They try to make the sorority Recruitment weekend look like this a two way street process by calling it “mutual selection”, but really it seems like the Hogwarts sorting hat. Understand however, that this is not a criticism but an observation considering the sorting hat from Harry Potter is intended to analyze each individual who puts it on and decide where they would be the most successful and offer the most success. They ask the students who walk up to the sorting hat to do so with an open mind and drop their “desired house” or desired sorority.
The mistake the Sonoma State recruitment weekend seemed to make was by NOT portraying it in this non-demonizing way. Since the recruitment weekend is not one of the secretive rituals sororities practice and hold confidential, I will disclose how it went down (something I had no idea about until it unfolded). Having been someone who has just gone through the SSU Greek recruitment process and made it out of the other side, I want to analyse the process in order to help others realize its hidden benefits and overshadowed shortcomings, but overall to give it a chance.
Thursday night is a meeting to kick off the beginning of the Recruitment process. Here they talk about the sororities, their expectations, the weekend rules and decorum, and graze over the schedule for the weekend. They put on a fashion show because “what is worn is a very hot and important topic, despite the claim that no one will be judged based off of her appearance.” You are then split into a small groups of about 12-15 girls by last name and assigned two girls, called Rho Gammas, who are not to disclose which sorority they are apart of so that they can be an objective resource to help the girls in their small group with the recruitment process. The Rho Gams are very kind, open, helpful and are there to morally support the girls however they need. These Rho Gammas can be second, third, fourth or even fifth years and make a groupchat for announcements, questions and are there to talk to with anything, but the most common question is: “this outfit is okay?”
The next day, after clarifying that your “casual cute tank and jeans” fit the expectation, your name tag which is handed to you by your Rho Gammas tells you what times your parties with each sorority are. At the assigned SSU ballrooms, you attend your “parties”, which is when you and other Recruits enter a room of one sorority to talk with one to three girls in order to get to know them and vise versa. Sorority sisters running the weekend are going to ask you CONSTANTLY if you are excited although you may not know what you are being excited for, or just have nothing to be excited over yet. They line you up by last name outside the ballrooms and when they finally open the doors, the chants are already rolling out the doors to welcome you. Walking in nervous and “excited,” a girl from the sorority takes your arm and sits you down to chat. After ten or so minutes, another girl takes her place. The girls are incredibly nice and enthusiastic, making all girls think it is going well. After talking nonstop for thirty minutes six times in a row, you head to “selections” where you pick the five sororities you liked and drop the one you “connected with the least”. Now you hope that the ones you liked, “like you back.”
Since the first day, it is understandably stressed by the Rho Gamas that girls not talk about their choices and opinions as it may influence another girl’s opinion and or experience negatively. The respect for this process and the impression on others is very important and unfortunately overlooked. It is easy to get caught up in gossip.
This process repeats for the next three days while each day cutting down your options. Sororities have “dropped you” due to lack of interest and or the fact that they are only allowed to call back a certain number of girls each day. If at any point a girl decides to drop on her own, she’s taken upstairs to sign a small contract just consenting to voluntarily terminating this Fall’s Recruitment process. This is done in order to avoid any discrepancies. Once signing this, she is released and able to Recruitment in Spring 2018 or next Fall.
After the final day is bid night, where you are given an envelope with one of your top two offering you a bid into their sorority. This is a huge reveal and all the girls in the ballroom buzz with nervousness and excitement, having made it. At the reveal, some are more excited than others, but everyone in that room at least has a home open to them.
Now a question, from before the whole recruitment weekend even begins, seems to be, is this process right? Right as in, is judging a girl, in order to deem her worthy enough to be among an established and desirable group, fair? This is harsh yes, but it could be said that this process gets to know the girls in order to see where they will thrive the best and if that place will thrive with them in it. Is it a bar to to pass or a sorting hat to sit under? I suppose that depends on your perspective and how they make it out to be. Asking girls if they’re excited when they’re really just nervous, seems to blow up a perception that can be shut down bright and early in the morning. Bid day seems to be a good place for excitement since everyone knows for sure she is wanted, instead of just hoping she is. Sororities provide remarkable structure, resources, academics and sisterhood. Sometimes the sorting hat knows best, and that may not be where we expect. Luckily, there are homes to be found outside and inside the sororities alike on the Sonoma State campus.
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