Recruitment? I Want to Know Her!
Vita Sari, a junior in the Panhellenic sorority Alpha Phi, has been in Greek life since her freshman year. She has been on both ends of recruitment; as a result, she’s seen it all, so let’s take a look into what recruitment is all about!
“It’s usually easy to have a premeditated thought of Greek life, especially with the main stigma of raging all day, every day. However, beyond that, along with the aesthetics of each chapter’s instagrams, there is also a community of young adults who are cohesively working to give back to the community in their own respective ways. This is the end goal that we introduce early in in the process of recruitment. This process is called ‘formal recruitment’ which happens annually in the fall for girls interested in Panhellenic (sororities). Moreover, Panhellenic instills this process to organize each day in various themes to showcase the values of each sorority. Day 1-Open House Day 2- Philanthropy Day 3-Sisterhood Day 4-Pref night, are just a small breakdown of the special days to meet our members. This is done so every potential new member can maximize their exposure to each house while also giving each house the opportunity to showcase various experiences, fun with sisters, and values they hold.
Throughout this process each house usually highlights its finest accomplishments, such as acquiring a successful job, or fun late night trips to Taco Bell to exhibit what non-affiliated members are able to be a part of, as well as highlight this supportive network, the service opportunities, scholarships, and the list goes on.
When I was a first year, I didn’t really have much to go off of on any social and academic fields and this was where Greek life played a role in molding me -- by giving me random skills in event planning, fundraising, and programming, while also holding me to a high standard academically. Oh yeah, GPA is also a factor that sororities consider when you rush. Incoming students who usually don’t have a college gpa yet come in fresh, which is cool because then they are able to observe older members and slowly bridge the gap between coming from high school or transferring. (Some chapters ordained study hours! And we always have a healthy GPA competition within Greek life).
Beyond grades, sisterhood, and philanthropy there is the obvious lively social aspect of it, which occasionally ties in with raising funds for a cause. This includes, but is not limited to, male pageant shows, shaving hair off for cancer!!!, and even pieing (throwing a pie) fraternity men. Many of these young men and women are actively looking for newer, creative ways to make donating fun! And at the end of these week-longs of raising funds, we usually celebrate with a themed venue.
Truly what it all is, is a diverse community of people who are able to LAYC! (LIFT AS YOU CLIMB). In retrospect, not joining Greek life will not exclude you from reaping the same opportunities, however I do believe joining maximizes those experiences especially in your crucial young adult lives where everyone is just learning how to navigate through life with you while also managing time with school.”
