FRATERNITY ACTIVITIES CEASE

With the invitations proffered to freshmen to join fraternities on March 29, the organized fraternity activities for the year ceased. Since the first "chinning day", receptions to prospective candidates have been held by the various fraternities represented in the College. The dates of receptions have been set by mutual agreement of the fraternity representatives in the Interfraternity Council. Organized calling in groups was allowed the week immediately previous to March 29. A new method of extending and accepting an invitation to join a fraternity was tried out. At ten o'clock P. M., March 29, fraternity representatives appeared at the rooms of prospective candidates. The invitations were extended on uniform cards bearing the words: "I hereby extend to' you (name of the man bid) an invitation from the (name of the fraternity)." The bids were accepted or rejected on the spot without a word being said to influence the candidate in any way whatsoever. The man bid signified his choice, in case of more than one invitation, by shaking the hand of the representative of the fraternity which he had decided, after a moment's reflection, to join.

On March 29, eighty-six freshmen were pledged to the seventeen fraternities. On September 27, seventy-nine men were pledged to twelve fraternities. The sum of the two makes a total of one hundred and seventy-five, or forty-two per cent of the freshman class. Last year thirty-nine more men from the freshman class were elected to fraternities. In addition to the freshmen, one junior and five sophomores were pledged by fraternities.

It is quite impossible to state what the general feeling among the undergraduates is, regarding the agonies of this year's method of recruiting freshmen to the fraternity ranks. One distinct advance has been made this year in the regulation of fraternity meddlings with freshmen,— the requirement that a freshman shall have twelve semester hours to his credit before he can become a full fledged member of any fraternal organization. This has been a help to the fraternities, for it has kept undesirable men out, and it has, theoretically at least, furnished an incentive to the freshman to keep up in his studies. It has also been supposed to have influenced fraternity men in allowing freshmen more time for study.