Attempting to improve the reputation of fraternity and encourage more recruits, members of the Interfraternity Sorority Council held a day of service on Saturday, and removed soda cans, condoms, buckets and even a life jacket from the Charles River.

The members of various sororities and fraternities, as well as unaffiliated students interested in community service and the upcoming rush periods, joined the effort. Programs Coordinator and IFSC advisor Seth Rosenzweig said the clean up was expected to bolster the University’s attitude toward the Greek system, as well as establish it as a positive force on campus.

“We’d like to break away from “Animal House” and “Revenge of the Nerds” stereotypes,” Rosenzweig said.

Rosenzweig said the day of service that focused on picking up trash and minor landscaping from the BU Bridge to the Esplanade, was only the beginning of a series of community projects.

Rosenzweig also mentioned he expected the clean-up to serve as a public relations event to increase the spectrum of IFSC’s exposure.

“[The clean-up will increase the] outreach, IFSC publicity and continued improvement of the Greek system,” Rosenzweig said. “[I haven’t] seen [the IFSC] this fired up since January.”

The need for a change in fraternity and sorority images was expressed by many participants at the start of the “Day of Service,” which began at the Law Auditorium. Many students, especially sorority members, said Greek stereotypes are unfair and inaccurate.

College of Arts and Sciences senior Melissa Coughlin said she believed many people thought all sorority members did was party.

“Most people think sorority girls wear black pants and drink a lot,” Coughlin said.

Union VP of Safety Services Remie Ferreira also attended the event to help clean the Charles. Ferreira, a CAS sophomore, said he felt people would start to respect the sororities and fraternities more when they heard about their work during the clean-up and in the community.

“When people see the active community role that members are taking, it will be hard to ignore the kind of persona they want to give off,” Ferreira said.

Many students said they were upset with the MTV reality-show “Sorority Life” for perpetuating false stereotypes. College of Communication junior Paula Berkel said the show, which documented six sorority pledges at University of California-Davis, was unrealistic.

“I think people watch it and think that’s what it’s like now, and it’s totally not,” Berkel said. “It implies you can’t be who you are, you have to be what [the sorority] wants you to be.”

Other students said the BU administration fostered a hostile attitude toward the Greek system, and that the University is lacking in school spirit, something the sororities and frats are hoping to cultivate.

CAS junior Megan Hoffman said she wants BU “to come together as a community and to have more of a campus life.”

College of Fine Arts sophomore Stacey Leventhal said “BU hates the Greek system,” and that administrators are trying to minimize the influence of frats by not allowing houses on campus.

“I believe that we will prove ourselves to them,” Leventhal said.

Rosenzweig and other members of the system said the number of students interested in Fall Rush has been noticeably lower over the past couple years. IFSC members said they expect events such as the day of service and the 2003 Spring Dance Marathon, a philanthropic fundraiser, will spark student body interest in Greek life.

“We hope that the Day of Service will help with a successful recruitment this fall, as recruitments have declined,” Rosenzweig said.

School of Management sophomore and Lambda Chi Alpha member Andy Koleba said his fraternity was decreasing in size every year.

“We’re smaller, especially this year,” Koleba said. “There were only two recruits last year, spring semester.”

Hoffman agreed that recruitments have declined significantly.

“When I applied two years ago, there were 25 recruits each semester,” Hoffman said. “Last year, there were only 12 or 15.”

Hoffman added that the IFSC is “doing a lot to bring it back up, and to promote the Greek system.”