Next week, the five-day sorority recruitment process starts on Wednesday at 7 p.m. with convocation, which is an informational meeting about recruitment. Each night, sororities put on events that are geared toward specific parts of sororities.
The first night is open house, which Abby Gordon, marketing senior and Panhellenic president, said is the most informal of all the nights. During open house every potential new member meets every sorority. Gordon said this event is a meet and greet and the shortest of all the nights.
The second night focuses on each sorority’s philanthropy. During this night events are geared to show off their sorority’s philanthropy, which each sorority’s national organizations chooses. Again, during this night all potential new members attend.
After each night potential new members rank every sorority, but it is not until the end of the second night that the ranks start to count. Following philanthropy night, potential new members’ ranks are paired with the sororities’ ranks of potential new members.
Through this preferential bidding system potential new members are then assigned to what events they can attend for the third night, which is focused on sisterhood as each sorority performs a skit showing what it means to be a sister in that sorority.
Preference is the fourth night. Following the bidding system, potential new members only attend up to two events of the night. At these events the sorority shows a part of their ritual.
Lauren Navarro, mass communication and political science senior, vice-president of Panhellenic recruitment and Maroon life and times editor, said that this night is usually the deciding factor for which sorority potential new members are placed in.
The final day is bid day where potential new members receive a bid from the sorority that has chosen them.
Panhellenic Council runs recruitment with the help of recruitment counselors called Pi Chis, who are members of Loyola’s sororities with their affiliation kept a secret to have recruitment run with unbiased opinions.
“We don’t want anyone to feel pressured to go to a certain sorority,” Gordon said.
Students interested in recruitment have all the way until convocation to pay the $35 fee and sign up. Last year 97 students went through recruitment but Gordon is hoping for more.
“We are hoping for 140 people this year due to the high freshmen class,” said Gordon.
Recruitment representatives from each sorority agree that when going through recruitment potential new members should keep an open mind.
“Potential new members should put aside what they think a sorority is,” said music industry studies junior Blaire Butcher, Theta Phi Alpha’s representative.
Gamma Phi Beta representative Kaitlin Christopherson, mass communication sophomore, said she believes potential new members should keep in mind that this could be your family for the next four years.
“Make a decision for yourself and not for what your friends are doing,” said Alpha Chi Omega representative Lauren Denault, marketing senior,
Gordon said of those who are unsure about going through recruitment, “Do it, it’s a great way to meet people.”
John Adams can be reached at
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