There are many aspects of Greek life that appeal to a large amount of ASU students. When I decided to rush, I was looking for lifelong friends that I knew I could rely on. As a sophomore, I felt a little intimidated by all of the women around me who were younger and newer.
Despite the fun times that come with being a part of Greek life, the formal recruitment process at ASU is nothing to be taken lightly. Luckily for new recruits, a Rho Gamma, a sorority member who has disaffiliated from her chapter to help girls go through recruitment unbiased, is assigned to each girl to help her deal with any issues or questions that may arise.
Having a Rho Gamma was so much help in going through recruitment. There were many times where I was confused or upset that it helping having someone there to talk to me.
“I’m so emotionally drained from it,” sophomore nursing major Raquel Khoury says.
Each experience is different for everyone, but the general process is basically the same. For a lot of people, even though it was a fun time, it was also incredibly tiring.
The entire process takes place over two weekends and four rounds. When I walked into the doors of the MU I had no idea what to expect. I got my schedule and the whole process was explained in a simple way to keep us from getting stressed out. I was glad that throughout each round, the number of houses we went to was gradually reduced because I didn't know how I was going to be able to talk to so many girls for so long.
Before the final round, a hard decision must be made to decide the top two chapters a potential new member (PNM) would like to visit. This scared me because I was worried about making the wrong choice and missing out on so many incredible women.
“I wanted to go with a place that I thought where people were genuinely relating to me, not just putting on a show for recruitment,” ASU graduate school alumnae, Emily Duarte, said about her recruitment process at Purdue University as an undergraduate student.
Each round is differently themed in order to inform the new girls of what each sorority has to offer. Round one is really just an introductory day and a short conversation with each house. Although this may seem short, combine that time with 12 sororities and your whole day is gone.
Round two is known as philanthropy day, which entails each sorority informing all of the potential new members about what kind of organization they work with. This day was really cool to personally to see all of the amazing things each sorority contributes to.
“I think you learn things from teamwork and getting along with a lot of variety of people and working together to do philanthropy projects and raise money for good causes,” Duarte says of her sorority.
Round three is sisterhood day and is typically the most favorite of the active members. This day was my absolute favorite. Many girls announced what characteristics made their sorority distinct and danced to upbeat music. This day was when I felt the most at home and comfortable.
Finally, round four is the final and most serious of all the rush events. This day is known as preference day, when a girl can have a maximum of two sororities to visit. This day is to deepen the connection between PNM and active member.
“I was pretty confident what was going to happen on bid day, but I’d never gone through that before, it’s definitely something new,” Duarte said.
The day after preference is called bid day. This is where each group of girls goes separately to receive their bid cards and run to their chosen sorority. Since this was the biggest rush class at ASU so far, there were so many girls waiting to find out their new home. The day is generally finished with group activities for the new members to bond and have fun.
Despite this extensive system, not everyone will be satisfied with what house they end up in, and some may not even receive a bid at all. I was someone who decided to drop out of recruitment after round three for a number of personal reasons. For others who have done the same thing, there may be a few options for them to join a chapter if they're interested.
There is one process called continuous open bidding (COB). This is where chapters that didn’t meet their quotas or girls dropped out, can meet girls who are still interested in joining a sorority in a less stressful way.
“It’s more informal than fall recruitment and basically you go on some sort of coffee date or date with the president and probably the VP of recruitment,” Rho Gamma Noel Hartey says, a junior studying business sustainability.
This option is appealing but is not available to everyone. Girls are only eligible for COB if they did not mark down their top two preferences and did not receive a bid. To me, this opportunity seems like a great way for anyone who still wants to be involved in Greek life.
“That’s an option for anybody who withdraws or isn’t happy with the outcome of recruitment,” Hartey tells me.
There is spring recruitment also, but not every sorority participates and there are not as many spaces available. This option is still less stressful than the bigger version of rush that happens in the fall.
Throughout the long process of formal recruitment, it is an opportunity for girls to get out of their comfort zones and meet new people. Going through it myself, I met so many amazing people that I instantly connected with and felt comfortable around. I do not regret going through the extensive process at all because it brought me closer to great people that I never would have met without recruitment.
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