Panhellenic Sorority Recruitment Family Orienta4on
Overview • Sorority Life • Sorority Recruitment Schedule • Membership Selec4on Process • Cost of Membership • Housing/Meal Plans • Keep up with Recruitment!
Sorority Life Sorority-‐ a values-‐based women’s organiza4on Over 3,400 women at Carolina are in sorori4es Greeks make up 21% of the student body The sorority GPA is a 3.43 – The average new member GPA was a 3.52 in fall 2012 • Sorority women lead Dance Marathon, Garnet and Black magazine, Carolina Service Council, and many other student organiza4ons • • • •
Sorority Council • Governing council of all sorori4es at USC • Made up of undergraduate women from different chapters • Organize Greek-‐wide programs, recruitment, conduct process, scholarship ini4a4ves, and more
South Carolina Sorority Chapters NPHC and Mul0cultural Chapters (do not par0cipate in recruitment)
Panhellenic Chapters (par0cipate in recruitment) • • • • • • • • • • •
Alpha Chi Omega Alpha Delta Pi Alpha Gamma Delta Chi Omega Delta Delta Delta Delta Zeta Gamma Phi Beta Kappa Delta Kappa Kappa Gamma Phi Mu Zeta Tau Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha Incorporada • Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. • Zeta Sigma Chi Sorority, Inc. • • • •
Recruitment Lingo Pi Chi/Recruitment Counselor • Pi Chi-‐ an upperclassman sorority woman who will serve as a guide to your student during recruitment. They are trained to be an unbiased helper.
Pi Chi Group • Your student will be assigned a small group of around 20 women with the same Pi Chi • This group will be her support through the process and is o[en where she will make her first friends at Carolina
Recruitment Lingo Round • Recruitment is split into four rounds for your student to learn about four topics-‐ scholarship, leadership, service, and sisterhood • First two rounds are two days, second two rounds are one day
Party • Each round is split into mul4ple “par4es,” which are chunks of 4me that your daughter will visit each sorority • She will receive a schedule each day of what “par4es” she is invited to a`end
Sample Schedule
Your student will receive a schedule at the beginning of each round with her invita4ons listed.
Recruitment Orienta0on Wednesday, August 14 at 5:30 pm Carolina Coliseum • Mandatory to par4cipate in recruitment • Chance to meet Pi Chis and the rest of the group • Learn more about what to expect from recruitment • Get recruitment t-‐shirts and other goodies • Dinner with Pi Chi group following orienta4on-‐ required! • Dress is very casual
Scholarship Round Thursday, August 15 Friday, August 16 • Visit all 11 sorori4es over 2 days • 20 minutes spent with each chapter learning about scholarship ini4a4ves • Very casual-‐ wear recruitment t-‐ shirt, shorts or skirt, and comfortable shoes • Lunch and dinner will be provided Thursday • Lunch will be provided on Friday
Leadership Round Monday, August 19 Tuesday, August 20 • Visit a maximum of 8 sorori4es over 2 days • 30 minutes spent with each chapter including conversa4on and a video highligh4ng their ac4vi4es • Very casual-‐ wear recruitment t-‐shirt, shorts or skirt, and comfortable shoes • Lunch will be provided Tuesday
Philanthropy Round Wednesday, August 21 • Visit a maximum of 5 chapters • 45 minutes spent learning about their philanthropy • Aere is dressier-‐ wear sundress or skirt and top with dressy sandals or heels • Lunch will be provided
Sisterhood Round Saturday, August 24 • Visit a maximum of 2 chapters • Spend 1 hour with each chapter learning about their sisterhood • Dressier-‐ wear cocktail or semiformal dress with heels (not prom) • A meal will be provided
Bid Day Sunday, August 25 • Grand finale of recruitment! • Meet with recruitment counselors to receive a bid (invita4on) to join a sorority • Comfortable aere-‐ chapters will provide a tank or t-‐shirt
Vo4ng: Rounds 1-‐3
Favorites (not in order) Least favorites ( in order)
Note: she never drops a chapter
#3 is her absolute least favorite
• A[er your student visits all of her scheduled par4es each round, she will vote. • She will fill out a vo4ng card and an impar4al university staff member will enter her votes into a computer system while she watches
Vo4ng: Round 4 • This is the vo4ng form for the final round-‐ it is called an “MRABA-‐ membership recruitment acceptance binding agreement”-‐ and is used at schools across the country. • I will highlight several important points.
MRABA “I am willing to accept an invita4on to membership from any women’s fraternity that I list on this agreement.” • Your student has the op4on to list both groups or one group that she will take a bid from
MRABA “I may limit my choices to one or list any women's fraterni4es whose preference (last) event I a`ended and from which I am willing to accept membership.” • If your student visits two chapters, she can put down two chapters. If she is only invited back to one, she can only put down that one. • It is highly recommended to maximize her op4ons.
MRABA “I cannot change the order of my
preferences or add or delete a preference once this Agreement has been submi`ed to the College Panhellenic Associa4on.” • Once submi`ed, no changes can be made.
MRABA “Once I sign this Agreement, I am bound by the Na4onal Panhellenic Conference calendar year rule. This rule states that if I receive an invita4on to membership from any group I have listed and I choose not to accept it, I am ineligible to be pledged to any other inter/na4onal fraternity on this campus for one calendar year.”
MRABA • Your daughter will then list her first and second choice chapters. • This is a binding agreement that cannot be broken – Most common issue is that women drop out of their chapter and want to join another one-‐ this cannot be done for one calendar year
Membership Selec4on • Just as your student will rank chapters, the sorori4es will also input their ranked membership selec4ons • The process is called “mutual matching,” in which both requests are considered-‐ your student’s and the chapters’ • From the matching process, your student’s schedule is made
Legacies • Legacies are women who have a family member who is a member of an organiza4on • Please note that organiza4ons define legacies differently – Some only count sisters, grandmothers, and/or mothers • Being a legacy does not always guarantee an invita4on back
Cost of Membership • Semester dues for Panhellenic chapters range from around $330-‐$750 • First semester dues range from $600-‐$1400 • All 11 Panhellenic chapters have mandatory meal plans star4ng the second semester you join – Costs range from $1,000-‐$1,600/semester • Encourage your daughter to ask the chapters what is included in their dues
Greek Village Meal Plans • All chapters with houses in the Greek Village have a required meal plan star4ng the semester a[er a student joins and las4ng the dura4on of a student’s college career. • Meal plans range from $1,065-‐$1,886 a semester
The Greek Village • First-‐year students are expected to live in residence halls for the dura4on of their first year. – No excep4ons for students who wish to move into the Greek Village • Parking is limited to those students who reside in the Greek Village and have a GV tag
Safety During Recruitment • Pi Chis will be walking women from residence halls to the Coliseum for orienta4on • Lt. Gooding from USC PD will be at orienta4on tonight to review safety best prac4ces • The two nights that recruitment ends a[er daylight, buses will be provided • Talk to your daughter about following pedestrian safety laws
Ways to Help Your Student We recommend-‐
We don’t recommend-‐
• Allowing them to be adults and handle their own problems • Asking ques4ons that help them reflect on chapters they enjoyed – “Where did you feel most comfortable?” • Talking to them about the friends they are making • Encouraging them to consider all chapters and not get their hearts set on one
• Calling our office for them (we are good prac4ce for them!) • Pressuring them into joining a certain organiza4on • Giving them your opinion on chapters • Calling/tex4ng them constantly-‐ they are busy and need 4me to get adjusted and make friends
Keep Track of Recruitment without Nagging your Student! • Follow @UofSCSoCo on Twi`er • Like “University of South Carolina Sorority Council” on Facebook • Follow @UofSCSoCo on Vine (download the app)