News Briefs
REX/Rush 2011: Breakdown of traditions?
The start of 2011 Freshman Orientation and Residential Exploration (REX) marks the third year in a row that a REX/Rush/Recruitment agreement between the Dormitory Council (DormCon), the Interfraternity Council (IFC), the Panhellenic Council (Panhel), and the Living Group Council (LGC) has not been signed.
According to the last proposed agreement (which was not signed) indexed and listed by the LGC on Aug. 9, 2010, the REX/Rush agreement covers dormitory and living group interactions with the incoming freshmen class during the Campus Preview Weekend/Orientation/Columbus Day periods and is intended to “foster an experience that strongly encourages freshmen to explore all of the different facets of MIT’s living communities, and to promote safe and responsible behavior on the part of all students.”
Though the 2010 agreement was not signed because of objections from the LGC, this year, an agreement was not crafted at all.
Last year’s drafted agreement included timelines for REX/rush events and advertising by dormitories and living groups, and an alcohol policy for the REX and recruitment periods. Specifically, the agreement would prohibit “slanderous behavior or defamation … either between members or across organizations” and would restrict competitive advertising from living group affiliates during REX or from dormitories during recruitment.
Despite the lack of a formal signed agreement, there have been no reported complaints about recruiting behavior. “There’s a culture that’s developed of respecting the other [organizations],” said Alicia T. Singham Goodwin ’14, DormCon’s vice president for REX.
—Rebecca Han