By lwilliams
Article by Melissa Pope
OK, ladies, this post is just for you. If you’re interested in going Greek, you might want to know about recruitment week in Greek life or you’ll want to know all about the days leading up to becoming a sorority sister. You’ll participate in a very formal, week-long event known as sorority recruitment week. With many levels to it, going through recruitment can be pretty confusing. So, here’s a helpful list about sorority recruitment week to hopefully make it a little clearer. As an alumna of AXO from Oregon State University, here is my insight as to what recruitment on my campus looked like. While your school’s calendar of events may differ, these tips should still help you in your recruitment week in Greek life and Greek journey.
The first step to becoming a sorority sister is to register for Recruitment Week. Essentially, every girl interested in Greek Life signs up online by submitting her name, address, high school GPA, extracurricular activities, and so on. Once you have registered, every Potential New Member (PNM) is assigned a Walking Group and two Rho Gammas. A Walking Group is a fancy term for “home base.” In order to avoid chaos, PNMs are divided into groups led by two initiated sorority members, the Rho Gammas. Rho Gammas are there to help answer any additional questions PNMs have and guide them through the recruitment process.
Days 1-3: Go Greek Days
The next step in recruitment week in Greek life is to participate in Go Greek Days. Every sorority with a chapter house on campus sets up a booth in a large, common area. At OSU, this takes place in the Memorial Union (MU) Ballroom. The booths consist of pictures, sorority gear (sweatshirts, T-shirts, paddles…basically anything that has the sorority’s letters on it), and scrapbooks so you can paint a better picture of what it might be like to join that sorority. In addition, this is an opportunity for PNMs to get to know some initiated members and ask all sorts of sorority-related questions. To help distinguish between each house, pamphlets are provided with information about each sorority with an area to take notes. You are required to talk to at least one initiated member from each sorority in order to move on to the next round. The night before, I would suggest thinking about a handful of questions you want to ask. Some of these may include:
- “What made you choose this sorority?”
- “What kinds of charitable events do you organize and/or participate in?”
- “What kinds of scholarships does your organization offer?”
- And if you’re still stuck, here’s another option: “What questions would you have asked during recruitment if you could go back and do it again?”
Doing this will not only spark initial conversations, but it will show initiated members that you have done your Greek life homework, which could make you stand out among the rest. At the end of the last Go Greek Day, you are asked to pick your top 8 preferred chapters (ranked 1-8, most preferred to least preferred). Something that helped me narrow down my list was thinking about the conversations that felt the most natural to me. If it felt forced, that meant it probably wasn’t a great fit for me; I was more interested in sororities that I had easy-flowing conversations.
Day 4: Philanthropy Day
Now that you have narrowed down your choices, the next round of recruitment week in Greek life is called Philanthropy Day. This is the first day that you actually step inside each house on your list. Typically taking place on the main floor of every chapter house, you can chat with initiated members before learning about the philanthropy and mission associated with the sorority. At A Chi O, ladies sit together and enjoy some light snacks before watching a nationally sponsored video that focuses on the organization’s efforts for the fight against rape and domestic violence. For all chapters, each party lasts about 25 minutes, but keep in mind that this is generally an all-day event. Philanthropy Day is a pretty casual setting, yet very informative. Greek life is serious about charity work and community service, and every chapter looks for new members who share these same values. And just like Go Greek Days, at the end of Philanthropy Day you will narrow down your list of houses you are interested in. Hold on, we’re not finished yet! Stay tuned for What to Expect: Part 2. Make sure to come back and read about the rest of the week’s events!