I agree w/ Nupe4Life. I think it's important for interests to get to know the members before hand. Being in a sorority or fraternity is different than just joining a club or another group. You're pledging your commitment and dedication to the organization and the members. Therefore, you should try to get to know these people as best as you can if you want to one day be considered a brother or sister of the org. If you have questions about what is considered pre-pledging/hazing, talk to the advisor of the chapter. They should be able to help you.
Twinstars,
Some orgs do still illegally participate in pre-pledging. Pre-pledging takes place before the interested person has accepted an invitation or bid to join the org. The person may be told to do certain activities that are usually considered hazing that may or may not increase their chance of becoming a part of the organization. For instance, an active might call an interest telling him/her to do XYZ activity or else he/she won't get in the org. So pre-pledging is vastly different than rushing. Rushing is simply the time in which a rushee finds out more about the sororities/fraternities that are on their respective campus. At this time, the rushee does not have an obligation to join or bid on a sorority/fraternity. They can pretty much drop out at any time prior to bids. I hope I explained that right. If not, someone please do correct me