Lady initiates don new Greek letters

Exhausted but satisfied, IU's Greek women faced their next big challenge Monday: classes.\nThe women's recruitment process culminated Sunday night with the Panhellenic Bid Ceremony, where participating women learned which chapter they would call home for the remainder of their IU career. And behind the scenes, months of careful planning and organization came to fruition.\n"I feel like break was done a month ago, even though I've only been back a week," said Stacy Thompson, vice president of membership recruitment for Alpha Omicron Pi. "It's been kind of tough today to get back into the swing of things."\nIn addition to their classwork, sorority sisters also must tend to the preliminary planning stages of next year's recruitment process, Thompson said. \n"It's such a hectic week that if you don't plan ahead, things will be really chaotic," she said. "You have to make sure everyone knows what they're doing."\nEven with the best of plans in place, the long week takes its toll on the sisters in charge.\n"I couldn't believe that I was starting classes today," said senior Lauren Mazur of Chi Omega. "It was such a long week, and you don't have time to think about anything else."\nAfter rushing last year, sophomore Rena Schmidt of Kappa Delta had a chance to see the process from another perspective.\n"I actually think it's more nerve-wracking on the other side," she said. "You rip down your entire house and set up something completely different in a matter of 24 hours."\nPutting up decorations consumes a large portion of preparation time, Mazur said.\n"We do a lot of decorating because all the chapters are trying to go a little further than [other chapters]," Mazur said. "I think it's turned into something competitive over the years."\nBeyond decorations, each house's "12 party" features a comedic skit portraying the recruitment process. Some chapters began planning for the skit last summer, Mazur said. Recruitment chairs have numerous meetings with which to contend in addition to preparation for the hundreds of women who visit their house over the course of the process.\nBut the women take recruitment stress in stride, Mazur said.\n"It's actually one of my favorite weeks of the year," she said. "It really brings the chapter together. We're decorating, but girls are joking around and having a blast."\nAs a relatively new chapter, some houses seize recruitement as a chance to enhance their house's heritage.\n"A lot of what we do is working on building traditions that we can carry on year to year," Thompson said.\nAfter months of exhaustive planning and one long week of recruitment, organizers and rushees alike can go home with a sense of satisfaction, Schmidt explained.\n"It's good to be back," Schmidt said. "The best feeling is to see all the new women wearing your letters on campus."\n-- Contact staff writer Mike McElroy at mmcelroy@indiana.edu.