This was an especially Greek year for one of the nation’s especially Greek campuses. With 320 men joining fraternities, 2007 marked the highest influx of Greek males at Northwestern since 1996.
“It shows that we’re pulling kids out of places that we normally didn’t before,” said Billy Carberry, the IFC president. “We’re recruiting in dorms and places on campus that typically haven’t generated many Greek members. Obviously we’re doing something right, because our numbers are up consistently.”
This year, eight fraternities dramatically increased the size of their pledge classes over those from 2006. While in previous years a handful of fraternities received a disproportionate number of pledges, 2007 saw a more even distribution throughout the Greek community.
“That’s significant because it shows that the chapters in the past that maybe struggled from year to year can turn it around in the course of twelve months and then have a very large pledge class,” said Carberry. “It’s a sign of a healthy system.”
Over the past decade, fraternities have averaged between 250 and 300 pledges each year. And in 1996, the last time 320 men had pledged, there were a higher number of fraternities on campus.
“I would say the drastic increase in numbers and dedication towards recruitment in the past year has been one of our biggest stories and one of our biggest successes going forward,” Carberry said.
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