Greek Week: A Look At Greek Life On Campus
Now that both women’s and men’s recruitment have happened, I think now is a good time to explain the process to those who have not gone through it before. For some of you, the only ideas you have about recruitment — or “rush” as it is referred to colloquially — are from movies and #BamaRushTok. I have to tell you that it’s a bit different from that at Centenary. Don’t get me wrong; there are definitely still the quintessential frat bros at our school and some girls who fit the traditional idea of a sorority girl, but there are also some big differences. The biggest being that we are not a party school with 30,000 students that has recruitment week happen before classes start because it is that intense. We are a liberal arts school with around 600 students and for those going through recruitment, the commitment is about 2 hours a night for three nights, and if you pick up a bid, a full Saturday. Not as much going on there, so school can happen at the same time.
Women’s recruitment this year started on August 30th, a regular Tuesday night to most, but to us Panhellenic sisters, it was Philanthropy Night! This is the first of three nights that PNMs (potential new members) attend so they can meet the girls from each sorority and learn more about what their chapter’s philanthropy is. The other two nights are known as Sisterhood Night and Preference Night. Both include more conversations with members and PNMs about themselves and the chapter. At the end of Preference Night, the PNMs choose which house they want to be a part of, and Bid Day is that Saturday where the decisions are celebrated with new sisters!
Men’s recruitment is slightly different, and their first night of recruitment started Tuesday September 6th with House Reveal. This involves the PNMs going to each of the fraternity houses to see where they might be spending a lot of time at for the rest of their Centenary career. After House Reveal, the PNMs choose which houses they want to go to “Pref Parties” for. This is what the other two nights of men’s recruitment are. The pref parties are more opportunity to bond with your potential brothers and will help you make your final decision. For men, that decision is made on Bid Day itself, and after you choose your new brotherhood, the celebrations start.
Okay now that I’ve bored you with those logistics, I have some comments from current Greek life members! Kappa Alpha member Colt Hamilton talked about his recruitment experience saying, “Rush week at Centenary is probably one of the most nerve wracking, yet one of the most exciting weeks you will have on campus. Once you rush that given fraternity, the guys in there will become people you will have in your life for a lifetime.” On choosing the right house for you, Kappa Sigma member Stan Melton said, “I enjoyed meeting all of the Greek men on campus and finding which house was right for me. In the end, I chose my house because it was where I felt the strongest connections to the brotherhood, philanthropy, and standards they hold themselves to!” I previously mentioned how Greek life at Centenary is not always like the mainstream ideas you might have in your head. To touch on this difference is Carson Alvarez, the current Tau Kapp Epsilon president. He said, “I had no idea how much of an impact joining Greek life would have on me when I came to Centenary, but now I’m glad to say it is one of the most important things in my life. It has taught me to be a true leader, and I’m so thankful for the experiences I’ve gained through TKE, and they’ll stay with me for the rest of my life.” If you’re considering going through men’s recruitment in the future, any of these Greek men would be a good person to go to and ask further questions.
As for women’s recruitment, the current Chi Omega New Member Educator, Savannah Weatherford, said, “I decided to go through recruitment because I wanted to push myself out of my shell. I love that my Chi Omega sisters are always there for me through my lowest and my highest.” Shelby Roy is Zeta Tau Alpha’s current Vice President of Membership and she spoke to me about recruitment saying, “Finding PNMs across campus that embody our nine key values is so breathtaking, especially when you are in charge like I was this semester. It is eye opening to see how much passion is found in the heart of Greek life and how it has affected each sister’s life.” Greek life may not be for everyone, but it is for these people and many more! I hope after reading this, you know what’s up with recruitment week when it happens again, and join in if you want to!
