Recruitment- Recommendations and Reminders

Are you counting down the days until Recruitment? We sure are! We can't wait to meet all of the women who have registered for Fall Formal Recruitment. If you haven't already registered, visit kupanhellenic.org.

Recruitment is a truly unique experience. We want to share some tips and advice so that you can have the best experience possible!

Lauren Edwards, the Assistant Director of Recruitment, shares her thoughts about Fall Formal Recruitment.

Advice: Keep an open mind!  The chapter I am in was not the chapter I thought I would be in at the beginning of the process. Immediately after receiving my bid, I became very close with the women in my pledge class and the upperclassmen welcomed me with open arms.  I cannot imagine being in any other chapter!  Even if it is not your first choice, give it a chance and I promise that you will love it!

Experiences:  I knew that because I was from Colorado, KU would provide me the opportunity to meet a lot of new people.  I never could have imagined forming the relationships I have with the women in my chapter.  It is so cheesy (and cliche) but these are the women who are my best friends, who I always can rely on, and always have fun with.  I have so many great memories from college so far, and there is not one where my sisters are not present. 

Memories:  My favorite recruitment memory was walking on campus my first week of class.  Women who I had met throughout recruitment week would see me on campus and wave.  It made me feel like I was part of something and not a lost freshman on campus.  Even though we were not in the same chapter, it was nice to know that I had friends in the Greek community.  

553 Women Join Panhellenic Sororities

After a long weekend of conversation and tough decisions, 553 women completed the formal recruitment process and found their home away from home in a Panhellenic chapter.

Starting Friday, August 19, sororities welcomed unaffiliated women into their homes and encouraged these women to join their special sisterhood. Chapter women dressed to impress, sang and clapped their traditional chants, worked on philanthropic projects and discussed the history of their respective organizations. 

The five-day process culminated yesterday in “Bid Day” celebrations, where 553 women were extended “bids”, or formal invitations to join one of the Panhellenic chapters on campus.

All 13 sororities recruited members. About 825 women took part in the recruitment process, an increase of more than 100 women from formal recruitment in 2010.

The 13 sororities of the Panhellenic Association are Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Delta Tau and Sigma Kappa.

It's All Greek to Me! Defining Important Sorority Terms.

The Greek community is a unique opportunity and experience. During recruitment you may hear some terms that are unique to the Greek community and unfamiliar to you. Here is a list of a few terms that might help explain Greek life a little better.

Bid: a bid is a formal invitation to join a Greek organization.

Chapter: a chapter is a smaller piece of a larger organization. For example, Alpha Alpha Alpha sorority is a national organization with "chapters" on hundreds of campuses around the nation.

Charter: a charter is a document given to each chapter by their national organization recognizing them as an affiliated part of the organization.

Colony: a colony is the beginning stage in becoming a chapter. Once the colony completes certain requirements they can apply for a charter from their national organization to become a "chapter".

Four Pillars: the four pillars are the values that Greek life stands for. These pillars are scholarship, service, leadership and sisterhood/brotherhood.

IFC: this stands for Interfraternity Council. They are the governing body of all the IFC affiliated fraternities on campus.

Initiation: this is a ceremony through which you learn about the history of your organization and you become a true member.

Legacy: A legacy is woman who has an immediate family member (mother, grandmother, sister) who was a member of a Panhellenic sorority.

MGC: this stands for Multi-Cultural Greek Council. MGC is the governing body of all the MGC affiliated sororities and fraternities.


National Headquarters: every Panhellenic sorority here at KU is part of a larger organization. Each chapter follows the rules and regulations set forth by their national headquarters, and usually a representative from headquarters will visit the chapter each year.


New Member: a new member is a woman who has pledged to join a particular sorority but has not yet been initiated.

NPHC: this stands for National Pan-Hellenic Council. They are the governing body for the NPHC affiliated sororities and fraternities, which are historically African-American.

Panhellenic Association: The Panhellenic Association is the governing body of all 13 Panhellenic affiliated sororities here at KU.

Philanthropy: Greek life organizations often host Philanthropic events. The purpose of these events is to raise money for a charity of the Greek organization's choice. Each Greek organization usually supports the same charity  as their national organization. Philanthropic events are extremely diverse. They can be a traditional walk/run, a benefit concert, a pancake breakfast, a scavenger hunt or even a water balloon fight.


Pledge: an oath taken to signify your intention to join a particular organization.

Purpose/Creed/Motto: each Greek organization was founded on values and principles. Each organization has a statement of these values. Some statements are public while others can be known only to initiated members.

Ritual: this is the ceremony before every chapter meeting. It was created by each organization's founders and is known only to initiated members. Its purpose is to remind members of the values their organization stands for.

Rush: this is a term for recruitment used on other campuses around the nation. Here at KU we call the process Fall Formal Recruitment.

Why Sign Up for Fall Formal Recruitment?

There's only one week left to sign up for Fall Formal Recruitment!! If you've been debating whether or not Greek life is for you, hopefully this blog will you help you make that decision, or at least make the decision to give it a shot.

Going through Fall Formal Recruitment does not mean you are automatically stuck in Greek life. If you feel at any point that Greek life just isn't for you, that's ok! It isn't for everybody, but you'll never know until you try. Also, going through recruitment is a great way to meet women on a campus that can seem overwhelmingly large. The women you make during this week could become some of your closest friends. So why not try it out? You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain!

So what else do you gain by joining a Greek chapter? Well, every Greek chapter values what we call the four pillars. The four pillars of Greek Life stand for Service, Scholarship, Leadership and Sisterhood/Brotherhood.

Community service and philanthropic support is an integral part of fraternity and sorority life. Each chapter sponsors events to provide service, raise funding and raise awareness to a wide variety of organizations representing many worthy causes. These events can take many forms and they bring the entire Greek community together. Grab your sisters and head off to a water balloon fight, a date auction, a scavenger hunt or even a rock concert, all in the name of helping others! Most students report that helping others is one of the most rewarding experiences that fraternity or sorority membership provides.



Scholarship: it's why you're at KU in the first place! Joining a sorority means that you have an automatic network of support and older women willing to help out with subjects they've already taken. For more than 30 years the All-Greek Student GPA has been higher than the All-KU Student GPA. The Greek Community at KU is acclaimed for its strong scholastic performance and history of academic excellence. Each chapter maintains its own GPA requirements for membership and initiation and ensures continued academic success, through tutoring, academic advising, scholarships and reward systems.



Greek life also provides students with a wide variety of leadership opportunities. Members can participate within their chapter as an officer or on one of the committees each chapter maintains. There are also opportunities outside each chapter to become actively involved in KU’s 500 + student organizations. If you're interested in Student Senate, you will find that the student body president and vice president are members of the Greek community. Greeks are actively involved in sports, professional organizations, religious groups, community service opportunities, even the marching band. For members to achieve a well-rounded education, fraternities and sororities encourage active participation in a variety of KU leadership experiences.

Finally, alumni of Greek organizations often report that the most rewarding part of their Greek experience was the friendships they were able to build and maintain over the years. Fraternities and sororities build a unique bond of brotherhood and sisterhood that students carry with them throughout their lives. The connections that are built in a fraternity or sorority during the college years transcend time and often impact students many times after graduation.






Greek Life has a lot to offer and we would love for you to give the experience a chance. Look back through this blog to read the stories other Panhellenic women have shared about their experiences. Read why Caitlin decided to join a chapter here Read about Megan's experience as Student Body Vice President and how Greek life helped her get there. Or read about Courtney's sisters who supported her through her history of cancer.

And Don't forget to sign up for Fall Formal Recruitment before August 7th!

Dispelling Recruitment Myths: Chapter Selection

Some Chapters are better than others. FALSE

I won't be happy unless I am offered a bid by a particular chapter. FALSE


Fall Formal Recruitment can often be a hectic and uncertain week for potential new members and current chapter members alike. The pressure will only increase if you go into the process with preconceived notions about chapters. Until you meet the women of every chapter on campus, there is no way to know which chapter will fit you best.

Each and every chapter here at KU is unique in its own way. And every chapter changes with each incoming pledge class. Keep an open mind and make your own decisions. Being a sorority woman does not end with your four years at KU. You will be a sorority woman for life. You will come to cherish the time spent in your chapter and the women that surround you will be come your closest friends. This decision will affect you and you only. Don't allow anyone else to sway your decisions, you will be the only one who can decide where you belong.

It is my strongest belief that things always work out for the best. Try to keep this in mind during recruitment and especially on bid day. Sometimes, you might receive a bid from a chapter that was not your top choice. It is important to keep in mind that every chapter has a unique set of wonderful women. These women are scholars, leaders, philanthropists and most importantly, sisters. The women represented on your bid card want you. They see in you qualities that are important to them and they would love to welcome you into their sisterhood with open arms. They might not have been your first choice, but on graduation day you will look back and be unable to imagine your college experience any other way.

If you take any advice from these blogs to heart, let it be this. Go into recruitment with an Open Mind and always always always Be Yourself. Things have a funny way of working out in the end. You will end up in the chapter you were meant to be in.

Dispelling Recruitment Myths: Legacies

I am a Legacy for a certain chapter, so I will automatically get a bid.

My Mom/Grandma/Sister had a wonderful experience in "Alpha Alpha Alpha" so that's the only the chapter I will consider.

Both of the above statements are common recruitment myths. But before we start this blog we should define "What is a legacy?" A legacy is a potential new member whose mother, grandmother or sister is affiliated with a Panhellenic chapter.

In answer to the first recruitment myth, each potential new member is considered on an individual basis. Women who are legacies are not obligated to join a particular sorority and that particular sorority is not obligated to pledge her. The potential new member and the sorority are looking for a mutual compatibility, not family connections.

In reference to the second myth, we encourage all of the women participating in Fall Formal Recruitment to keep an open mind about each sorority. It is always wonderful to hear about the lasting friendships and bonds that tie a woman to her sorority. However, each campus is unique and each chapter changes and evolves every year with each new pledge class. It is important to follow your heart and choose the chapter and group of women you feel the most comfortable with. Keep in mind that which chapter to join is your own decision, no one else can make it for you.

One Mom's Thoughts on the Parental Role in Sorority Recruitment

Fall Formal Recruitment can be an emotional process for many women. It is often their first experience being away from home and the task of choosing a home for the next four years can be daunting. Parents often want to be parents during this time and help their daughters through the process. But as many parents of teenagers know, it can be hard to determine what is helpful and what is not. How can you best help your daughter during the week of Fall Formal Recruitment? 

Below is an excerpt from www.sororityparents.com. Blogger Mary Beth Rice offers some of her tips and advice. To read her full blog post click here.

"A couple of weeks ago I was asked to speak at our local University to the parents of potential new members going through Recruitment. It was move in day; the auditorium full of tired and emotional parents. I was asked to share some advice on what role they could play in their daughters’ upcoming sorority recruitment and start to college. This was a bit daunting to me and humility set in as I hoped I had at best a few encouraging words to share.

Fortunately, I did come up with a few suggestions parents could reflect upon in supporting their daughter through recruitment and beyond, yet allowing them to spread their own wings. I will share them with you too. Take them or leave them but do enjoy this new phase in life for the both of you.

1. Lose expectations or feelings from your own Greek life experience. Whether you have a Greek affiliation or not, you do have some opinion about Greek life if you went to college on a campus with a Greek system. Some of these opinions or biases may be based on a college experience quite a few years back. Try and encourage your daughter to form her own opinions AND only after she begins the process,  not taking to heart any bias from boyfriends, siblings, hometown friends, distant relatives, etc.

2. At each of the recruitment events, encourage her to look around those rooms and really get to know the other potential new members at each of the events. Those are the young women she will be living with and experiencing campus life with and each day of recruitment will help her know where she is most comfortable.

3. For daughters who may be shy or reserved, the recruitment process might be overwhelming. Encourage her to be open minded, taking a risk as she embarks on college. It is a great time to branch out and perhaps lose some of the high school labels we all put upon ourselves. One can really be and should be authentic and sincere throughout the whole process. Even if your daughter decides recruitment might not be a fit for her at this time, remind her that this experience will afford her a great opportunity to get to know other women on her residence hall floor and beyond. New friendships may come from it.

4. She will be exhausted and emotional. Allow her this indulgence and help her maintain her sense of humor. Remind her other potential new members are experiencing the same things.

5. Be a good listener. You don’t have to fix anything. If she can share the ups and downs of her experience she can sort through her feelings about all of it and often doesn’t need or want advice.

6. As she begins college try and become connected to your daughter through technology. NOTHING replaces voice to voice communication, eye contact or hugs…but this generation communicates on Facebook and in text messaging and there is no going back. Learn to text and possibly get a Facebook page (especially if your daughter is encouraging it) just to be connected….not to hover but just to be available. The technology allows a kind of subtle way to be present.

7. Encourage and frequently discuss safe choices especially regarding alcohol and driving under the influence or with others who have been drinking. The more we encourage them to be safe and smart, the more likely the messages will stick when presented with more risky choices. If you are informed about binge drinking and alcohol poisoning then you can help inform her. Awareness is the first essential step.

And finally,
8. Love her up and remind her of the gifts you see in her! As a parent I was not prepared for how difficult the transition was for my own daughter on many levels. One loses a bit of confidence beginning all over again out of high school-especially if the new campus is large. That is why it is EXCELLENT that our daughters want to join a sorority to engage in that support system and in those relationships as they begin college life.

Dispelling Recruitment Myths: Letters of Recommendation

You Need a Letter of Recommendation in order to receive a bid from a specific chapter. FALSE

We have received numerous calls in the Panhellenic office worried about this myth. The summer before I went through recruitment I was scrambling to find letters for all 13 chapters at KU. I asked almost everyone I had ever met, hoping and praying they were Greek. I wish I had known that this Recruitment myth was just that, a myth.

Letters of Recommendation are not necessary for membership in a particular chapter. Recruitment is a week-long mutual selection process, and I strongly believe that at the end of the week each individual ends up where they are supposed to be. Ask any member of a Panhellenic sorority here at KU and she will tell you that her chapter has become a home, and she couldn't imagine it any other way. Things always seem to work out the way they should.

However, if you would like to send in Letters of Recommendation it certainly can't hurt you. You can ask family members, mothers of your friends, friends of your mother, anyone that can speak to your character. If you are still really set on obtaining letters for every chapter at KU and you don't know women affiliated with a specific chapter, the Alumnae Panhellenic of Greater Kansas City is a great resource. These women will be happy to write letters of recommendation. Their website is www.kcpanhel.com or you can email info@kcpanhel.com for additional information.

Just remember that Recruitment is meant to be a fun process, allowing all the participants to meet new people and have great conversations. There are no "secrets" to recruitment. You don't need anything special, just yourself and a smile!

Top Five Tips for Fall Formal Recruitment

One of the Head Recruitment Counselors, Jill, offers her top five tips for a wonderful recruitment experience.

1.) Go into recruitment with an open mind: Forget anything and everything you have previously heard about the chapters. Each chapter is made up of a diverse group of women so no one stereotype fits a chapter. Keeping an open mind will give you the best opportunity of finding a group of people that you feel comfortable with.

2.) Be yourself: As cliché as it may sound, you want to find a chapter that fits your personality and you can’t do this if you’re pretending to be someone else. 

3.) Do what feels right for you: Don’t let your friends or family decide which chapter is best for you. You are the one that will be spending time with the women of your chapter, and you want them to be people you enjoy being around. If you are having a difficult time and need someone outside of your friends or family to confide in, talk to your recruitment counselors. They will offer you guidance from an unbiased viewpoint.

4.) Participate in the conversations: When visiting the chapters, don’t make the chapter members do all the work in the conversation. Ask them what you want to know about their chapter, so you can make a decision as to whether or not the chapter is right for you.

5.) Have fun: While recruitment is stressful and overwhelming 3/4ths of the time, don’t forget to relax and enjoy yourself. Recruitment is a great way to meet new people and make your first friends at KU. Talk to the person sitting by you on the bus, strike up a conversation with someone waiting outside of a chapter house, and get to know the women in your group. Having normal interaction outside of the actual recruitment process and taking time to relax will help make the recruitment process more exciting!

Making the Most of Fall Formal Recruitment

One of the head recruitment counselors, Caroline, has a few tips for women going through Fall Formal Recruitment.

"Fall Formal Recruitment is right around the corner! Even though the end goal of recruitment is exciting, I haven’t met a single woman who isn’t nervous and uneasy at the beginning of the process.  What you need to remember is that the women in the chapters are just as nervous and excited to meet you as you are to meet them.  Recruitment is the most important event of the year because you are the women who are the future of each chapter.  The chapter’s goal is to impress you and make you feel as comfortable as possible so that you want to come back and learn more.  While the women in the chapters are excited to talk with you, it is important that you ask questions that you have as well.  The conversations need to be as 2-sided as possible as opposed to one person constantly asking questions and the other always answering.

As I’m sure many of you know, there are stereotypes for each chapter on our campus.  One of the best things you can do before beginning recruitment is forget everything you have heard.  Regardless of the supposed validity of stories or rumors, there is no chapter with strictly one type of person.  Each chapter is diverse and unique in it’s own way, and you will learn this quickly as the week progresses.  With the amount of women in the chapters, it is impossible to not find someone you enjoy talking to and spending time with.  The chapter members are going to be as genuine as they can be so that you get a real feel for what they are about.  Since they are being genuine with you, your best bet is to be as authentic as you can be with them.  In doing this, you’re going to give yourself the best chance possible at ending up in a chapter that you will love all four years at KU. 

You will all be in a recruitment group with 20-30 other women, and two Recruitment Counselors.  Utilize these women during the process.  You will have at least 20 other women who are experiencing the exact same thing as you are.  Hang out with them and get to know them because the women in your group could end up being some of your best friends.  Your Recruitment Counselors are there for you 100 percent of the time.  That is their reason for being there.  Anytime you are feeling uneasy or unsure about something, talk to them about it.  They are there to offer you guidance and to help you wade through your emotions (which are sometimes high during this week) to figure out how you are really feeling and what you really want.  For the entirety of recruitment week, they will be more than happy to talk to you at any hour, day or night.

Finally, have fun!!  That is the key to a successful, enjoyable week.  You having fun will translate into conversations in the chapters as well as helping others around you keep their spirits high.  If you are enjoying your week, it will make the process so much better for you.  When you are going through some long days, because there will be a few long, tiring days, just remember how much you will benefit from sticking it out in the end.  It can be one of the best experiences of your life, but it is up to you to make it that way!"

Finding a Home Away From Home

It was my first week living on my own. I was born and raised in my hometown of Hutchinson, Kansas-population 30,000-and was suddenly thrust into the madness of a college town. As if the newfound homesick tears and nerves for school to start weren’t enough, I found myself pressured to join a sorority in the middle of Formal Recruitment week and I honestly didn’t know how the Greek system worked or why I wanted to be in one in the first place. Everything I knew about Greek life stemmed from movies like “Animal House” and “Sorority Row.” My family wasn’t Greek and I didn’t understand the point of it all.

Flash forward three weeks, when I was settled into my schedule, joined a few clubs and discovered the treasure that is Skype. I had everything lined up in my life scholastically, yet I couldn’t ignore the pang in my stomach as I watched a girl walk down Jayhawk Boulevard with Greek letters embroidered on her shirt. At the end of the day, I was still lonely and sad; worrying that I hadn’t picked the right school. Until one day I ran into a girl I knew from high school, Elle, proudly sporting the letters Alpha Gamma Delta. The whole Greek thing was sort of a sore subject for me, I had dropped out of Rush and everyone knew it, it seemed almost “scandalous.” Elle could tell that I wasn’t my usual perky self. I had slipped into a gloomy state of mind that wasn’t my usual effervescent radiance. She encouraged me to check out her sorority through something called Continuous Open Recruitment and she gave my name to the director of the program. I was leery, to say the least. I hadn’t had a good experience with formal recruitment’s intensity-everything had seemed superficial to me then. However, after almost a month on campus, I began to see why girls join sororities.

I loved Continuous Open Recruitment. I felt that I was wanted-that there were many, many qualities within me that were not only worthy of acceptance into a sorority, but celebrated and needed by that sorority. I found my home in Alpha Gamma Delta.

The funny thing is I did not “click” with AGD when I went through Formal. However, the second I went to a COR event it worked for me. The girls were so much more real. They had real majors, with real classes, and real problems and real friendship. I wanted to know these girls, I wanted to be their sister. In formal recruitment, everyone seemed like Barbies. COR is real life. I pledged and was then initiated into the sisterhood because of this program.

When time came for officer elections, I knew exactly what I wanted to run for. I had such a wonderful experience with COR that I wanted to grant that to other girls like me, as well. I ran for COR coordinator, and won co-chair with another sister, and the two of us have been a-rockin’ and a-rollin’. We started off the first week of school with a “3 Spoons for AGD” frozen yogurt meet-and-greet at which we had enough girls show up to nearly double my pledge class. I asked every friend I knew that wasn’t in a sorority; It was then that I heard from a girl that had dropped Formal Recruitment with me on the same day. I invited her to join in with COR and she told me that she wasn’t sure, now, if sorority life was actually for her, that she wasn’t even sure if she would be returning to KU next semester. However, she said it sounded fun and she’d give it a try because it was so low-key. Woah, De ja vu. It was then that I had an Oprah “Ah-ha! Moment.” I started looking at COR as a community service, rather than a necessity for my sorority. My goal shifted from supplying potential Alpha Gamma Delta sisters, to helping the girls that are currently suffering the same mindset I was just months before: Alone, doubting, and sad. This University is too big not to have someone to lean on, and in a sorority, you’re guaranteed a family of at least 80 girls.

I had my first “payment” for all my work with this program the other day. After the 3 Spoons event, I was tagged in a facebook status about what a “wonderful time” a girl had with the “beautiful ladies of AGD.” This came from a girl whom I would have never expected to say this. She used to be “anti-sororities”; she had moved from GSP to Hashinger Hall just a month prior to “escape” them, and here she is smiling because of an event that I had planned and the way my sisters had treated her as if she were a person of value. COR gets to give potentials a taste of the beauty that is a sorority.

Alpha Gamma Delta really changed my life. It took a sorrowful, homesick little girl and blossomed her into a shining, confident woman. I was at the right institution all along, I just needed a support system there by my side. I made myself one of those embroidered Greek Lettered t-shirts, more friends than I can count, and 4.0 last semester. I owe it all to the Panhellenic System and my beautiful, intelligent, supportive, fun, graceful women that I am so proud to call my sisters.

- Caitlin is a freshman Alpha Gamma Delta, majoring in Journalism

Tips for Surviving Fall Formal Recruitment

Fall Formal Recruitment might be the most intense week of the year. It is full of smiling, heat, dresses, conversations and HUNDREDS of women.

Things to remember:

-Make sure you always have a water bottle to take with you, each chapter will have water jugs for you to refill.

-You need to eat! Eat breakfast. It will be a long day and breakfast will help give you enough energy to get through the day. Bring snacks, like granola bars in case you get hungry.
-Listen to your recruitment counselors! They are full of information and have been through Recruitment on both sides. They also have backpacks full of things you might need: tampons, snacks, mints... etc.

-Dress accordingly to the weather! If it is rainy-- make sure to have an umbrella.

-Stay true to who you are.

Recruitment is intimidating, but once you are done... the result is amazing. Once the week is over, you get to meet the women  who will become your closest friends. You begin to become a part of the Greek community, being involved on campus and wearing your letters.

- Courtney is junior Sigma Kappa, majoring in Journalism and History