Women’s formal recruitment starts Saturday

Any woman in a sorority or interested in joining one has a busy weekend ahead of her.

Women’s formal recruitment begins Saturday with 19 Party, in which potential new members visit all 19 chapters between Saturday and Sunday. Senior Kelsey Schroeder, the Panhellenic Association vice president of recruitment, said about 1,640 women have signed up for rush, about the same number as last year.

“Each girl going through rush goes to all 19 chapters and spends 30 minutes there,” Schroeder said. “They get to know the personality of each chapter.”

She said women rushing get a chance to talk to three or four current members at each house.

To sign up for recruitment, freshman Ali Rader said she had to give a photograph and information about what she did in high school and also provide letters of recommendation.

For 19 Party, Rader made note cards with information about herself to hand out to each chapter.

Rader said she is looking forward to recruitment because she always planned to join a house.

“My mom and all my sisters were in sororities, so I never really thought of doing anything else,” Rader said.

Because of her family’s experience, Rader said she feels confident about the recruitment process, even though some of her friends do not.

Women’s worries might stem from the reputation of IU recruitment. Some believe IU has one of the most competitive recruitments in the country, but Schroeder said she does not think anyone actually releases a ranking like that.

PHA President and senior Sara Stombaugh said there are also misconceptions about how many girls are accepted to each pledge class. She said each house has a quota to fill, which is not related to how many women apply for recruitment. Every school is different, but at IU, each chapter has its own quota.

“Because people have different sizes of houses, we let them determine that on their own,” Stombaugh said. “Some national organizations determine that for them.”

But women going through recruitment have a lot more to think about than the quota of a particular sorority. Sophomore Athina Morris, who went through recruitment last year and is now a member of Delta Gamma, said she remembers how crazy 19 Party was.

“Everyone would pound on the doors to greet you,” Morris said. “It was a little bit intimidating, but it was fun and exciting at the same time.”

For women to have a successful rush, Stombaugh said they should show interest in each house by asking about specific events.

“One of the things I’m really impressed by is when women have questions for us,” Stombaugh said. “A lot of the time we’re asking them. It’s really impressive when there are women willing to learn.”

Schroeder said women should remain optimistic and be themselves, which some often forget.

“Cliche as it sounds, you need to keep a positive attitude,” Schroeder said. “It’s a very long weekend and it’s tiring, but there’s no better way than to get to know the greek system.”