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Sorority Membership RecruitmentThe Process to Become a Sister and Join Greek Life on College Campus
Each fall, thousands of women eagerly anticipate joining a sorority at their college or university. Learn about this process formerly known as Rush and what it involves.
College women wishing to join a sorority go through Membership Recruitment. Previously known as Rush, this is the time when Potential New Members (PNM) visit sorority houses and go through a process of mutual selection. The Potential New Members are searching for the sorority that they can call home and the sorority women are looking for women who will enrich their sisterhood. Membership RecruitmentThe vast majority of colleges and universities hold Membership Recruitment in the fall. During this time, all Potential New Members visit all of the sororities which are a part of the National Panhellenic Conference. Although the format may vary slightly from campus to campus, there are generally four rounds during Recruitment built around the following themes. Open HousesThe first round is Open Houses. This is an informal opportunity to meet women from all of the sororities on campus. Each PNM visits every sorority house. This first round can sometimes take two days if there are a large number of sororities on the campus. At the end of the round, the PNM selects a certain number of sororities she would like to visit again. The sororities also select the PNMs they would like to visit their home again. The Panhellenic Council (Panhel) brings all of the information together and generates a list of invitations for each PNM for the next round. SkitsThe second round is Skits. Each sorority prepares a skit that tells the PNMs more about their chapter and sorority life. The skits are usually lots of fun so this round is generally pretty relaxed. After the PNMs visit all of the sororities to which they were invited back, they narrow down their list again to their favorite ones. The sororities also narrow down their list of their favorite PMNs. Panhel once again tabulates the information and generates the invitation lists for the next round. PhilanthropyThe third round is Philanthropy. Each sorority has a national philanthropy in which they actively participate. During this round, PNMs spend time doing something that is related to the sorority’s philanthropy. It usually involves crafts or making something and is a casual activity. It is also a great time to get to know more of the sisters in each house while talking informally. After visiting all of the sororities they were invited to in the third round, the PNMs rank their favorites again, narrowing it down to just two or three choices (depending on the campus). The sororities make their choices as to who they wish to invite to the last round. PreferenceThe fourth round is Preference. This is a more formal and ceremonial round and everyone will be dressed up. By this time the PNMs are generally quite serious about the sororities they are visiting and the sororities are excited about the PNMs who are coming to Preference. This round usually involves a ritual-like ceremony that speaks more meaningfully about the sorority, sisterhood, and the sorority’s symbols. After attending all of the Preference parties, the PNMs and sororities once again must make their decisions. The mutual selection process ends when Panhel matches the PNMs and sororities according to the lists provided by each. Bid DayThe last part of Membership Recruitment is Bid Day. This is the day PNMs and the sororities find out who was selected to each sorority. The PNMs all gather in one location and receive an envelope with the name of the sorority to which they were matched. The women open their envelopes and then are dismissed to find their new sisters! You might also find thes articles of mine helpful! Preparing for Sorority Recruitment
The copyright of the article Sorority Membership Recruitment in Campus Activities is owned by Sallie Schaaf Borrink. Permission to republish Sorority Membership Recruitment in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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