NIU’s fraternities and sororities felt the pang of this year’s enrollment reduction in their Rush numbers.

Dawn Sturma, Greek Affairs activities adviser, said because NIU’s enrollment decreased this year, fraternities and sororities didn’t have as good of a turnout as they had hoped.

Sturma said fall Rush garnered NIU’s sororities total of 360 new members this year, with each sorority receiving a quota of 33 new members.

Quotas are the maximum number of new members allowed by NIU’s Panhellenic Council.

Last year’s sorority rush saw 460 members signed up, with each sorority receiving a quota of 37 new members, she said.

Abram Andrzejewski, Interfraternity Council vice president of membership, said fraternities saw a total of 2,012 Rush members this year. However, only 235 Rush members were signed in and accepted, he added. Fraternities have no quota.

In a memo detailing Rush results, Andrzejewski stated, “The numbers for this year’s fall Rush are down drastically. This concerns me, because overall things like publicity and the actual Rush process went pretty well.”

Sturma said six out of NIU’s nine sororities made their quotas this year. Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Omicron Pi, and Delta Phi Epsilon held informal rushes to make their quotas, she said.

Delta Sigma Phi President Jeff Spencer said his fraternity intended to sign 25 pledges, but ended up with 31 pledges.

“Our numbers were down last year so we were very happy to go above our goal,” Spencer said. “We’re hoping for another 25 (pledges) for the Spring Formal Rush.”

Phi Kappa Theta President Kevin Koch said he would have liked to sign on more than the seven accepted pledges. Koch’s fraternity has about 50 members and he added that the Spring Formal Rush attracts at least ten new members.

Koch said he believes the fall Rush system should be revised. The system keeps small and large fraternities at the same size. “We need to have a quota system like the sororities,” he said.

However, Andrzejewski said changing Rush procedures will be discussed in the future.