HawkTalk
Ally DeForge Ask a Wag Greek Life & Clubs On campus

So You Wanna Go Greek Next Semester?

“Can you imagine me...in a sorority?! Yea right!”

This was me for a most of my life. I swore that greek life wasn’t for me. I didn’t think I would get along with so many girls and I didn't think I had the time to commit to greek life activities and events. However, going greek has been one of the best decisions of my life!

Going through recruitment was definitely nerve racking though, so I thought I would share some of the inside scoop and hopefully encourage some of you to participate.

There are four amazing sororities here on Wagner’s campus and formal recruitment is a week long process in the Spring where you interact with and meet all the organizations and their members. It consists of four nights of different events and the week ends with sororities officially asking girls to join their sisterhood. It is such a fun week and you get to meet some seriously awesome women.

First let me break down some of the confusing jargon of recruitment!

Rho Gamma - Someone who travels around with you and a group of girls for the week. She is there to answer all your questions, concerns, and make sure you're feeling confident and happy. She is a member of an organization on campus but she stays unbiased and doesn't tell you which sorority she belongs to. They like to say that they “give up their letters to help you find yours." 

Ranking - When you privately talk to your Rho Gamma and rank the sororities based on which ones you feel you get along with best and can see yourself being a part of. You rank three different nights during recruitment but I’ll explain that a little later.

Bid - An official invitation from a sorority to join their sisterhood! It is presented to you on bid day and you can choose to accept the bid and join that sorority or decline it and go through recruitment again the next year.

PNM - This just stands for potential new members. I heard this get thrown around a lot during my week and it look me about two full nights to realize what they meant. Oops!

Let's get into the fun stuff - the schedule for the week!

The first night is round robins. You go to all four sororities’ lounges for 25 minutes and you get to talk to their sisters. You get the first glimpse at what each organization is like and what their sisterhood entails. This was such a fun night for me! There's so much excited energy all around and all the girls are so excited to be meeting you. You do not have to do any ranking this night.

The second night is another night of round robins. This night’s theme is philanthropy! You go to all four organizations for 25 minutes again and you get to learn about their philanthropy. This was my favorite night by far, it is amazing to learn about all the amazing things that each organization does and the ways they use their sisterhood to help others. Wagner sororities do some seriously awesome things so I totally recommend going through recruitment to learn all about it! When the night ends, you go to your Rho Gamma and you rank one organization to “drop," which means you won't visit them again the next night and stop considering them as an option as an organization you want to join.

The third night you can visit up to three sororities. You have to get invited back, and the sororities invite the girls they see as a possible new member into their sisterhood. Don't stress, though! The girls really do want to get to know you so just be your awesome self. This night is called theme night and each organization decorates their lounge and dresses to represent their recruitment theme. This night is filled with lots of laughs and fun because you're starting to get to know the girls and they are getting to know you. You have to rank again this night and you “drop” one more sorority that you don't think will be your home.

Finally, the last night is called preference night. You can visit up to two sororities this night, depending on which organizations invite you back. This night is more formal and serious, and it is the final night to help you make your decision about where you want to “go home to." These are longer nights - you stay at each lounge for an hour and you get to learn the real ins and outs of each organizations sisterhood. After this night ends, you go back to your Rho Gamma to rank one more time. You put which organization you feel most at home at first and then the other organization. These are the two organizations from which you might receive a bid. 

FINALLY! Bid day.

The most amazing day ever! This is the day where are you presented a bid and if you choose to accept it, you get to “run home” or join your sorority. It takes place in Union and the whole day is incredible.

Also, starting recruitment doesn't mean you have to join a sorority. If during week you find it just isn’t for you, you can stop the process.

So take it from me, someone who never wanted to join a sorority. Going through recruitment week is fun, exciting, and something everyone should consider. I think it is one of the best things I have ever done and am so thankful for the sisterhood I found and all the amazing other girls from different organizations I met. If you are nervous about anything I recommend talking to girls on campus who have gone through it. I bet they'd love to help.