The week before classes start is arguably one of the best times to see The University of Alabama. The stagnant Alabama air is a refreshing combination of irrepressible excitement intermingled with nervous anticipation as everyone readies themselves for the madness that will ensue once classes begin and football season kicks up. For freshmen it is a time to get settled into their new dorms, become acclimated to campus life andmost importantly enjoy the last few days of their summer.

However, for the 2,000+ students registered for sorority recruitment, the week before classes officially start, colloquially rush week, can be described as anything but stress-free.

Rush week begins with opening convocation in Coleman Coliseum, followed by four rounds of recruitment, i.e. eight jam-packed days of walking between sorority houses in the sweltering Alabama August heat to attend Ice Water Tea Parties (speed-meeting current sorority members), participate in philanthropy activities (making crafts), and bond with other rushees (complaining about hunger pains and foot aches).

And at the end of the marathon week, once everyone is sufficiently physically and emotionally exhausted, each potential new member is expected to answer what they might describe as one of the biggest questions of their college career: Which sorority will they pledge their undying devotion to?

The UA Panhellenic website boasts that 80 percent of women who participate in formal recruitment join a sorority. However, participation “does not guarantee an invitation to join a sorority,” and it definitely does not guarantee that rushees will receive an invitation to their preferred sorority. Even with the 80 percent “success” rate (assuming that each girl who joins a sorority continues membership throughout her entire college career), at least 400 students are left having either dropped out of recruitment, having declined an invitation to a sorority, or having received no offers to join a sorority.

We’ve all heard tragic stories of girls completely crushed by recruitment after being dropped from their top sorority picks. The countless tear-filled phone calls made to worried parents during that first week before the real stress of college kicks in could all be prevented by just a small delay.

At The University of Alabama, the word “tradition” is not taken lightly, and the tradition of formal recruitment in the fall is not one that many seem ready to break. However, a deferred rush benefits not only upcoming freshmen, but also the entire greek association and the University as a whole.

Between taking their first college level courses, buying books, making new friends, navigating Alabama’s massive campus and figuring out their new-found independence, freshmen have enough to worry about without the additional stress of sorority recruitment.

The amount of time girls spend worrying about their outfits or recommendations for rush could be better spent discovering the hundreds of opportunities and different facets of the University. If sorority recruitment were deferred until the spring semester, undoubtedly there would be less participation; however, there would also be a higher rate of sorority placement. Many of the girls who might have constituted the 20 percent that do not end up joining a sorority following fall recruitment may have found that their personalities and endeavors were better suited to other campus organizations.

During the end of my senior year in high school, I increasingly found that the only question anyone asked me upon hearing that I would be attending The University of Alabama was whether or not I was going to rush.

This pressure, along with the bombardment of social media by current sorority members encouraging others to #gogreek or #rush(insert sorority name), often leaves freshmen feeling as if joining a sorority is their only hope to make friends, get involved and quickly become a part of campus life. And while these are all great benefits to going greek, they can also become disadvantages as girls often become complacent by neglecting to branch out to make friends or join organizations outside of their sororities.

However, with the additional time to explore other campus communities and organizations that freshmen stand to gain from delayed recruitment, students will receive a more diverse and fulfilling college experience. Upcoming freshmen should be given the opportunity to discover their interests and develop their college identity without the crutch that is fall recruitment. Ideally, we have at least four years full of growth to truly make our place at The University of Alabama, so when it comes to sorority recruitment, what’s the rush?