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Bid day sees 115 men pledge to Interfraternity Council organizations

Written by Joan Khalaf, The Shorthorn senior staff

Monday, 08 February 2010 09:11 PM

Undeclared freshman Jeff Hazelrigs is one of two students being covered on their pledging process, from deciding to acceptance, and their experiences in-between. Hazelrigs pledged Alpha Tau Omega on Saturday afternoon. (The Shorthorn: Will LaVoncher)

Bid Day was the easy part.

Now comes Jeff Hazelrigs’ challenge.

The undeclared freshman accepted a bid to join Alpha Tau Omega fraternity Saturday at the Cooper Street central bridge.

After shouting “ATO” at the top of the stairs, a beaming Hazelrigs ran down to his brothers and was embraced with hugs and hair ruffling.

He was among 115 men who pledged with the Interfraternity Council.

While walking away and back to his car, Hazelrigs proudly carried the fraternity’s blue and yellow flag.

“I’m just really, really excited,” he said. “I finally get to hold the flag and wear these letters.”

Hazelrigs waited until this semester to join because of a new rule that barred freshmen from rushing their first semester.

He said he joined despite having once thought fraternity men were “jerks.”

Undeclared freshman Jeff Hazelrigs is greeted by one of the many sorority girls who supported Alpha Tau Omega during at the Bid Day event Saturday afternoon. There were 11 fraternities as well as girls from the four sororities gathered on the central bridge for the event. (The Shorthorn: Will LaVoncher)

“They’re friendly and I got to know them on a more personal level than with other organizations,” he said. “They’re genuinely good, nice people.”

Now, Hazelrigs must pass several tests before his initiation later in the semester.

All pledges read and test on The Positive Experience Guide, which tells about the fraternity’s national history and principles.

“It helps them understand why we believe in the things we do,” fraternity president Aaron Resendez said.

Having been a self-described “class clown” in high school, Hazelrigs said he wanted to get out of his comfort zone and jump into the college experience.

Though he doesn’t yet know what he wants to do with his degree, he knows he wants to help people in his lifetime.

“I’m not afraid of trying things or putting more on myself,” he said. “I like being in charge of my own thing.”

Undeclared freshman Jeff Hazelrigs and his new fraternity brothers pose for pictures on the center bridge Saturday afternoon. (The Shorthorn: Will LaVoncher)

Hazelrigs wasn’t always outgoing. Having been overweight and teased in elementary school, he decided to make a lifestyle change.

“I’ve always wanted to be well-liked,” he said. “After that, I became someone that wasn’t afraid to ask questions.”

He was offered full rides at other colleges and was in the Coordinated Admission Program at UTA, where students spend their first year at UTA in hopes to transfer to UT-Austin.

He chose to stay a Maverick, though.

“I want to be the antithesis of a commuter,” he said. “I want to make something of my time here.”

That’s part of what brought Hazelrigs to the fraternity. An only child, Hazelrigs said he wanted someone to call “brother.”

“There’s something about uniting behind a common cause,” he said. “It’s appealing — carrying out the came principles wherever they go.”

More Information

Bidding doesn’t stop on Bid Day. Students may still receive bids from the Panhellenic and Interfraternity councils Wednesdays at noon in the Greek Life office located in the University Center lower level. Interfraternity Council president Marc Barger said the idea of continuing bidding came from the national council, which encourages recruitment to be as open as possible.

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