Another year of Greek life recruitment was virtual for most part, as COVID-19 status on DePauw campus has remained red since the week of January 17th. Fraternities and sororities had round 1 and round 2 of recruitment online, while the last round was in-person.
The decision was made based on DePauw policy to limit social gatherings to 25 or fewer people. “There's no reason why we need to be, you know, clashing with the university and trying to fight our way to have 30 people in an event or 40 people in an event for these bigger rounds,” junior Jack Kneisley, president of DePauw Interfraternity Council, said.
Kneisley added that the decision was also because of convenience, preventing potential new members from having to walk all the way around campus to visit chapters.
“Our biggest concern was the amount of exposure to both chapter members and potential new members. We really wanted to limit the number of people coming through the chapter houses, made sure that everyone is being as safe as possible”, senior Betsy Anderson, Panhellenic Vice President of Recruitment, said.
Anderson also said that some potential new members enjoyed the virtual experience last year, because they could feel the emphasis being placed on the conversations rather than the distracting elements that in-person recruitment could have.
Frae Binder, the Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life, expressed optimism about the recruitment’s outcome.
“So many people are accustomed to connecting virtually. I think that makes students better set up for success [in recruitment],” Binder said. She said since students are used to communicating virtually with their loved ones, there should be no problem navigating the online process for one weekend, especially with the advancement of technology during the pandemic.
Kneisley also thought that the online process would not stop students from going through recruitment. The number of potential new members for fraternities has grown from 112 last year to more than 160 this year.
“I actually think it makes it more available…[First-years] can take this from the airport, or from home, things like that”, Kneisley said.
As for sororities, the number of potential new members was 120 in 2020 and 164 this year. DePauw was the only university within the central United States (Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan) to have a number that was higher than pre-COVID time.
Anderson said, “Something that we're really kind of priding ourselves on is that we've worked so hard to create a community that really welcomes different people and encourages them to go through the recruitment process,”
For some of the potential new members, the online process makes them more comfortable to go through recruitment. First-year Jacob Padilla said, “It shows that safety was taken into account. I do feel a little sad that I won’t be able to have the whole traditional rush experience, but I believe it is for the best.”
First-year Alexandra May added, “While I’m not happy about [the decision to make recruitment online], it is the right decision. Recruitment being online does not affect my decision to rush at all, I knew that could be a possibility going into it.”
First-year Dong Nghi Vo Tran comes from Viet Nam and decided to go through sorority recruitment to find a home away from home. “COVID makes it harder for everyone and everything. But the organizing committee tried their best to run this whole process smoothly, so I really appreciate their time and efforts,” she said.
Anderson hoped that every potential new member would have a positive experience and end up in a chapter where they could call their home, but she acknowledged that that is not always how it works. “My job is just to make sure that I am providing as many resources as possible, as much support as possible to those potential new members,” Anderson said.
Though Panhellenic conducted recruitment online, those interested in participating in recruitment under other Greek councils such as the National Pan-hellenic Council (NPHC) and the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) , are encouraged to research, attend informationals, and reach out to current members of each organization to demonstrate their interest and learn more about the organization.
Kimberly Bello-Rosas ‘22 shared, “Talking to the sisters on campus is the best way to learn about the organization, and asking questions and doing research doesn’t mean you’re committing either so don’t hesitate to reach out!”
Maghonany Brim ‘22 added, “If someone is interested in my organization [Zeta Phi Beta] we strongly encourage them to attend our events! One way that many Greeks gauge interest is by observing who comes out to the events we host.”
Aaniyah Childs ‘23 said, “My advice for someone interested in joining an organization that is a part of NPHC would be to do your research on the organization and make sure it truly aligns with your values, goals, and purpose as an individual.”
Each sorority and fraternity associated with these councils varies in the matter in which they recruit their new members, and it is notable to mention these following councils and organizations do not participate in formal Rush week familiar to campus.
Bello-Rosas shared one distinction in the process, “[MGC recruitment] is different because we do not participate in formal Rush week. Instead we have informationals throughout the semester interested womxn can attend, normally 3 throughout each semester.”
On the behalf of the National Pan-hellenic Association, Brim mentioned, “NPHC differs from Panhellenic greatly. Panhellenic has a shorter process…For NPHC organizations, we have observation periods, interviews, and other things. Being in NPHC is a lot of work so in order to prepare you we encourage holding positions on executive boards on campus.”
Childs added, “Traditionally, NPHC does not have a recruitment process because we do not recruit members. Our Membership Intake Process is discrete and is based on a variety of factor[s] including GPA and interest.”