This week will go down in history as the week that Loyola University New Orleans’ Interfraternity Council re-sparks fall recruitment.

Covocation, a gathering of the council and introductions by each fraternity, took place on Wednesday, Sept. 25, and was followed by two days of presentations and events by each fraternity.

Unlike spring recruitment, fall rush does not include a voting round, and only upperclassmen are allowed to pledge, said Connor Graham, council president and marketing junior, said.

Graham said the council voted in April for the change. The voting round is when current members determine who will receive invitations.

“The fall is going to be aimed toward sophomores, juniors and seniors. We want the freshmen to get to know us before they rush or pledge,” Graham said.

Although freshmen were welcome to attend the convocation and events, Graham said that only students who have been enrolled for an entire semester and have above a 2.5 GPA will be eligible to pledge in the fall.

“The decision was made to make our fraternities more relevant in the fall, to make our numbers greater and to give non-freshmen another chance to join a fraternity,” Graham said.

Three Loyola fraternities, Phi Kappa Psi, Pi Kappa Phi and Sigma Alpha Kappa, will be recruiting pledges in September for Loyola’s newly instated fall recruitment. “This is our chance to introduce ourselves to the student body, show them what we have to offer and define who we want to be. It’s a fantastic opportunity for all those involved,” Blake Corley, vice-archon for Pi Kappa Phi and international business junior, said.

Adam Dupuis, criminal justice junior and president of Sigma Alpha Kappa, Loyola’s smallest fraternity, said that spring recruitment will remain a priority, but fall recruitment will offer a chance for his fraternity to gain visibility.

“We do not want to be seen by the number of jerseys we have. Instead, we prefer to be seen by the actions that we do to benefit the Loyola community,” Dupuis said.

Chris Lynch, president of Phi Kappa Psi and economics junior, said his fraternity is looking forward to meeting potential members and giving bids to those men who have the qualities of a Phi Kappa Psi.

“One of the biggest challenges so far is spreading the word to upperclassmen. Since this is our first year doing fall recruitment, many people are not aware,” Lynch said.

Caitlin Dobson, assistant director of leadership and student engagement, said that she thinks fall recruitment will allow qualified men to engage sooner and anticipates that fall recruitment will be a new tradition.

“I believe that holding a fall recruitment period only enhances the fraternity experience at Loyola. The IFC executive board will evaluate the program this year to see what can be changed and adapted. Working with the chapter Presidents, I could see fall recruitment becoming a recurring event,” Dobson said.

Jennie Gutierrez can be reached at [email protected]

Potential fraternity new members listen to current members discuss information about their fraternities. On Tuesday, Sept. 24, the Interfraternity Council hosted an informational session where Loyola students could find out more about fraternity rush. (ZACH BRIEN / Assistant Photo Editor )