Fall sorority Rush activities will begin with an informational meeting at 8 p.m. Wednesday in the Carl Sandburg auditorium sponsored by the Panhellenic Council.

Dawn Sturma, greek advisor, said Rush participants will receive a booklet containing Rush rules and regulations and other general information at the meeting.

Sturma said Rush participants should bring a current transcript listing their grade point average and the $30 Rush fee to the meeting.

She added Rush counselors will be available at the meeting to help answer questions.

There will be nine sororities participating in formal Rush this year. The Open parties will be held from 2:30 p.m. to 9:50 p.m. on Saturday. The Panorama parties will be held from 3 p.m. to 9:05 p.m. on Sunday. The RSVP parties will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sept. 18. The Formal parties will be held from 10:40 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. on Sept. 19.

During the parties, the women will meet each sorority and view presentations about the sororities and their house. On the last day of parties, there is a mutual selection process in which the sororities and rushees are matched according to their preferences. There is no mandatory dress code for Rush, but the suggested dress code is casual increasing to formal for the last day of Rush.

Anna Bicanic, assistant for Rush public relations said this year’s sorority Rush is unique because it will be held later in the semester than in previous years.

Bicanic said one advantage of this is that it gives sororities more time to plan and prepare activities. She added that this year’s Rush participants will have more time to adjust to the new school year.

“(The Rush parties) are a fun way for houses to show creativity,” Bicanic said.

She said the number of women who have participated in Rush throughout NIU’s history has decreased. She said the number of women joining sororities has decreased nationally. She added that she feels “really optimistic” about this year’s Rush.