Alpha, omega, sigma and delta. These words mean little to the general public (unless they are referring to brain rot, of course). But for members of Greek life, they mean everything.
As the summer comes to a close, Marshall University’s Greek life is kicking into high gear. Tuesday, Sept. 9, will mark the beginning of recruitment week, during which potential new members will attend various events.
The first three days of recruitment week are targeted toward introductions where new members and chapter members can get to know each other. During this time, chapters display their values, philanthropy and other aspects of their sorority.
On Saturday, participants attend “Preference Day” where potential new members fill out a “wishlist” style ballot of their first, second and third picks for chapters. The sororities also fill out these ballots as their picks for members. Once filled out, a computer system analyzes the ballots and assigns each member a bid for the sorority they match best with.
The outcomes of these picks are then revealed on Sunday, which is referred to as “Bid Day.” New members are given their chapter assignment and can accept or decline. The rest of the day is then spent celebrating with the newly minted sisterhoods.
With four major chapters represented at Marshall, potential members have much to consider. Each chapter retains their own individual attributes, from personal qualities to financial commitments. One important distinguisher of sorority chapters is the philanthropic mission. Hannah Adkins, the vice president of recruitment on the Panhellenic Committee, said sorority philanthropy has several different parts.
“Usually each semester, each chapter has one big event that they do where all the proceeds go to their philanthropy, and then, they’ll do some smaller events, like maybe a basket raffle,” Adkins said.
Besides these events, sororities also participate in outside community service for the city of Huntington or the university as a whole.
“I know we all love going to the Chili Fest that’s coming up. … We all love to volunteer at that and volunteer on campus as much as we can,” Adkins said.
This inclusion and participation is one of the many reasons students choose to go through recruitment. Bethany Ledford, current member of Delta Zeta, was adamant about these benefits.
“(Sorority Life) gives a lot of connections for your future,” Ledford said. She was backed by Kayley King, the president of Delta Zeta, who said the chapter had given her great leadership skills and was a wonderful resume builder.
Along with her excitement for the week, Adkins also expressed her understanding of the stress involved with recruitment. She encouraged new participants to lean into the week and go with the flow.
“Everything happens for a reason. I remember telling myself that when I went through the process because recruitment can be really stressful. It can be emotional, all that. So, everything happens for a reason, and you just have to trust the process,” Adkins said.
Claire Johnson can be contacted at [email protected].
