Pine Log

Issue date: 1/28/08 Section: News

ATO new member Carlos Nunez, Diboll freshman, is thrown into the air as his fraternity brothers reach up to catch him Saturday at Greek Steps. This SFA tradition serves as a way for all the fraternities on campus to welcome their new brothers. [Click to enlarge]

At noon last Saturday, SFA fraternity members and rushees bundled up for the 40-degree weather and gathered at the Austin Building to participate in Greek Steps, the culmination of SFA's official fraternity rush week.

Each semester, all the Interfraternity Council (IFC) fraternities gather at the bottom of the Austin Building to welcome their new members with open arms, literally.

The morning of Steps, rushees' names are announced to the crowd as they exit the Austin Building and emerge at the top of the stairs, above all the fraternities. Then, in front of the crowd, the rushees rip off the plain white t-shirts most of them wear and uncover their fraternity's letters, typically displayed on a t-shirt.

Fifty-two students jumped at Steps this weekend and joined a fraternity.

When Sigma Chi new members ripped off their white T-shirts Saturday, they were not wearing fraternity shirts but had "Sigma Chi" written in marker on their stomachs.

Each new member then runs down the steps and finds his way to the fraternity he is joining. A couple of fraternity brothers throw the new member into the air, and the rest of the fraternity catches their new brother. This event is supposed to represent how a member can rely on his new Greek family.

"It feels good to be a part of something so powerful and traditional as a fraternity, and you find new family and best friends that you will never forget," Nick Long, Pearland freshman and new member of Alpha Tau Omega, said.

All but one fraternity participated in Steps this weekend. According to Jason Crane, Athens sophomore and IFC director of recruitment, Sigma Tau Gamma voluntarily chose to forego spring formal rush this semester. He said the fraternity is currently on suspension and will resume full status after this semester if no problems arise, so they chose to completely avoid any risk.

Many people each year, whether they are in Greek organizations or not, gather in front of the Austin Building the morning of Steps to watch this SFA tradition. It is an experience many students wish to partake in because of the energy radiating from new members and fraternities, music and loud cheering.

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