Ole Miss students have been signing and sharing a Change.org petition requesting the university reschedule the 2017 formal recruitment week so students can attend the Alabama football game in Tuscaloosa.
Marketing major and Panhellenic member Di Law wrote and published the petition, which has since garnered more than 2,300 signatures as of Sunday night.
The current recruitment schedule for Ole Miss Panhellenic and Interfraternity Council Formal Recruitment is Sept. 24 to Oct. 1.
“The Ole Miss-Bama game also happens to be on September 30th meaning that majority of the student section, considering 42% of the student body is Greek, and 60% of the freshman class will rush, will be empty,” Law wrote in the petition. “This is our biggest rival and our most serious game of the whole season and instead of being able to come together as a school, we will be amidst the joys and heartbreaks of rush.”
The petition was shared on Facebook by supporters, asking others to sign the petition and pleading their case for why it is important the dates get changed.
“Being from Tuscaloosa, the Bama Ole Miss game is pretty important to me,” student Mallory Steiner wrote on her post. “Please sign this petition to change the date of recruitment so Greek students can go to the game this year.”
Others said Greek students and those intending to go through the recruitment process should not have to pick one over the other.
“Active members of Greek organizations, as well as entering freshman (sic), should not have to choose between being Greek and being a Rebel,” student Tina Scheuermann wrote in her Facebook post.
Others just shared the post or made minimal commentary saying they just want to go to the game.
“I want to go to the game and rush,” student Trevor Land said.
The university’s office of fraternity and sorority life released a statement Wednesday regarding the conflict.
Shortly after the petition began circulating, senior broadcast journalism major Walter Lyle shared his views on the issue.
Lyle listed “things on campus you SHOULD be signing a petition against:
- confederate symbolism
- sexual harassment
- sexual assault
- homophobic slurs
- racial slurs
- domestic violence
- drug abuse
- literally anything else.”
“I truly understand that it’s slightly irritating that bid day falls on an important football game next year, and I understand why people might be perturbed by that,” Lyle said. “However, terrible injustices occur on our campus every week that everyone knows about, but no one ever speaks up … I’m annoyed because out of everything I just listed, the only thing that seems to rally our students is this slightly annoying bid day.”
He said he thinks the reason why students can rally behind moving bid day as opposed to what he says are greater causes is because it’s simple to get up in arms about something no one would really fight against.
“It’s much more brave and takes more charisma to get behind a cause that may be seen as less popular or more controversial,” Lyle said. “In that regard, it makes sense that students rally behind something as simple-minded as this than anything else.”
Melinda Sutton Noss, assistant vice chancellor and dean of students, said the decision related to formal recruitment dates typically involves a recommendation by staff after consulting with a number of campus partners.
“It’s often a collaborative process,” Sutton Noss said. “That being said, there are parameters that the university expects recruitment to fall within, including the timing of recruitment.”
Sutton Noss said recruitment would ideally occur no earlier than the sixth week of the semester. She said it is undesirable to have recruitment during a weekend when there is a home football game.
“We want to make sure student voices are a part of this process, as well, so it’s a collaborative, mutual selection process between staff and students,” Sutton Noss said.
Sutton Noss said although the recruitment dates have been set, the Change.org petition alone would not move rush week.
“If student leaders within the community want to make a request or a change, I can’t imagine university leaders would not be willing to talk with them,” Sutton Noss said. “We want to honor the governing structure of the fraternity and sorority community. Fraternity and sorority members elect students to represent them, and getting input from these student leaders is important.”
