One of my favorite aspects of the Furman experience has been participating in Greek life! I’ve been privileged over the past year to serve as Panhellenic President for Furman. Panhellenic is the overarching umbrella organization for sororities – so in essence, I currently oversee the sororities at Furman. It’s been an exciting year, with many changes and opportunities, and now one of the most exciting times of sorority life is just about here! I’m talking about Formal Recruitment!
We have about 265 women going through the Formal Recruitment process this January. These women have been sorted into 10 different groups, each of which is headed by two Panhellenic Counselors, or “Pi Chis” as we like to call them. Pi Chis are upperclassmen Greek women who lead the Potential New Members (PNMs) through the Formal Recruitment process. At this time, any woman signed up to participate in Formal Recruitment is known as a “PNM.”
Many women (sorority women and PNMs alike!) are nervous about Formal Recruitment. The good news is, the process at Furman is structured to be a ton of fun. The Pi Chis are always there to guide PNMs, and to answer any questions or see to any concerns the women may have. This system ensures that Formal Recruitment runs smoothly and that PNMs feel very comfortable during the process.
Our Formal Recruitment process is structured by four different “rounds” (days.) Each round gives PNMs and sorority women the opportunity to get to know each other. In order to do this, our campus practices something called “Values Based Recruitment.” This means that our chapters look for new members who share their values as an organization. Since it’s not always easy to have meaningful conversations right after meeting someone new, Panhellenic makes it easier by asking PNMs, Pi Chis, and sorority women to designate specific values for each round in advance (the PNMs do this in meetings with their Pi Chis.) The values for each round are helpfully determined by the theme of each round. Also, to make it easier to get “values based discussion” flowing, each PNMs, Pi Chi, and sorority woman has her values printed on her nametag. Sound complicated? Let me explain…
First round, called “Open House” (January 10, 2015) is all about getting to meet the women in each sorority. This round is simply about getting to know these women! The values for this round are intended to be “lighter” values – things that each woman loves and cares about, but not super heavy stuff just yet, because you are meeting many women for the first time. For example, my values for Open House are: macaroni and cheese, wearing blush, and sleeping in late. 🙂 These three values are written on my nametag for this round, so anyone I talk to can refer to it or ask me about it. They are things that I love (especially mac and cheese) and that make me unique, but they aren’t super personal.
Second round, called “Philanthropy” (January 11, 2015) is a chance for PNMs to learn about the different philanthropies supported by each chapter. Each woman is asked to list up to three philanthropies or service projects that she is passionate about or interested in. My philanthropies are: The Children’s Miracle Network (I did a lot of work fundraising for this organization when I worked as a Sales Associate at White House Black Market), Circle of Sisterhood (National Panhellenic Conference’s international philanthropy, promoting global women’s education), and Children with Hair Loss (my sister just participated in #cutpasslove and I am so proud of her!) They are super easy for me to talk about because I am passionate about each of them!
Third round, “Sisterhood” (January 17, 2015) is about showing PNMs the factors and friendships that make each chapter a strong and supportive sisterhood. The values for this round are more personal, because at this point in the process, women know each other quite well, and are looking to have deeper conversations. My values for Sisterhood are: Loyalty, Integrity, and Humility.
Fourth round, called “Preference Tea” (January 18, 2015) is the final round, and typically consists of serious conversation and a special chapter ceremony. Women do not list values for this round, because they have learned many different aspects of each chapter’s values by this point in the Recruitment process.
After each round, PNMs return to their Pi Chi groups to make selections and decisions about the organizations they see themselves best fitting into. The sororities go through a similar process. Since both PNMs and chapter make these decisions after each round, our process is known as a “mutual selection process.”
On Monday, January 19, our sorority community celebrates Bid Day, one of the most exciting days of the year for us! On Bid Day, PNMs meet individually with their Pi Chis to receive their bids and celebrate with their new member classes. There is a special Panhellenic Induction Ceremony and Pi Chi Ceremony in McAlister Auditorium for the entire sorority community, and then chapters have individual celebrations immediately following. I will always remember Bid Day as quite possibly the most special day of my Furman experience. I felt so loved and welcome and overjoyed to be a part of a wonderful sisterhood.
A few suggestions for women going through the process? Here are mine:
- Be yourself. Dress comfortably in your own style. Engage yourself in conversation that is interesting and valuable to you. It is so important for each woman to find the organization that is best for her, and the way to do that effectively is to be sincere.
- Talk to your Pi Chis about your experience, not your friends! Recruitment is a different experience for everyone, and many of your friends may have opinions and interests that differ significantly from yours. Don’t allow your friends to persuade you to join a particular organization – do what is best for you! Your Pi Chis have been trained to offer unbiased perspective if you need guidance.
- Take advantage of the opportunity to meet all kinds of women from many different organizations. Although you are only able to join one chapter, you will have friends from a variety (hopefully all!) of sororities on campus. This is what Panhellenic is all about – facilitating friendships among Greek women, regardless of chapter affiliation.
- Enjoy the experience! Don’t sweat the small stuff 🙂 Enjoy meeting new friends, enjoy relaxing before the semester starts, and enjoy being the darlings of Recruitment. The sorority women are excited to get to know YOU – they have been preparing for Recruitment for a long time and want you to have the best possible time!
Sending you lots of Panhellenic love! Greek women are GREAT, and Formal Recruitment will show you why! I will be there during every step of the way, and I can’t wait for all of my beautiful PNMs to experience my favorite time of the year!
The Former Panhellenic President (Kellie) and I right after I was inducted! 🙂