Women prepare for sororities with '19 Party'

More than 1,400 freshmen and sophomore female students will storm the 19 Panhellenic Association sorority chapters on campus this weekend as formal recruitment commences with "19 Party."\nThe two-day-long process provides potential new members the opportunity to stake out the right sorority house for them by visiting each one in 30-minute intervals.\n"We like to call it an open house," said junior Jaclyn Reinking, PHA executive vice president of recruitment. "The whole point is to make it their home."\nReinking said there are more students participating in 19 Party this year than last, possibly because of the fluctuating size of the freshman class. But, she said, not all the students will receive a bid to join a chapter.\n"There aren't places for all these women," she said. "There are only so many spots."\nNonetheless, each chapter takes in about 40 new members each year, she said, and as the formal recruitment process continues through next semester, some potential new pledges will be disqualified for not meeting grade point average requirements, which are 2.6 for freshmen and 2.7 for sophomores.\nThis, as well as the self-removal of students who find themselves uninterested in continuing with recruitment, makes claiming an invitation to a sorority house more feasible, Reinking said.\nAs the potential new pledges make their rounds on foot to each house Saturday and Sunday, they will don the same black long-sleeved shirt, paid for by their registration fees. This is meant to uphold a sense of neutrality.\n"Recruitment is a very equal process," Reinking said. "They're not going to look at what kind of purse you carry." \nAt the houses, recruitment participants are typically treated to a skit or presentation by chapter spokeswomen. The potential new members are led to the chapters by recruitment counselors, known as Rho Gammas.\nFreshman Marcie Klebanow is taking part in 19 Party because she heard how exciting and overwhelming it is.\n"I heard the sorority members scream at the top of their lungs as you go through the houses," she said. \nKlebanow clutched a handful of mini-biography cards her recruitment counselor gave her to fill out that would be given to each chapter. \nAfter 19 Party, potential new members rank their house preferences, while chapters rank the students they preferred with the help of the cards, Reinking said.\nThe recruitment process wraps up next January beginning with "First Invite," when potential new members are invited back to the chapter houses they ranked highest.\nRegistration for formal recruitment ended Oct. 22, but more information on the procedure can be found at www.indiana.edu/~gogreek.