Spring recruitment, a staple in greek life, has just begun for all those aspiring to join sororities in the Panhellenic Association at Syracuse University.

This year, current sorority members have their work cut out for them, as they can expect an incoming pledge class of roughly 800, Michelle Buchwalter, a sophomore broadcast journalism major and member of sorority Phi Sigma Sigma said in an e-mail interview.

The recruitment process, which is scheduled for the next two weeks, begins tonight in Goldstein auditorium and culminates two weeks later with bid night, when a select number of potential new members (PNMs) are placed into one of 12 houses.

Recruitment will mirror the events of previous years which include a house tour, philanthropy introduction and numerous opportunities for PNMs to meet members of current sororities.

PNMs have already been through a preliminary round of meetings, one last weekend and one Thursday when pledges met their Rho Gamma advisors-a group of sorority members who guide the participants through the recruitment process without revealing which house they belong to.

As for the process itself, only minor changes were made to the traditional recruitment week schedule, dividing the house tours into two separate ’rounds,’ or events and pushing the philanthropy portion to the first Sunday of rush week.

The reason for the change is mainly to avoid the traffic of PNMs during the house tours portion, said Jordan Long, president of the Panhellenic Executive Board – the administrative council for sororities.

The theme for this year’s spring recruitment is, ‘There’s no place like home,’ and it marks the recruitment week’s heavier focus on philanthropic information for PNMs, Long said.

This spring recruitment will be the first opportunity for freshmen to join a sorority, and although the process will be foreign to them, prospective members said it will be a good opportunity for them to become closer with their fellow classmates.

‘I am open to all houses, but I am really looking forward to meeting people to have a big group of friends. I want to have the experience and see how it goes to see if I like anything,’ said Hannah Messinger, an undeclared freshman in The College of Arts and Sciences.

Danielle Raybberg, a freshman public relations major, agreed, citing both camaraderie and campus involvement as her reasons for rushing this spring.

‘It a big part of social life, and I want to get more involved in that,’ she said. ‘It’s a great way to get to meet new people and do more activities on campus.’

Current sorority members encourage the enthusiastic attitude of all the PNMs, as they share their positive experiences with the pledges.

‘I feel that choosing to rush is a great decision,’ Buchwalter said. ‘It gives you an opportunity to make new friends, gets you involved on campus and even works to your advantage academically. I wish all the new potential members good luck with the recruitment process.’

-Contributing writer Laura DePalma assisted in the reporting of this story

Published on January 31, 2008 at 12:00 pm