IFC) for men and Panhellenic Council (Panhellenic) for women.

First-Year Visitation Policy

Access by non-members to the privately-owned chapter houses is determined by each chapter. In the case of First-Year students, access policies have been set by the Interfraternity Council for its nine chapters and by the Panhellenic Council for its six chapters.

For specific information regarding the First-Year visitation policy for this academic year, please refer to the resources below.

Recruitment Guides (Rho Gammas)

If you participate in the recruitment process for IFC or the recruitment process for Panhellenic organizations, you will have a recruitment guide called a Rho Gamma. A Rho Gamma is a member of an IFC or Panhellenic organization who is disaffiliated from their chapter during recruitment.

Recruitment Guides are impartial, unbiased recruitment resources. They are trained in the recruitment process and how to best support you as you learn more about the IFC and Panhellenic community.  Typically, women interested in the Panhellenic Recruitment process will meet their Rho Gamma during the first semester; men interested in joining an IFC organization will meet their Rho Gamma during recruitment in late January. If you have questions about Rho Gammas or are wanting more information about the IFC and Panhellenic recruitment processes, please contact Campus Living and Community Development by e-mailing us at glc@depauw.edu.