by Quinton Roof | Greek Life Correspondent
It’s that time of year again, when Fraternity and Sorority recruitment begins for students who are interested in joining Greek Life. As a brother of one of the fraternities on campus, I have been through the recruitment process three times, so I am here to explain to the male members of the PC community how recruitment works so that they can have a fun rush and become Greek as well.
Fraternity recruitment tends to be more laid back than Sorority recruitment. It lasts about a week, ending in the final event where participants sign bid cards to their Greek organization. The Sorority recruitment on the other hand only lasts about three nights.
First and foremost, all fraternity recruitments are non-alcoholic events and female students will not be allowed at any fraternity house during the process.
The first event for fraternity recruitment will start on Sunday, September 9 at 5 p.m. This event is referred to as Open House and the Preference Round. Potential new members, also referred to as PNMs, will arrive to Fraternity Court (located on the far side of campus past the football practice fields) at 4:45 p.m. and meet at the trailer in front of fraternity court.
After PNMs arrive, they will be split into smaller groups and visit each of the six fraternity houses and spend about 15 minutes meeting the brothers of each fraternity and learn more about their chapter. Each chapter will usually provide different refreshments for the PNMs.
The Open House portion of the event will conclude at 6:30 p.m.
After the PNMs have visited each fraternity house, they will enter the Preference part of the night which will last from 6:45 to 8:00 p.m. During this time, PNMs will choose which fraternity houses they wish to revisit to learn more about that fraternity and get an in-depth look. The only exception to this rule is that they have to visit a minimum of three different fraternities.
The next portion of fraternity recruitment is the Smoker Invite nights. During Smoker Invites, each PNM is invited to the fraternity’s house for a sit-down dinner. Fraternities will usually have speakers who will speak to the PNMs about the fraternity and its history as they enjoy their meal with the brothers of the chapter.
Smoker Invite nights will take place Monday, September 10 to Wednesday, September 12 at Fraternity Court. If a fraternity shows interests in a PNM, they will send him an invite in his PC mailbox by 1:00 p.m. on Monday, September 10.
The Bid Giving night happens Thursday, September 13. During this event the fraternity will distribute the bids to potential new members in their rooms.
The last event of the fraternity recruitment process is Bid Day on Friday, September 14. PNMs will meet at PONDO to accept their bids and then will run to the fraternity house to celebrate with their new fraternity.
Fraternity recruitment is a very fun and exciting process that few experience because of the stigmas that fraternities receive. If you go through the rush process, you are not required to join a fraternity. Men, whether they are interested or not interested in Greek life, are strongly encouraged to go through recruitment for a fun experience and a chance to meet a great group of men around campus.
To sign up for fraternity recruitment or learn more, please visit Presbyterian College’s website under the “Campus Life” tab and then click the “Get Involved” tab, where you will find Greek life and other clubs and organizations you can also explore.
