When word came in June 2006 that USC was accepting applications for three new fraternities, it was as if someone had tapped a fresh keg at spring break.
Fraternities eager to be the first new one at USC in more than a decade started by mailing packets explaining why they'd be a great fit at the school, and a lucky few were invited to campus to make their pitches. Then, like nervous job applicants, the fraternities started calling.
"They were so anxious, asking, 'When will you know? When are you deciding?' They called enough to show their interest, but you could tell they didn't want to overdo it, either," said Beth Saul, USC's director of Fraternity and Sorority Leadership Development and Parent Programs.
When USC finally made its choices, the losers were crushed. Saul had long phone chats with some and even met with one fraternity representative to console him. "They were so heartbroken, and they just wanted to understand," Saul said.
For the lucky winners, it was a prime opportunity -- especially for Sigma Alpha Mu, which got to launch its new chapter this year. The other two winning fraternities will -- as they like to say -- "colonize" next year and in 2009.
Sigma Alpha Mu was kicked off campus nearly 15 years ago for hazing and has wanted to return ever since. USC, with its strong alumni base, good academics and good-time reputation, is considered a Greek haven.
"It's our top priority. Groups on campuses that large produce strong alumni, so it's a very big deal," said Matt Witenstein, a national organizer for Sigma Alpha Mu, which sent a delegation of 30 recruiters and alumni to an initial meeting with USC officials and promised a $50,000 scholarship contribution.
USC's move comes as more and more students are joining Greek organizations nationwide. There were about 350,000 students in fraternities last year, up from a low of 280,000 in 1998, according to the North-American Interfraternity Council in Indianapolis, which tracks traditional social fraternities.
USC has about 8,200 male undergraduates, about 1,300 of them in fraternities, according to the administration. This year, 411 male students pledged, almost 100 more than three years ago. The growing interest prompted the school to add to its 19 fraternities.
It's unclear why more students are joining fraternities. But Pete Smithhisler, executive vice president for the Interfraternity Council, offered a theory: "In the 1990s, it was all about not conforming. Today, students want to be part of a group."
