Senior Kyle Lewis, director of recruitment for Delta Tau Delta, kept busy this September by organizing meetings and encouraging students to meet his fraternity during Rush Week at Quinnipiac University.

Rush Week, which for the first time lasted two weeks, helped Lewis and other Greek organizations begin recruiting. Students also benefited because there were more opportunities to meet or revisit chapter events.

“It’s better for a student to get to know their favorite chapter,” said Courtney McKenna, assistant director of the student center and campus life and adviser for Greek life. “This way a student didn’t have to choose which event to go to.”

Students explored and got to know QU’s Greek organizations through meet-and-greet events. However, only sophomores and juniors are allowed to rush in the fall. Freshmen must wait until the spring to rush.

“If you show interest in us we will set up an interview to get to know you better,” Lewis said. “On the last night of recruitment we all sit down as a fraternity and vote on who we will decide to extend a bid to.”

When Friday night came, Lewis and other Delts chose the newest members of their fall pledge class.

According to McKenna, Greek life has seen a 128 percent increase since 2008. As of that year, 411 students were involved in the organization. Now 940 QU students belong to one of the 10 Greek chapters on campus.

But that still leaves 84.1 percent of the student body not involved in Greek life at QU. Chloe Sondler, a sophomore physical therapy major didn’t want to join Greek life because her experience freshman year.

“I found great friends last year, the type I will keep for a long time. I just wasn’t interested in joining a sorority when I have them,” Sondler said. “My major is also pretty demanding and I did not want to lose focus on that.”

Sophomore Lindsey Kelly, an athletic training major, was accepted to Alpha Delta Pi last spring. She said joining a sorority made her feel more independent and more open to talk to people.

“There were so many girls and I started to get nervous but once you get through the first party you get the hang of talking to the sisters and know what to ask, get as much info as possible and base your decision on how well you connect; the type of girls, philanthropy and what types of events,” Kelly said.

Each Greek organization has its own disclosed methods of selecting new members, but each student has a say in the selection process as well. If the chapter extends a bid to the student, the student can accept or deny it.

Corrine Kleinberg, a senior and membership recruitment chair of Phi Sigma Sigma, called recruitment a “mutual selection process.”

During recruitment, if a student favored one chapter over the others, it would be smart to keep attending events, get to know the members and gain their friendship, Kleinberg said.

Tyler Alway, a sophomore international business major, is one of the first members of the newest fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi. While he did not have to rush, Alway does not feel he missed out on the significance of Greek life.

“I want to leave my legacy at Quinnipiac as it is such a rapidly expanding university and I figured the opportunity to be a founding father of Pi Kapp was the perfect way for me to do so,” Alway said.

Students involved in the Greek community have gained many benefits, Lewis said, as it is great for networking and making friends through “a common bond.”

“There are enumerable opportunities for both personal and professional development through membership in a fraternity or a sorority, but most importantly, the privilege to live by a set of values that guides your actions; values that hold you to a better standard and help you become the best version of yourself,” McKenna said.