Greek Life has a huge presence on the University of Georgia campus, and sorority recruitment week is one of the times that shows just how prominent that presence is.
Panhellenic sorority recruitment, colloquially known as “rush,” is a staple of the beginning of the academic year, even if you aren’t a member of Greek life. The Tate Student Center and Milledge Avenue experience days filled to the brim with women dressed to the nines, all hoping to find a spot in one of UGA’s 20 Panhellenic sororities. The week culminates with Bid Day, when each house is decorated for a party to welcome home recruits who will go on to be initiated at a later date.
Gamma Chis
While the majority of sorority members play a role in the recruitment process, a select few play a special part. Gamma Chis are active sorority members who temporarily disaffiliate from their chapters to guide potential new members through the recruitment process. Each Gamma Chi has a group of PNMs they work with, act as a resource for and provide logistical support to, according to an email from the Panhellenic Executive Board.
The recruitment process
For PNMS who wanted to participate in rush, the process began as early as May, when registration opened. Registration closed in July, and round one began before PNMs have even set foot on campus.
Each round is designed to highlight a certain facet of sorority life such as philanthropy, service, sisterhood and campus and community involvement. Each round features conversations between PNMs and current sorority members, allowing members and chapters to learn about each other on a deeper level as the rounds progress, the Panhellenic Executive Board said.
During round one, PNMs watched videos from each sorority, explaining who they are, what their philanthropy is and other introductory information. PNMs also had to submit a short video of themselves, where they introduced themselves to the chapters.
Round one used to be completed in person, like the rest of recruitment, but the COVID-19 pandemic brought the switch to virtual introductions.
PNMs living on campus — which is typically the majority since most women rush as freshmen — are required to move into their dorms on the first day of move-in, which is on Aug. 9 this year. That night, they attend rush orientation at Tate Student Center, which serves as rush headquarters throughout the process.
Round two will take place from Aug. 10-11. This will be the first time chapters and PNMs meet in person. PNMs will visit chapter houses and converse with initiated members to get to know each other better beyond the videos from round one.
Round three, house tours, is from Aug. 12-13. During this round, PNMs get to see more of the houses of chapters they are interested in. Additionally, this round is longer than round two, allowing for longer conversations between PNMs and initiated members.
After round three, PNMs will take a break from rush during the first three days of classes. Then, on Aug. 17, PNMs will attend the final round: Preference Round, also known as Pref. Typically, PNMs only visit two chapters during this round. This round is the longest, with the intention of having the deepest conversations.
Finally, on Aug. 18, comes the day all of the PNMs and all of the established sorority members are waiting for: Bid Day.
Mutual Selection
Panhellenic uses a mutual selection process throughout recruitment to narrow down the chapters a PNM may join. At the end of each round, PNMs submit a list of the chapters they would most like to visit again during the next round, ranked in order from the ones they are most to least interested in.
Similarly, chapters list which PNMs they would like to see again. Both parties can submit a limited number of who they are interested in. This process gives both PNMs and chapters agency in the outcome of the recruitment process, the Panhellenic Executive Council said.
Bid Day
Bid Day is when sororities give PNMs a bid, essentially an invitation to join. PNMs fill the Tate Grand Hall to open their envelopes and see which chapter they are going to call home for the next four years.
Each chapter picks a Bid Day theme to celebrate the occasion. They decorate their houses, sport theme-fitting outfits and have fun activities for the news recruits to enjoy.
Continuous Open Bidding
Bid Day also marks the beginning of Panhellenic’s other, less-formal recruitment process, Continuous Open Bidding, or COB. COB occurs throughout the academic year and is conducted by individual chapters, rather than the entire Panhellenic Council.
Chapters can reach out to PNMs who have expressed interest in joining a chapter. During COB, chapters can extend bids to PNMs at any time, according to the Panhellenic Executive Board.
