What is Rush/recruitment?
1.
A period of time when fraternities and sororities promote their organizations and solicit potential new members to apply for membership.
There are several types of sorority Rush, a.k.a. Recruitment. Twenty six sororities are members of the National Panhellenic Council, and follow policies set forth by the NPC and their respective school and chapters.
Formal recruitment, which is characterized by a series of planned, timed parties leading up to finding out which (if any) sorority has invited you to join.
In the first round, you spend a short amount of time with each group, and learn more about each group. A Rho Gamma (Recruitment Guide) is a member of a non-disclosed sorority, and is your guide through the process. She leads small groups through each step of the process and is your go-to for all questions.
The second round is usually a house tour (if houses exist on your campus) of each group.
The third event is Pref night, where you select which group(s) you wish to join, and may be exposed to some organized presentation by each sorority.
The final event is BID DAY, where potential new members find out which sorority (if any) that you have preffed has selected you to join. If there is a match (a.k.a. mutual selection), a bid is extended, which you must sign. You are then taken to the house or chapter room. If you do not get a bid, you have not been selected to join a sorority at that time.
COB is short for Continuous Open Bidding. This occurs if a sorority does not meet quota (more about that later) and has a certain number of openings for new members. Events are less formal, more personable.
Didn't get a Bid?
There are many reasons why you may or may not have been selected for any or all sororities, specific to each individual chapter/national organization.
High school and community involvement, leadership positions and potential, GPA, affiliations, current grade level at college, number of openings per grade level, ability to afford the costs of membership (information which is available to you during rush) and even your hometown/state are objective indicators that can work in your favor. Many sororities score their target potential new members based on points in their own pre-determined objective information.
Subjective information, such as communication skills, physical presentation of oneself, ettiquette, interpersonal skills, and ability to perform in a new/unknown situation, are all areas on which a potential new member are judged. It is expected to be nervous, but your ability to remain calm is paramount.
Rehearse answers to questions such as "what did you like most in high school", "who is your best friend and why", "if someone gave you incorrect change in your favor, what would you do", "what did you want to be when you grew up, as a child, and is that the same thing you want to do now", "what other orgnizations to you belong to", why do you want to join our group".
HINT: Google is the best place to find out a sorority's preferred philanthropy, ideals, and famous alums. Look at their online newsletters and see what successful sisters and chapters are doing.
Find a way to relate your own experiences to those of the sorority - BUT DO NOT say things like "I read online that you like to do XYZ and I always wanted to do XYZ". A more appropriate statement would be "Your national website states that your charity is XYZ. I know someone/worked with/have read about/ this charity and enjoy a chance to further develop a relationship with them".
Ask them a lot of questions, and take your cues from the sisters. They may ask questions to trip you up. NEVER talk about drinking, drugs, smoking, sex, parties, boys, relationships, gossip, other chapters, or rumours you have heard.
Panhellenic Rush/Recruitment
Spring 1999
Panhellenic Recruitment will take place Month/date/year/time
This is a great time to meet other students as you go through the weekend and learn about each of the three national panhellenic sororities.
RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE
Month/date/year/time
- INFORMATION NIGHT
Month/date/year/time
- HOUSE TOUR NIGHT
Month/date/year/time
- PREFERENCE CARD DAY/
6:00 - 9:00 PM PREFERENCE CARD NIGHT
FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 4:30 PMBID DAY
See
