Here are some of the ins and outs of recruitment from someone who has been through it. There are a lot of dates and information to come in this article, but above all of this advice, make sure to have fun! Recruitment is the time to find your home!
Applications:
Due: The Friday before school starts
These applications are super important as this is how you are paired with girls in each sorority every night. There is an optional part to write a short paragraph about yourself and your interests, fill this out! You are also required to submit a photo of yourself, this is to help girls remember you when they are voting. My suggestion is to submit a photo where you look most like yourself, otherwise it will be harder to tell you apart from others. There is a fee for this application to pay for the recruitment shirts, it should only be around $30.
Sunday night (The night before school starts for the semester)
There will be a meeting hosted by Dan Ayala, who runs Greek life on Lafayette’s campus. You will be told what Rho Gamma groups you have been divided into and be told logistics and the times of the recruitment events. Do not miss this, as it is mandatory!
The First Night (Thursday): Friendship Night
You will be split into groups and each group will have around four Rho Gammas. The Rho Gammas are disaffiliated during the recruitment time period, and will help you make decisions on what houses feel most like potential homes! Everyone will attend all six houses this night, for 30 minutes each, and you will move from each house with your Rho Gamma group and Rho Gammas. It is important to keep an open mind as during recruitment as each house has something great to show you about them!
Dress Code: This night you will all be wearing your recruitment shirts and your own choice of shorts, skirts or pants. (I recommend shorts or spandex under skirts as it is very hot and you will be sitting down on the floor in each house to watch videos) You are not allowed to cut, or dye the recruitment shirts.
Voting: After the houses, you will go back, probably to Pardee, to think in silence about what houses you preferred. It is important to think about how YOU felt in each house, rather than listening to what others liked. Stay true to your gut feelings as that will help you find the best fit for you. Then your Rho Gammas will direct you to Colton Chapel for voting to rank your bottom two houses, the least preferred and the second least preferred.
The Second Night (Friday): Philanthropy Night
You will meet with your Rho Gamma group at around 5:30 and be given your schedule for the night. You are taken out of the room to be given your schedule individually. You will go back to up to four houses this night, but it is very common to go to two or three. The time slots are 45 minutes in each house, so there is more time to get to know/acquainted with the girls you are speaking to! As there are four time slots, there is a movie room to go to during the blank time slots you may have. Talking in this room is not encouraged to limit people making decisions based on friends opinions. The right home for you, may not be the same as your friends.
Dress Code: Smart Casual! Many girls wear sundresses, rompers, skirts, and shorts. It is very hot in the houses typically, so I advise against jeans. Many girls wear sandals or other comfortable shoes as you will be standing for the majority of the time in the houses.
Voting: Again you will be ranking your least preferred and second least preferred house. Your Rho Gammas will be going over this with you during recruitment so do not worry if this does not make sense just yet!
The Third Night (Saturday): Preference Night
Again you will meet your Rho Gammas before getting to learn which houses you will be attending that night. You will go up to two houses this night, each for an hour. There you will be able have even more in depth conversations and get to know the girls at the houses you attend!
Dress Code: Fancy! When I went through recruitment, I wore a romper and block heels. Many of my friends wore wedges, dresses, rompers and two piece sets. Wear what represents you best, or what you are most comfortable in! You want a house to like you for you!
Voting: This night you will preference the house you would most like to be in. You do this by voting your most preferred and second prefered. If you put both of these houses down, you are guaranteed one of these houses. It is very rare that people only put down their first choice. DO NOT DO THIS! It decreases your chance of getting your top house due to the computer algorithm that matches potential new members (PNMs) to houses.
BID DAY!!!!!!!!!!
Recruitment can be a challenging process, but it is also rewarding. Joining a sorority at college was the best thing I have done at Lafayette! Not only do you find so many new friends and become so close, but you also have the opportunity to make a difference, through volunteering opportunities, educational scholarships, and other programs through each sorority. It can be daunting to think about going through recruitment, but those three days are so worth it!
GO GREEK!!!!