Bid Day 2017 served as the closing chapter of Panhellenic Formal Recruitment at University of Miami. 540 of the 789 women registered for recruitment accepted bids from seven of the eight Panhellenic sororities on campus.
The excitement could be felt in the air as hundreds of sorority women grouped together and prepared to rush the stage to welcome their new members. Even though only seven sororities gave out bids, all eight Panhellenic sororities were present. Each sorority proudly displayed large wooden letters decorated to match their bid day themes. There were more signs, balloons, noise makers, and glitter than one could imagine. Themes included pirates, a luau, a western “Can’t Touch This,” “The Best Just Got Better,” ”Find Your Home,” “Welcome Aboard,” and “Welcome to Royalty.” Finally, at 1:00 p.m. the first Rho Gamma group lined the stage wearing their chosen sorority’s bid day shirts under a t-shirt, jacket, or sweater. On the count of three the girls took off the cover to reveal themselves to their new sisters as they were tackled on stage.
“I love all the new members,” said Rebecca Graffam a junior accounting major and member of Delta Gamma who served as a Rho Gamma (an initiated sorority women who disaffiliates from their organization in the fall in order to unbiasedly help PNMs find their new home) this year, “It was really fun getting to see all the new members come that I’ve seen all week and how excited they were to join the sorority.”
Bid Day came after over a week of recruitment activities. Initiated sisters had pre-recruitment January 9 and 10. This allowed the women to prepare for the next six days in which hundreds of potential new members (called PNMs) would walk through their doors to see what they have to offer.
“We did recruitment workshops and it’s always really fun because it’s kind of like sisterhood bonding,” said Graffam.
According to the Panhellenic Facebook page, each day had a theme. The first two days were open house, the third day was philanthropy day, the fourth and fifth days were invitational, and the last day was preference night. During each day, the PNMs have “parties” in which they visit sororities, talk to initiated sisters and learn about various aspects of the organization. The PNMs are divided into smaller groups led by a Rho Gamma. Anna Zapala, a senior biochemistry major, member of Kappa Kappa Gamma and a Rho Gamma, said there were about 50 Rho Gamma groups.
“I was very excited to watch my group reveal,” said Zapala. “I had a sense of pride knowing I helped them get there”
The Rho Gammas also got to reveal their sorority during bid day to their Rho Gamma groups and rejoin their sorority.
“I was nervous about getting tackled,” said Zapala, “But overall it was a sense of relief and calm after the storm of recruitment to be welcomed back.”
By 2:30 p.m., all bids had been accepted. Celebrations continued afterward with each sorority having planned activities to welcome their new sisters.
*Photo Credit: Panhellenic at the University of Miami’s Facebook Page