Are you interested in forming bonds, getting involved on campus and raising money for good causes? Sacred Heart University (SHU) has six different fraternities on campus that students can get involved in. With the fall recruitment season in full swing, these fraternities are seeking potential new members to join their brotherhoods.
Source: Contributed by Nico Russo, ’26
The fraternity recruitment at SHU is a multi-week process carefully designed to balance openness and exclusivity. Dante DeCesare, Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL), said rush events typically begin before the start of each semester.
“Fraternity recruitment opens up prior to each semester; over the summer for the fall and over winter break for the spring,” said DeCesare.
Students register online through Campus Director, then attend open rush events hosted by each fraternity. After two weeks of open gatherings, fraternities move into a third week of invite only events to help narrow down their selections.
“Rush events are typically semi-structured and revolve around making connections,” said DeCesare. “There will usually be some type of activity like basketball, an NFL watch party, mechanical bull, card nights, and brothers will talk with potential new members and vice versa.”
Senior Daniel O’Connor emphasized that SHU gives students time to find their place on campus before rushing. O’Connor said that fraternities have different events and activities for students to familiarize themselves with the organizations.
“Once we start, all of our fraternities get an opportunity to host events such as pickup basketball, game nights or watch parties,” said O’Connor. “After that, potential new members may get the opportunity to attend a preference night, where brothers of said fraternity will ask questions to get to know these potential new members better.”
O’Connor said Sigma Chi values involvement and people whose morals align with those of the organization.
“For Sigma Chi, my fraternity, we look for gentlemen who are of good character, students of fair ability and who are ready to better themselves and their school’s community with their actions,” said O’Connor.
Senior Jamie Gaffney, Vice President of Delta Tau Delta, noted that the process spans several weeks.
“At Sacred Heart, the typical fraternity recruitment process will consist of about four rush events, usually split up by the span of about a week or a few days. The rush process lasts about a month and a half or so,” said Gaffney.
Gaffney said that the social events hosted during rush help current members and potential new members get to know each other.
“We’ve done bowling events, lawn games, or even more formal hangouts,” said Gaffney.
O’Connor pointed to unique traditions such as “Grilling with the Greeks,” a kickoff event where the entire fraternity and sorority community comes together.
“This is an incredible event as it allows our entire FSL community to interact with each other and the potential new members,” said O’Connor.
Signing up for recruitment is simple but requires initiative. Students pay a $5 fee through Campus Director, an online portal, and the link is widely shared on social media and in first-year classes.
Any undergraduate male student with a GPA of 2.5 or above can participate. Whether through shared values, fun events, or lasting friendships, rush provides students with the chance to find their place within SHU’s strong Greek life.
