By Mariah Nichols
For more than 200 hopeful women, the sorority recruitment process proves to be an exciting, emotional journey to find a new “home” at FSC. This year, the week long process will kickoff Sept. 16 but will differ greatly from recruitment weeks past. With some modifications, including the colonization of a new chapter, FSC’s Panhellenic Council expects a positive impact for both the houses and the potential new members.
“Sorority recruitment is different this year because there will be seven organizations during the first night,” Panhellenic President Puli Agudelo said. “Tri Delta will have a presentation, but remove themselves from the process after the first night.”
Another major change, according to Agudelo, will be to the structure of the event. This year, recruitment will start on a weekend. This accounts for the division of Values Night, the third round of recruitment, into two nights. Since this part of the process has usually taken the longest in the past, the new schedule will allow half of the potential new members to attend parties on either Tuesday, Sept. 20 or Wednesday, Sept. 21.
These changes will relieve some pressure for the women going through the process and allow the sorority women an opportunity to focus on academics during the week.
For potential new members, sorority recruitment is unfamiliar and girls typically do not know what to expect. Agudelo sympathises with the girls.
“To be honest, this is a stressful process because there is so much going on throughout the week, but it is worth every minute,” Agudelo said. “It is extremely fun and rewarding to get to meet women going through the process, as well as affiliated women.”
The sorority recruitment schedule ensures that the potential new members will visit each house on the first night. This night, deemed Spirit Night, allows the girls going through the recruitment process to meet women from each chapter to discuss campus involvement and participation in the chapter.
With Tri Delta sitting out for the remainder of the event, potential new members will participate in the second night of recruitment, Philanthropy Night. This evening, the ladies will learn about each organization’s philanthropy and their fundraising efforts for that philanthropy.
The third night, Value and Traditions Night, is the night that has been broken into two evenings this year. On this night, the girls will learn about the values of the organizations and about the sisterhoods unique to each house.
Preference Night is the final night of the recruitment process. On this evening, potential new members may visit a maximum of two houses. The hour long parties allow the sorority members to tell potential new members why they chose their house and why they feel that the potential new members is a good candidate to join their sisterhood.
Along with the fun, anticipation and nervous butterflies, participating in the sorority recruitment process involves keeping an open mind and not focusing on a single organization.
Agudelo warns that failing to consider all of the organizations could lead to disappointment at the end of the process. According to Agudelo, the voting system works as a mutual selection process to match potential new members with the sorority that will most closely represent the best fit for the individual and the organization. Agudelo recommends that potential new members keep themselves open to multiple options as a chapter could surprise them in the end.
Agudelo also points out that the process may induce stress and that relying on recruitment counselors is helpful.
“I would suggest the girls use their recruitment counselors throughout the process,” said Agudelo. “They’ve been trained to help with any questions and any situation, and they’ve willingly given up their letters to help other women find their own.”
To learn more about Sorority Recruitment at Florida Southern College go to their Facebook page at FSC Sorority Recruitment.
