Sorority recruitment will be taking place this spring, leading unaffiliated University women into the Greek community. However, the Panhellenic Council, the governing body that oversees formal sorority recruitment, is taking a different approach to the formal recruitment process this spring. The council voted to instate “limited frills” recruitment, and passed the motion.
In previous years, sororities were given the opportunity to finance their recruitment budget independently. They were also given the chance to decorate their recruitment rooms with an unlimited amount of whatever themes, crafts, t-shirts, letters, and decorations of their choice. This led the Panhellenic Council to believe that potential new members were choosing their sorority based on superficial items, such as the decorations, rather than the values of the sororities and the sisters themselves.
The new approach limits sororities’ ability to sway potential new members through the use of superficial items, giving the potential new members the opportunity to focus more on the conversations they are having with Greek women. It makes the formal recruitment process more meaningful for not only the potential new members, but also the sisters of each sorority who plan on extending bids into their sisterhood.
“By limiting the frills within recruitment, chapters will better be able to recruit girls who fit right for them, rather than what they seem to be through the decorations in the rooms,” said Kendall Bohannon, a senior homeland security major and the Vice President of Recruitment of the Panhellenic Council.
Colette Mitola, a senior business marketing major and Vice President of Recruitment for Delta Phi Epsilon, believes the “limited frills” will be beneficial. “The ‘limited frills’ is an improvement in the right direction. It will help each sorority to know potential new members on a more personal level,” Mitola said.
Formal recruitment is a three-day long process. Potential new members sign-up prior, and are placed into groups with other women looking to join a sorority. They are also given recruitment counselors, who keep their sorority confidential; in order to help the potential new members find the right sorority for them without being bias.
On the first day of recruitment, each potential new member spends a 30-minute time block per round with each organization. At the end of the day, each potential new member ranks the organizations from first choice to last choice. The sorority women do the same, and are matched up with new members who wanted to return to their organization.
The same process follows the next two days, with the exception that the second day is a 45-minute time block per round, and the third day is a 60-minute time block per round.
The first day of recruitment is based on the idea of learning about the sisters and the personality of an organization. The second day is philanthropy-based. This teaches the new members about each organization’s values and community service efforts. The third day, which is also known as preference night, invites potential new members to participate in a ritual by each sorority.
After all three days of formal sorority recruitment are completed, potential new members are extended bids, which they can choose to accept or decline.
“Recruitment for our Panhellenic sororities has continued to grow at rapid rate, year after year we have more women participating in the formal recruitment process,” said Jon Buchalski, Assistant Director of Student Activities for Fraternity and Sorority Life.
In order to participate in the formal sorority recruitment process, women must maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA, as well as have completed at least 12 Monmouth credits. The average Greek women’s GPA at the University for the spring of 2014 was a 3.2. Sorority recruitment will be taking place Jan. 30 through Feb. 1. Required registration begins Wednesday, Nov. 19.
PHOTO COURTESY of Shannon Johnson
