Next Friday, Wabash will welcome prospective members of the class of 2026 for this year’s Scarlet Honors Weekend. A beloved tradition by many students, Scarlet Honors Weekend allows prospective students to spend the night on campus,
Next Friday, Wabash will welcome prospective members of the class of 2026 for this year’s Scarlet Honors Weekend. A beloved tradition by many students, Scarlet Honors Weekend allows prospective students to spend the night on campus, attend class, meet future classmates, and engage with Wabash current students and faculty to ask questions and to learn more about campus life. After a year-long hiatus of overnight stays, this year’s Scarlet Honors Weekend will have a record number of participants.
This year’s event organizers Julia Wells and Joey Conti ‘15 hope to return Scarlet Honors Weekend to its former glory with an exciting weekend full of opportunity. In one of the largest enrollments in recent history, upwards of 225 students are expected to join us on campus, flying in from as far as Florida, Texas, and California. Once on campus, prospective students will explore campus during the ‘passport to Wabash’ scavenger hunt, sit in on one of 24 different course offerings, and then spend the night with teammates or in fraternities. As Wells said, “This is an all-campus event. We want all students to be excited and engaged.”
For Wells and Conti, current students can often be the key to retain admitted students. Part of those efforts have been in working with the Inter Fraternal Council to house prospective students who are interested in Greek Life. Admissions has also worked closely with RA’s and the IMA to create opportunities for students to experience both Greek and Independent life.
This year’s Scarlet Honors Weekend has an added importance. After recently taking over as IFC President, Mason Allen ‘23 sees this year’s Scarlet Honors as an opportunity for fraternities across campus to get back on track.
“When Prospective Students become familiar with Greek Life on our campus, it helps them obtain a better grasp of the unique culture & traditions Wabash has to offer,” said Allen. “With the ability to personally connect, the seniors especially can show them why Wabash is the way it is, we see benefits across the board.”
Working closely with admissions, IFC hopes to utilize the record number of students staying overnight to prepare for rush next fall. Their plans includes the revival of boat races, a traditional competition between houses, normally during Scarlet Honors Weekend.
“We’ll kickoff the night by returning the tradition of Boat Races; every Fraternity constructs a boat out of cardboard & duct tape to race in the pool head-to-head. This event hasn’t occurred since Spring 2019, so it’s safe to say everyone will enjoy its return,” said Allen. “Following this, Rush is open across the entirety of campus. Every House has their methods of putting this on, but are all ways in which students gain exposure to Greek Life at Wabash.”
“It’s time to show future students what it means to be a Wabash man,” said Conti.