September marked the first full month of the new school year, but it also signified the beginning of another thing – sorority recruitment.
For three weeks, Bradley girls from all different walks of life participated in recruitment, the process a girl goes through to join a campus sorority.
“Sorority recruitment went very well this year,” said Associate Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Ben Williams. “Each of the rounds went very smoothly. We anticipated a smooth process. It was reflective of the previous years.”
Panhellenic Director of Recruitment Jade Peters said more than 200 girls joined a house.
“We had 384 sign up, and 221 go through, and that’s pretty typical,” she said. “The economy is a very large factor, because with the dues for going into a sorority, the price was hard.”
This year there was a weekend break between rounds for recruitment, but Peters said she didn’t think it caused any issues.
“I don’t think it really hurt the process, nor did it help,” she said. “It was just there. We did have that fall festival in between that we encouraged a lot of girls going through recruitment to attend and help out with.
“I wouldn’t say it helped us out a lot. It was there because we needed Labor Day weekend off, because between the two weekends of recruitment, it’s really stressful. This way, those going home for Rosh Hashanah didn’t feel like they had to stay. It was just a weekend off for people to take the opportunity to go home.”
Some girls said they enjoyed recruitment, regardless of the break.
“It was really stressful but lots of fun at the same time,” said freshman AEP major and new member of Sigma Kappa Camille Ivy-O’Donnell. “I think it went very well. I met a lot of wonderful people. After rush I came back to 30 friend requests on Facebook.”
Ivy-O’Donnell was not the only one who said she enjoyed recruitment.
“I’ve always planned on joining a sorority,” said freshman dietetics major Elle Wittneben. “It’s a good way to get involved on campus. I liked meeting lots of girls, making new friends and making connections. I got a lot of good advice.”
Wittneben, a new member of Gamma Phi Beta, said she gained a lot from the recruitment experience.
“After going through recruitment, my favorite thing to do is be myself,” Wittneben said. “No matter what house you choose, nobody judges. The house wants you for who you are. I’ve gained a whole new level of support. I’m really glad I did it. I love where I am now.”
Peters said the sororities are happy with their results.
“It just ran very smoothly and very comfortably,” she said. “The chapters that each girl chose felt that it was a perfect fit for them, and the houses felt the same way.”
