The second ISU formal fraternity recruitment will end tonight when prospective members select their top house choices out of the 29 fraternities on campus. If informal pledge numbers from this summer are any indication, the greek system will have a strong year, said Clint Pecenka, Interfraternity Council vice president. Pecenka, junior in industrial engineering, said 415 men already joined a fraternity before formal recruitment began. Estimated numbers from Rush Week predicted another 50 to 60 members will pledge a house. While no solid numbers were available for the formal process as of press time, IFC recruitment executives anticipate a final total of about 500 new pledges, which is a 10 percent increase over last year’s numbers. The formal process began Aug. 27, when the interested men spent 15 minutes at each house. Throughout the days that followed, the number of houses visited was reduced to nine, and the amount of time spent at a house was increased to 30 minutes. The prospective members selected their top three choices Thursday and spent an hour at each house. Due to the placement of formal fraternity recruitment within the first few weeks of the school year, fraternities now are able to attract a broader scope of students to the greek community. “In the past, we relied heavily on summer recruitment,” said Jim Nawrocki, IFC vice president of recruitment. “Formal recruitment is a great way for out-of-state students to be able to participate and become involved at ISU. It helps them decide what Iowa State is about and what fraternity is right for them.” Pecenka said he is pleased with this year’s success, which he attributed, in part, to the fraternities’ participation in “value-based recruiting.” “They are putting a strong emphasis on the ideals that their organizations were founded on,” he said. “This typically includes scholarship, leadership and community service.”