Fraternity Recruitment Postponed

Sarah Mountain The Troy University Interfraternity Council (IFC) has postponed formal fraternity recruitment until Sept. 8. Recruitment was originally planned for the week of Aug. 24. “Every action that we take must be in the best interest of our student body,” said Dendy Mosely, director of IFC at Troy University. “At this time, we feel that means delaying formal recruitment.” According to the university’s COVID website, multiple positive cases have been reported in Sigma Chi, Delta Chi and Farmhouse fraternity houses. “Cases within our fraternities is certainly a driving factor,” Mosely said. “More specifically though, we are isolating all those with high risk exposure to a positive student. “The asymptomatic aspect of this virus creates a formidable challenge.” Mosely said the previous revisions to recruitment will likely remain in place, including social distancing, face masks and limited group sizes. “And while we currently have large registration numbers, we expect that this will increase during in the coming weeks,” Mosely said. “Students continue to seek out engagement opportunities, such as those offered by our fraternity system.” While Mosely said the situation remains fluid and they are taking on new challenges day by day, he said adherence to CDC, state and university guidelines will not be lost in the decisions. “I think delaying recruitment is the right decision from a safety perspective,” said Blake Garris, a senior math education major and vice president of Sigma Chi. “I encourage these potential new members to keep up the energy and desire to join fraternities. “In the end, the wait will be worth it, and the memories and lifelong friends you gain will negate your current frustration.” Mosely said that there will be no penalties for potential new members to interact with current brothers. “These new students still need to be connecting with other students,” Mosely said. “When this can be done safely, we are strongly encouraging this. “We must continue to balance all aspects of this pandemic.In our case, this includes strengthening the mental and emotional well-being of our students.” Sign-ups for recruitment are still open and can be found on the IFC’s social media pages. To follow positive case reports, go to www.troy.edu/coronavirus.