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The Rho Gamma led a small group of women across the lawn, toward the next house. Her aim was to match Alpha with Alpha, Omega with Omega. The front door opened, and the women were ushered inside by an assembly of smiling Kappas.

No, this is not a scene from Huxley’s Brave New World – this weekend marked the beginning of formal recruitment for the University’s Panhellenic sororities.

Katie Fischer, a freshman, spent her weekend touring sorority houses with a group of recruits under the charge of a Rho Gamma – a member of an unspecified sorority.

Members of each sorority gave new recruits tours of their houses, answered questions and learned about their prospective sisters.

“You can tell if you’re going to connect with the girls or not,” Fischer said. “You can get a feel right when you walk into the house. They’re all really friendly, and they welcome you in. It’s really nice. They’re very enthusiastic and they’re full of energy.”

Fischer decided to join a sorority after she moved into her residence hall and discovered the women on her floor were not very outgoing.

“A lot of the girls in this dorm are very quiet, they don’t come out of their rooms, they keep their doors shut and I’m the exact opposite,” she said. “It’s really hard to get to know the girls in this dorm, so I figured it would be a good way to get involved.”

Saturday evening, after two days of tours, recruits made lists of their top seven sororities. At the same time, sororities decided which women to invite back to their houses.

According to Junior Becky Sponseller, vice president of recruitment for Alpha Gamma Delta, sororities look for well-rounded women to recruit.

“Basically, if she’s involved and she’s got a good GPA and she’s nice and we think she fits in, then potentially she could get a bid,” she said.

Financial ability to join a sorority also factors into the equation, Sponseller added.

“We look at financially, if they’re able to fulfill their obligations to the chapter, because they do have to do that,” she said.

Yesterday, the Greek hopefuls were handed lists of the sororities that would welcome them back, for a chance to visit the houses alone and further acquaint themselves with members.

“It’s more personal,” Fischer said. “They try to get a feel for who you are and everything.”

Fischer and other recruits will attend formal preference parties next Saturday at their favorite sororities that offer return invitations. Finally, Sunday is Bid Day, when recruits will choose their top sorority, officially becoming pledges for their respective groups.

But not everyone will get a bid from a sorority. This, according to Fischer is a major worry for most recruits.

“Not everyone gets a bid back into the sororities,” she said. “That would be awful, to go through this whole thing, and it comes Bid Day, and you don’t get a bid. That’s what most of the girls are worried about.”

Only the Panhellenic sororities on campus use a formal recruitment process with bidding to bring in new members. The Greek Independent Board (GIB) and National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) sororities have informal methods of recruitment.

Sarah Flores, a junior who recently became a member of GIB sorority Sigma Lambda Gamma, said she became friends with members of the sorority and just decided to join.

“I never wanted to be in a sorority,” Flores said. “I didn’t know much about rush. I didn’t feel like I fit in.”

But when she met members of the Latino-based multicultural sorority, she felt at home, and it wasn’t difficult to join.

According to Senior Janelle Oliger, Vice President of Program Development, a women interested in Sigma Lambda Gamma must have a minimum GPA of 2.75 and have more than one semester left in her college career. With these requirements as well as a serious interest in the sorority, the prospective member will most likely be admitted, she said.

For Zeta Phi Beta, a primarily African American NPHC sorority, informal recruitment begins with various sorority programs that are held throughout the year, according to Vice President Sharion Riley. When potential members attend these events, they get to know sorority members. A process of voting, which is overseen by the graduate sorority Zeta Xi Zeta at the University of Toledo, helps the sorority decide which students to admit.

Although Zeta Phi Beta is primarily made up of African Americans, all races are welcome, according to Riley.

“It’s open to any culture, race … any ethnic background,” Riley said, adding that the sorority has had members from different races in the past. “When we were first established, we were geared for African Americans, because we weren’t allowed to get into the other sororities. We were geared toward African Americans, but we are open to everyone.”

While the precise procedure for admitting new members is confidential, Riley said the sorority looks for well-rounded women with high academic standards, motivation to be involved on campus and modest personalities.

Although many freshmen women are trying to get into sororities as early as possible, others need more time to research their different options.

Freshman Alicia Gilbert, whose mother and other relatives were members of African American sororities, is not sure if she wants to continue this tradition.

“I feel like just because I am black, doesn’t mean I have to be in a black sorority,” Gilbert said. “I have to look into every sorority to make sure once I pledge I will be happy with that sorority.”

Another concern Gilbert has is the possibility of hazing, because her cousin from another university ended up in the hospital as a result of his fraternity’s initiation.

However, according to Sponseller, Riley and Oliger, hazing is not allowed in their sororities.

“You see that more with fraternities, I think, than you do with sororities,” Sponseller said. “I know that there have been a lot of hazing problems – some with our chapter, some with other chapters, but we just don’t haze at all. We treat our new members with respect. We treat them as our sisters.”

Many women find that for one reason or another, sorority life is not right for them.

Freshman Lyndsey Reese doesn’t want to face mandatory sorority events.

“I don’t like having my days planned out for me all the time,” Reese said. “They have to do all this stuff to rush to get into the sorority, and then they have to do a bunch of stuff when they’re there. I like to be able to change my mind.”

Others do not join because of the mandatory fee payments.

Stephanie Keen, a sophomore, is paying her own way through college.

“I don’t want to have to spend any extra money on anything else that I don’t have to,” she said. “A sorority is just one of those things that I don’t have to spend money on.”

But for the woman who finds her niche in a sorority, the benefits can last for a lifetime.

“I want to experience the sisterhood,” Gilbert said. “Once you’re in a sorority, you just have a sisterly unity that’s just there no matter what.”

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