The Panhellenic Council hosted its PNM Orientation on Tues. Feb. 2 and Wed. Feb. 3. in Wilson Hall Auditorium. This was an event open to all women who signed up for Spring Formal Recruitment.
PNM stands for “potential new member” and each PNM was required to attend one of the two orientation sessions. At each session, the women were asked to view a PowerPoint presentation given by Ashley McMahon, Panhellenic Council Vice President of Recruitment.
After introducing the women to what their schedules will contain in the next week, they were divided into specific color groups and paired up with two or three recruitment counselors. The counselors would be the women to guide them through the recruitment process. Their groups would go over any important recruitment details, such as schedules, conflicts, and questions regarding the weekend. Afterward, the women were sent on their way with all they needed to know about recruitment and contact information if they wanted to know more from their counselors.
“It was really great to get to know the girls beforehand and get the information out to them and the questions cleared up. I felt like it was really good to get all of the girls comfortable and prepared for recruitment. It made me excited for recruitment and to help all of the girls find their homes and become a part of our awesome Greek community,” said Mollie Dunnigan, a senior recruitment counselor, studying elementary education.
The orientation began with an introductory video about the National Panhellenic Conference and what being a sorority woman means. The video helped to break down any negative stereotypes the potential new members might have been exposed to. It also helped to link Greek life to something bigger than just the individual. Being a sorority woman is much more than partying and self-image. It is about service, sisterhood, and the pursuit of a better “you”.
There are six of the 26 Panhellenic sororities on the Monmouth University campus: Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Sigma Tau, Alpha Xi Delta, Delta Phi Epsilon, Phi Sigma Sigma, and Zeta Tau Alpha. Each organization has unique values and traditions, but they all “stand for scholarship, for guarding of good health, for maintenance of fine standards, and for serving, to the best of our ability, our college community,” as read from the Panhellenic Creed.
The recruitment process is through a mutual selections of the sororities and PNMs. Both parties rank each other and at the end of the process, the main goal is for each PNM to receive a bid from the chapter that they desire, just as much as the organization would like to extend one to them. The PowerPoint goes over the schedule for all three days, as well as the evaluation process. After each day, the PNMs will be given a chance to rank each party they have attended that day.
At the end of the recruitment process, all PNMs who were invited back to all three days of recruitment, are invited to the Bid Day Celebration in Wilson Hall at 10 p.m on Mon., Feb. 8. This is the time where all the PNMs receive and open their bids and choose to accept or deny the bid. If they choose to accept it, they are able to run up the stairs of Wilson Hall to the sorority they received the bid from, and celebrate their new found home. If a PNM attends all three days of recruitment and chooses to deny their bid, they must wait until the next year to be eligible for recruitment by any other organization.
McMahon, a Health Studies Senior, says, “Orientation is such a crucial part of the recruitment process. It gives the girls the opportunity to get themselves completely comfortable before actually going through the process. Meeting their counselor gives them a safe place to go to for any questions or problems that may come about.”
After the presentation, PNMs were able to mingle and become better acquainted with their recruitment counselors. This helps to ease the recruitment process and prepare for a smooth, stress-free weekend.
PHOTO COURTESY of Kendal Adams
