DAVID HARDEN/Arizona Summer Wildcat Jenny Rimsza won the title of Fiesta Bowl Queen last fall in Phoenix. Rimsza is a business junior and member of Pi Beta Phi.

The Wildcat fielded questions and concerns from incoming freshmen about the greek community and sought advice and answers from upperclassmen involved in greek life.

Q: Does every sorority have a matching fraternity that they are paired up with for events, like it appears in the movies? ööHilary Powers, pre-education freshman, Newport Beach, Calif.

A: "No one chapter is paired up with a particular fraternity because you don't want to be exclusive with just one fraternity ÷ then you don't meet as many people. For big events such as Spring Fling and Homecoming, fraternities ask sororities to be their partner in the event, and then you do events with them that week, but it varies from year to year," said Liz Joseph, retail and consumer sciences senior and a member of Sigma Kappa sorority.

Q: What are the pros and cons of going through recruitment? ÷Powers.

A: The pros are "meeting lots of new people, getting to know the campus, getting to know what leadership and involvement is all about, and of course getting to be part of an amazing new sorority," Brook Camerer, Panhellenic Executive Vice President and a molecular and cellular biology junior stated in an e-mail.

The cons are "long days, lots of talking, lots of walking and sore feet, hard decisions to make and possibly not getting your first choice," Camerer stated.

Greeks compose approximately 11% of the UA student population

Q: Is there hazing that would be humiliating or cause you to be laughed at? ööPowers.

A: "There is definitely no hazing. The sororities want you to have a good experience and they don't want to scare you off. You make more friends by doing more positive activities," Joseph said.

A: "There really is not supposed to be hazing anymore, but there are really very small, minute forms of it, but it's nothing like it used to be. It's nothing like in the movie. It's very anti-dramatic. Actually it's kind of stupid, so there's nothing to be scared of," said Michelle Garrard, marketing senior and Gamma Phi Beta alumna.

Q: How do you get matched up with the different chapters during recruitment? ÷ Rachel Bowlsby, undeclared freshman, Iowa City, Iowa.

A: It is a mutual selection process done via computer. This year we are only one of three schools using a new computer program. When you rank the chapters, they are doing the same thing. "Each chapter looks at a variety of things and the more open you are, you will end up where you feel most comfortable with," said Lauren Dean, Panhellenic president and criminal justice and public management senior.

Q: If I am a legacy, then am I automatically given a bid from that particular chapter? ööBowlsby

Greeks hold the majority (65%) of leadership positions on campus

A: "No. A legacy still has to go through everything that all the others go through. She also has to choose for herself which chapter she likes best. It's not like on the television show, Survivor, where you get an immunity stick. As a legacy, you are not immune to the selection process. However, you are given extra consideration because a woman in your family was a member," Garrard said.

Q: Am I automatically at a disadvantage if I am not a legacy?ööLindsey Giblin, undeclared freshman, Newport Beach, Calif.

A: "No. Lots of people are not legacies. The important thing is to find a chapter with women that you feel comfortable around and have something in common with," Garrard said.

Q: If I don't want to join a sorority, should I still go through recruitment to meet people?ööLindsey Biggs, undeclared freshman, Laguna Niguel, Calif.

The Lowdown To become a member of one of the 43 Greek chapters on campus, men participate in rush and women participate in recruitment. Fraternity rush is Sept 7 to 12 and costs $40 to register. Sorority recruitment is Aug. 20 to 27 and also costs $95.

A: "I always tell potential new members to go through recruitment because its not binding and they can always drop out if they decide not to go greek. It's better to lose the small amount of money in the beginning ($95) than regretting not having an entire support group of friends and missing lots of opportunities," Camerer said.

Q: What advice can you give me for what I should expect for recruitment? ööGiblin,

A: "Always ask the questions that are on your mind. If you're concerned about financial obligations, don't be afraid to ask about the financial commitments. If you're worried about the social atmosphere, ask about it. Ask how many parties they have, how many times on average they go out, etc. The best advice is to be an active participant in recruitment; don't just respond to the questions that you are given. This will give you the best chance to get to know each of the individual chapters and make the best decision about which sorority you would like to be a part of in the end," Camerer said.

Q: How would you manage schoolwork with all the time that the fraternity expects from you while you are pledging?ööBart Welch, freshman, Newport Beach, Calif.

A: "Well, my first semester I was working, rushing, and going to school so I learned time management and set myself a schedule. The fraternity sets mandatory hours for studying, so use them wisely. What I always told myself was that school nights were for working and weekends were for fun," said Scott Nelson, business junior and Phi Delta Theta treasurer.

Q: Are there any advantages to rushing second semester? ööWelch

A: "I am happy I rushed during the fall. Rushing during the fall is fun and hectic. Rushing during the spring is mellow, but you have more time. If you rush in the fall, then you can be an active member in the spring and you'll have more time to yourself. Get the hard part over with. The hectic nature of fall semester is fun," said Scott Nelson, business junior and Phi Delta Theta treasurer.

Q: If you can't find a date, can you still go to the date dash events?ööPowers

A: "Of course you can still go. It's fun to get set up by older girls in your chapter or go with a group of girls and have a Îgirls night out'. One time I didn't have a date to our ÎWesterner' date dash and I asked a boy who was a family friend. He ended up bring three of his friends so I lucked out and had four dates! It was so much fun," Lindsey Clark, an elementary education senior and Kappa Alpha Theta member.

Q: Do the different sororities get together and have events?÷Rachel Mastroianni, pre-nursing major, Mesa, Ariz.

A: "Honestly, no. A lot of the time we have our own different events. But when we do have double sorority date dashes it is fun to meet the other girls and see what they are like," Clark said.

Q: How easy is it to eventually get to live in the fraternity house once you are a member?ööAndrew Missel, undeclared freshman, Mesa, Ariz.

A: "For some fraternities it is determined by your house points and your seniority in the chapter. You earn house points by how involved you are and the seniority goes by pledge class. It really depends on how active and involved you are. The more active you are, the better your chances for living in the house," Jason Bryant, family studies and consumer sciences junior and Delta Chi alumni coordinator said.