The annual sorority spring recruitment for 2007 has come and gone as houses recruited and selected new members to the Greek system this month.
Recruitment began Jan. 11 and culminated with Bid Day on Jan. 17. The string of week-long events gave potential new members the opportunity to explore each of the 10 sorority houses at CU as well as life in the Greek system.
“Women who rush realize that the sorority system provides service, scholarship and, most importantly, sisterhood. Girls pledge to a group of friends, which is important on such a large campus,” said Cassidy Rosenthal, a senior marketing major who works with the Panhellenic Council.
The Panhellenic Council is the umbrella organization to which all of the houses are affiliated and is responsible for organizing events such as recruitment.
“We have been very, very busy with organizing and carrying out recruitment. It’s quite a hectic time of year,” said John Henderson with the Office of Greek Affairs in an e-mail interview.
To be eligible for recruitment, interested women needed to have registered with the Office of Greek Affairs by Jan. 1. Following registration, the women are whisked through rounds of Datebook parties, which are ‘meet-and-mingle’ events held at the houses.
However, only the first round of Datebooks were open to everyone, after which each sorority begins its highly-secretive selection process, and succeeding Datebooks are invite-only. The houses make their final selections on new members and extend invitations to join on Bid Day.
“Rushing or receiving an invitation to a house does not bind that woman to anything,” Rosenthal said. “Rushing only is meant to give the girls a chance to learn about houses individually and the Greek system as a whole.”
However, she added, it is also important for potential new members to remember that receiving an invitation does not guarantee a place with the house either. Though most girls who rush end up in a house, cost of membership, among other factors, is a reason why some choose to opt out.
According to the Office of Greek Affairs, the average cost of the first year after joining is $1,300, with individual house fees anywhere from $700 to $1,600 a year. For those women considering living in the sorority houses after their first year, the average cost is about $4,100 a semester.
Membership cost is not the only reason girls opt out of sorority life.
“I love it, and I love my house, but there can be a lot of cattiness and a lot of drama within the houses, not to mention competition between the houses,” said a senior political science major and sorority member who wished to remain anonymous.
In 2005, the university asked the Greeks to approve the Registered Fraternal Organization Agreement which, in exchange for campus benefits, outlines the universities expectations for the houses. One of the stipulations of the agreement was that fraternities and sororities delay rush activities from the fall to spring semester.
The campus fraternities elected not to approve the agreement and because of this continue to rush in the fall.
