New recruits rush in
Published Aug. 21, 2007
Approximately 1,160 women strived to become a member of one of 13 MU sororities during recruitment last week.
The number of women who participated in recruitment was the largest number of potential members in five years, said Julia Hornaday, the public relations officer of the Panhellenic Association.
Each chapter made its quota of 69 new members and some exceeded that number. This is only the second time in the history of MU that each chapter met their quota.
The record-breaking week began on Aug. 13, when freshman Kelsey Mirando woke up at 5:30 a.m. to get ready for the first day of the week-long recruitment process. Monday was "Open House Day."
The women were placed into one of 16 groups with each being led by Pi Chis, women who chose to disaffiliate from their chapters to guide and counsel recruits through the week.
The potential members, all dressed in periwinkle and gold MU t-shirts, visited all 13 chapters. The groups lined up in front of each house. Each chapter's active members came out onto the lawn to chant their chapter's chant, then each potential member was paired with an active member at each house. Freshman Lauren Jenkins said they discussed majors and hometowns.
Their first day ended at 8 p.m., when each woman went to the General Classroom Building to "preference" the nine houses they liked most. Preferencing is a computerized process where each potential member ranks the sororities she liked the most. Sororities also preference the women they think will fit best into their chapter.
Tuesday morning the women found out which houses had invited them back, and got started on that day's theme of "Sisterhood."
Each chapter got a little more personal for many of the potential members on Tuesday. The women visited a maximum of nine houses, each for 40 minutes. Each chapter performed a skit, and the women were given an opportunity to get to know each chapter's personality while active members tried to get to know each woman.
"It was neat to be able to see during the skits how the members really react (to) each other," freshman Courtney Champagne said.
At the end of the second day, the potential members ranked their five favorites to visit for the next day.
Wednesday was themed "Philanthropy Day," as the active members explained their chapter's philanthropies.
"Every day you get a better and better idea of what house would be right for you," Champagne said.
The ranking was whittled down to only three preferences before moving into Thursday: "Preference Day."
The women wore dresses to what was, for some, the most emotional day. All potential members were paired up with women already in each of the three houses they preferenced to have longer conversations with them. The chapter's active members spoke of traditions in the house and gave speeches of what the chapters mean to them.
Women who visited the Alpha Chi Omega sorority that day received a rose, Jenkins said.
Some houses acted somber, while others kept it a little more light-hearted.
"A lot of people cry," Jenkins said. "You see a whole other side to the house."
The potential members ended their evening by preferencing their final choices.
Previously, chapters would preference each potential member before the women would preference the chapters, but this year the women were asked to make their preferences at the same time as the chapters, Hornaday said.
Champagne said it was the most stressful night of the week. She took an hour and a half to finally choose which house to preference as her top choice, since she felt so strongly about each house. Mirando said a friend of hers had recommended that she think about what house you want to call your mom and tell her about.
After entering their choices, the women waited until that Friday afternoon to find out which, if any, of the sororities would offer them a bid.
Emotions and nerves came to a climax, the women said, on the final day: "Bid Day."
Each woman lined up with their recruitment group, and their Pi Chi placed an unmarked envelope in each of the potential members' hands, held behind their back.
As the countdown ended, so did all the anticipation as each woman ripped open the seal, which revealed their future at MU.
"You scream out of reflex," Mirando said. She was offered a bid from the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She knew that was where she wanted to be even days earlier. Each woman ran to where their sorority was grouped while screams of welcome echoed in Francis Quadrangle.
Each house also gave its new members gifts, such as tote bags, window stickers and pictures frames branded with the sorority's Greek letters. The Kappa Alpha Theta sorority gave its new members "Theta Mix": peanuts, M & M's and candy corn.
Champagne received a messenger bag with her new Alpha Delta Pi letters.
Jenkins, a new Alpha Chi Omega member, was welcomed back to her residence hall room with a paper decoration on her door.
Mirando, Champagne and Jenkins all agreed that it was a life-changing experience.
"I think it went absolutely fantastic," Hornaday added.