The process of formal recruitment can be overwhelming and stressful for some potential new members to Greek life, but others believe the two-week process has many elements to make it a smooth and exciting process.
Sophomore psychology and English double major Katie Ingram, a member of Zeta Tau Alpha recently joined Greek life after rushing several weeks ago. Ingram liked the requirement of wearing PHA t-shirts during the first two days of house tours. “I think the shirts are a really nice equalizer. They make rush a lot less stressful. You don’t have to worry about picking out an outfit and they can’t judge you based on what you’re wearing,” she said.
Figuring out what to wear to each round is most girls’ concern, according to sophomore Rachel Buniski, a member of Alpha Chi Omega since spring of 2012. “When I went through recruitment, I was worried about what to wear, what to say and if I would make it to each round on time. It was stressful but interesting to meet everyone and see the different houses, though I would say that once is enough,” she said.
The process of formal recruitment here at Maryland consists of four rounds: House Values and Tours, Philanthropy, Skits, and Preference. By the end of the two weeks, the potential new members will receive a bid from a sorority that both the student and sorority have mutually selected. After the recruitment rounds, both the potential new members and the 15 sororities rank each other to determine the next day’s schedule for each girl. In other words, the students choose which houses they would like to return to, and the sorority chooses who they want to invite back.
Sophomore communications major Alli Weiss, a member of Sigma Delta Tau, said formal recruitment is a well-planned process that effectively helps girls choose the right sorority for them. “I think it’s a good process because I like that it’s spread out and gives you breaks. It’s also just on the weekends so it doesn’t interfere with schoolwork. However, I think it would be nicer in the fall because it would allow for more time to be involved in sorority,” she said. Some sororities take smaller pledge classes in the fall through an informal recruitment process.
Freshman early childhood education major Jennifer Morgan, a new member of Alpha Xi Delta, agreed with the use of PHA t-shirts during the House Values and Tours round, but this didn’t eliminate other potential issues she came across. “It was frustrating having good conversations with someone and then not get called back to that sorority,” she said.
The fast-paced process that the sororities and potential new members had to undergo was a source of discontent for sophomore Chloe Beatty, a member of Alpha Delta Pi. “I dislike how they have to make so many decisions in such little time, and I think [the process] should be less rigid. I definitely think recruiters should be able to answer more questions for PNMs,” she said.
Other students, like Buniski, appreciate the quick two-week process. “It is a great way for all the potential new members to see each chapter and really get a sense of which sorority they would fit in and be comfortable in. That being said it does involve extremely long days, not just for the girls going through recruitment but for every girl already in a sorority, so it can also be very overwhelming.”
Buniski also suggested lengthening the breaks between rounds on the first two days. “That way they can really remember what they liked or disliked about the houses and really take everything in,” she said.
Now that formal recruitment has finished this year, the new pledge classes have embarked on their new-member periods, which offer each new member a greater understanding of the sorority and prepares them for initiation.