SUSA business fraternities start rush week

This month, many students seeking to strengthen their résumés, build professional networks or merely meet new people will rush Smith Undergraduate Student Association (SUSA) professional business fraternities.

Members of one of these coed fraternities, Phi Chi Theta, are gearing up for a recruitment period which will last from Tuesday, Feb. 16 to Thursday, Feb. 25.

"We're pushing heavily for recruitment, putting up a lot of flyers," said Phi Chi Theta President Josh Hoyle, a junior supply chain management major. "We normally accept 20 people from the group."

While Alpha Kappa Psi, another SUSA business fraternity, welcomes any major to join, Phi Chi Theta membership is limited to business and economics majors, according to Hoyle.

Hoyle added that in the past, younger rushes had been uncomfortable talking to seniors in the fraternity. But he also emphasized that Phi Chi Theta is trying to change that through events like interview night, when six sets of members ask rushes about how they overcame challenges in their lives.

            "We've had trouble recruiting [in the past]," said former social chair Elaine Mui, a 2009 alumna majoring in accounting and finance.

            But Mui also noted the "tremendous turnaround" in the size of pledge classes she observed throughout her Phi Chi Theta membership.

            According to Hoyle, the "medium-sized" fraternity has about 55 active members.

Initiated business fraternity members add one more item to their résumés, hoping to attract potential employers in an increasingly competitive academic and job market. Hoyle partly attributed his acceptance into the business school to belonging to a professional business fraternity.

Mui not only bolstered her résumé by being a part of Phi Chi Theta, but she also built a professional network, which helped propel her to employment with one of the big four accounting firms. At an alumni tailgate, Mui first became interested in KPMG, where she now works as an audit associate.