Written by Calea Bakke
Members of next year’s freshman class will have the opportunity to joinsocial clubsdespite recent discussions among the deans to move the induction process to sophomore year, according to Director of Campus Life Corey McEntyre.
“There are some screws that need to be tightened on it,” McEntyre said about the pledge process, “but other than that, [next year’s club process] is going to look the same to the average club member.”
Although administratorstalked last spring about changing the club process, McEntyre said he and the deans could not agree on a way to improve it. It appears that any major changes to the induction structure remain in the distant future. McEntyre said, however, that minor adjustments, like new paperwork and slight rule alterations, will be put into effect this semester.
Even though freshmen will continue to be a part of the club induction process next year, many students still have strong opinions about the topic.
Melissa Scott, who joined Pi Theta Phi as a sophomore, advocated creating a club specifically for freshmen based on the Oklahoma Christian model. She said she thinks freshmen are not given enough time to judge the character of a club and that Harding does not effectively familiarize them with the social club process.
“I feel like a lot of freshmen get lost in the club process,” Scott said, “and it really takes away from developing relationships amongst the freshmen freshman year.”
Senior Buddy Welborn, on the other hand, said he believes the open houses and mixers are enough to tell someone all they need to know about a particular club.
“I believe freshmen should be allowed to pledge because it maximizes their time to bond with the club,” he said.
A member of Alpha Tau Epsilon who pledged as a freshman, Welborn said he met many of his closest friends through the club his first semester.
“I feel that limiting the freshmen is almost discriminatory as opposed to benevolent,” Welborn said.
Because many freshmen join clubs to get to know people, Welborn, a pre-med major, said he thinks small clubs would lose their pledge base to larger clubs and demanding majors like pre-med and engineering. Welborn said he fears that such a change would eventually lead to the disbandment of many small clubs on campus.
Although students are divided on the issue, many freshmen are still excited about participating in the club process this fall.
“It’s overwhelming,” freshman Ashley Clement said. “At the same time, I feel like it is a good way to get to know people.”
Because she wants to study abroad next fall, Clement said she would not be willing to pledge as a junior and, therefore, believes this is her only opportunity to join a social club.
Reflecting on her time in a social club, Cari Field, a 2009 alumna, said she thinks that preventing freshmen from pledging would promote better social interaction. However, she also said that a good college experience depends on the individual.
“A lot of it is personal choice,” Field said. “Are you willing to put yourself out there, with or without a jersey?”
TheOffice of Student Lifeestimates that 850 students will apply to be a part of the social club process this fall.The graph below also shows the estimated students in social clubs based on last year’s pre-induction week statistics and the current number of undergraduate students enrolled at Harding University.
