By Isabella Darcy
Staff Writer
Panhellenic formal recruitment was in person for the first time since 2020 after two years of Covid-19-related restrictions that pushed recruitment online. Recruitment took place Feb. 3-4 and last Friday and Saturday, ending with Bid Day on Sunday.
Recruitment returned to how it was before the pandemic — at the same locations and the same schedule. Many aspects of the recruitment process that were shelved or altered during the online recruitment period have been reinstated, to the liking of many active members.
“From talking with members of the sororities over the past two years and now, after just one weekend of recruitment, there is a large preference for in-person recruitment,” said sophomore special education and psychology major Melissa LaPointe, vice president II of recruitment for Panhellenic. “Students feel they are able to interact better with each other in person than they were able to do virtually.”
There are many active members in Greek organizations who experienced their first in-person formal recruitment this year alongside potential new members, but there were fewer students who participated during the two years of online recruitment, possibly due to the virtual setting.
“Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have done recruitment if it were online, because it was already so bad online with classes, so trying to find, like they say, your ‘home’ and ‘friends for life,’ I feel like you wouldn’t be able to do that through a screen,” said freshman biology major and potential new member Chloe Jones.
Online recruitment included the same four rounds that are included during in-person recruitment, but they could not operate to their full extent through the screen.
In order from first to last, the rounds are round robin, philanthropy, meet the sisters and preference ceremony. These rounds are where potential new members and active members get acquainted with each other through conversation and different activities.
“We did a round where we all stood in a circle in the middle and the girls in the organization stood on the outside, and you would get asked a question, and I feel like that would be really hard to do online,” Jones said. “It changes the atmosphere because you’re not just sitting there talking to someone, and I feel like it makes it more fun.”
Being in-person also fosters an environment with stronger communication and connections, compared to a virtual environment where distractions are often present.
“While in person, there are less distractions when they are talking with the sorority members as they do not bring their phones or anything into the room,” LaPointe said. “Students feel they are able to interact better with each other in person than they were able to do virtually. Potential new members are able to meet many different sisters in person and see how the sisters interact with each other.”
Meeting new people is why some students decided to participate in Panhellenic recruitment.
“I decided to rush to get out of my shell, meet some new people and do some service,” said freshman mathematics secondary education major and potential new member Breanna Vinella.
Each of the eight Panhellenic organizations at the College participate in service and fundraising. Each organization has a philanthropy to which active members must contribute.
During recruitment, potential new members learn about the different philanthropies that organizations focus their service and fundraising towards.
Learning about different philanthropies can help potential new members figure out which one would suit them best.
“Being in person has also allowed our organizations to choose to do an activity during our philanthropy round of recruitment, where the sororities are able to share their passion for their philanthropy,” LaPointe said.
Potential new members must meet with and learn about the values of organizations so that they can effectively participate in the mutual selection process, where chapters and potential new members choose each other.
“There are definitely long days, but it’s good to talk to people in person. You can find people to be friends with, so I think it’s fun,” Jones said.
After the rounds ended, some potential new members received their invitations, known as bids, to join a sorority, in which they will spend time and work with the active members that they met during recruitment.
“Recruitment has been a lot of fun,” Vinella said. “It is very stressful because of the uncertainties, so I think I’m stronger from it, but my group is really nice, and I’m definitely excited and happy that I did it.”
