If you were anywhere near campus on August 24th, you were probably confused with the amount of crazy screaming and chanting that was occuring at 2pm on a Sunday. No, there wasn’t a surprise concert, or a flash Lilly sale: it was Bid Day.
Commonly referred to as “The Running of the Pigs,” this annual event marks the end of official sorority rush, and the girls finally discover which sorority they’ll be new members in. What makes USC’s version of bid day so special is that were actually kind of famous for it!
Before the girls discover which house they now belong to, they get to see the annual Pi Chi reveal, where their group leaders announce which sororities they are really in. Once the Pi Chi’s expose their letters, they can re-affiliate with their sisters and naturally, lots of tears are involved. With that event out of the way, it’s time for the bids to be anounced. Anticipation increases as girls line up with their eyes closed and receive a t-shirt bearing the letters of the house they were invited to, and chaos ensues.
The sheer difficulty that is involved in Bid Day is vastly underrated. Not only do you have to find your sorority’s spot with strangers running in front of you, next to you and probably on top of you, but you also have to avoid tripping on USC’s infamous brick pathway, put on your new shirt over your old shirt, and grab any fellow sisters to run with you. Not such an easy task when all you can see, hear, and smell are girls screaming and whistles blowing.
As you’re running through all this anarchy, fellow fraternity boys, curious students, friends, family and even some faculty are cheering you on. It’s pretty impossible to feel lonely on Bid Day. New members are greeted with big hugs and a bag of goodies to celebrate their homecoming before leaving for their unique bid day activity.
Going through this event on both sides, I get it and I love it. I love it even more after welcoming our new pledge class and remembering how amazing Bid Day made me feel. It’s a day you’ll never forget (and if you do here’s a video documenting the craziness of it all):