Troy University Guide to Sorority Recruitment

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Welcome toSorority Recruitment

Troy University National Panhellenic Council would like to welcome you to Troy University and is so excited that you have considered joining sorority recruitment! Sorority recruitment is a great way to make friendships that will last a lifetime. Many women find that through a sorority they get adjusted to campus life quicker and easier, because that is what a sorority is here to help them do.

Fall recruitment begins on August 8 and continues through August 13. During fall formal recruitment you will be attending parties at each sorority house where you will be able to meet the sorority women, learn more of what each sorority is like. Giving you the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about events, financial obligations, scholarships, new member programs, or even campus life in general. It is very important to keep an open mind throughout this process in order to carefully decide where you fit in the Greek system. Troy University Panhellenic Council encourages you to go through formal recruitment to see if sorority life is a fit for you.

Spring recruitment is informal at Troy University. Some sororities are able to recruit members in the spring semester through a process called continuous open bidding. But note that usually, fewer than five women participate in continuous open bidding. Again, we feel the best time to join a sorority is during fall formal recruitment.

Eligibility & RegistrationPOLICIES

High school graduatesmust have a 2.2 overall average (on a 4.0 scale)

& be accepted to Troy University

Upperclassmen at Troymust have a 2.2 overall average

Transfer studentsmust have a 2.2 overall average based on 12 hours; if a transfer student has fewer than 12 hours, her eligibility will be based on her high school grade point average. This eligibility policy for recruitment is designed to help new students become academically oriented at the University, before becoming

involved in the sorority aspect of campus life. The Panhellenic Council’s membership recruitment eligibility policy is a minimum requirement. Each sorority sets their own academic standards for joining. The sorority women will carefully evaluate the grades and high school activities of each individual going through recruitment,

when making membership decisions.

REGISTRATIONMay 1 you can register for recruitment:

troy.edu/greek/sororitylife/howtoregister.htmlCarefully follow the instructions on this page,

before you open the recruitment application. This will make the process quick and easy! There is an $80 fee that will increase to $95 after July 15. At the conclusion of online registration you may pay by debit card, credit card or e-check. Up until Monday, July 25, we will refund $60 of the registration fee, if you withdraw from recruitment. However, there will be no refunds after Monday, July 25, for withdrawals. Registration will end on July 25.

COMPLETING THE ONLINE REGISTRATION

HOUSINGOn-Campus Housing

If you are scheduled to live in a residence hall this year, you will be living in your assigned residence hall room during recruitment. Residence hall check in for those participating in sorority recruitment will be on Saturday, August 6 from 8 to 4 pm and Sunday, August 7 from 1 to 4 pm. Housing has one central location for all residents to check-in. This location will be Sartain Hall. When you arrive on campus you will go to Sartain Hall Lobby and check in there and receive your key. From Sartain Hall you will then go move into your residence hall. We will give housing the names of all women going through recruitment and they will have keys to all residence halls. Housing will expect you to check-in on Saturday, August 6 or Sunday, August 7 if you are living on campus. Please note that the first day of sorority recruitment is divided up into two days, Monday, August 8 and Tuesday, August 9. Half of the women will go to events on one of these two days and the other half will have a free day to set up their residence hall room, run errands, etc. On Sunday, August 7 we will notify you whether you will be going through recruitment on August 8 or 9.

Off-Campus HousingIf you will not be living in university housing this fall, you must make your own arrangements for housing off

campus during membership recruitment week. Often, we get phone calls from women telling us that their apartment complexes will not let them move in early. If that is your case, we recommend staying at a hotel or with a friend.

DININGPlease note that the meal plans for on campus residents will start on Saturday, August 13, so you will be

responsible for paying for your own meals during recruitment week. Recruitment groups will usually have one meal off campus each day.

During Recruitment Week

PARTIESThere are three fun-filled rounds of events during recruitment

week. All potential members attend five events the first day. Please Note: There are 18 events scheduled for Philanthropy

Day (between Monday & Tuesday), 12 events scheduled for Sisterhood and Values Day between Wednesday & Thursday and eight events for preference day on (Friday).

Your recruitment counselor will inform you which parties you will attend each day. A potential member may attend a maximum of four Sisterhood and Values Day events and may attend two Preference events. The object of recruitment is to obtain enough information from each sorority to decide which is best for you. You will not visit the same house more than once per round of recruitment. All schedules must be issued through official Panhellenic channels. Any violations should be reported to a Recruitment Counselor or the Panhellenic Advisor.

What to Expect from Membership Recruitment

Membership recruitment is FUN. Relax and be yourself. Even though you may be nervous, the sorority women are just as anxious as you. They want to make a good impression on you just as you do them. Go through membership recruitment with an open mind. Do not listen to rumors, be swayed by material possessions or make your choice before you come. Follow membership recruitment procedures carefully. If you have any questions, consult your Recruitment Counselor. Also, food and drink are not served at any of the recruitment events. Be sure to eat before attending the parties.

RECRUITMENT Q&A

what should I bring to parties?

Only carry a minimum amount of items with you to parties (keys, phone, ID, and make-up should suffice)

Can I go home right after recruitment?

You may not want to plan on going home before classes start. Most sororities have formal pledging or other events immediately after recruitment. Also, new freshmen will be attending the Odyssey Convocation the Sunday after bid day.

What is a Bid?A bid is an offer to a Potential New

Member to join a sorority. At the conclusion of the last preferential event, PNMs must go to a designated area to sign their preference card. After the preference card is signed and turned in, it is a binding agreement and may not be changed. If a PNM receives a bid from one of her preference sororities and decides against joining, she is ineligible to join another sorority for a calendar year. Only the written bids distributed by the NPC are official. Any suggestion of a bid from a sorority member is to be ignored, as no one individual member may speak for her entire sorority.

Letters of RecommendationA letter of recommendation, also known as “rec”, is a recruitments information form written

by an alumna in order to introduce a potential new member to the sorority chapter. You are encouraged to ask any alumna that you know to write a letter of recommendation for you.

Alpha Delta PiTROY Box 821104Troy, AL 36082alphadeltapi@troy.edu

Alpha Gamma DeltaTROY Box 820981Troy, AL 36082alphagam@troy.edu

Chi OmegaTROY Box 821769Troy, AL 36082chiomega@troy.edu

Kappa DeltaTROY Box 821004Troy, AL 36082kappadelta@troy.edu

Phi MuTROY Box 820185Troy, AL 36082phimu@troy.edu

Helpful Hint:Pre-address envelopes and attach your resume

and a picture of yourself to give to the alumna!

Sorority alumnae must get forms from the national website of their organization by logging in. Forms are not available on public websites and from our office. Alumnae may also contact the sorority email above.

Sorority Recruitment Check in and Orientation

We will have sorority recruitment check-in Sunday, August 7 in Smith Hall, Claudia Crosby Theater from 5:30 to 6 pm. You will check in and receive your name tag and T-shirt for Philanthropy Day. We will have a large group orientation meeting in the Claudia Crosby Theater from 6 to 7 pm. After the large group meeting, you will break into small groups and meet with your Pi Chis. In the small group you will get to know everyone in your group and go over your recruitment schedule. Dress for orientation is T-shirts and shorts.

We know that many of you will move into residence hall rooms and apartments on Saturday, August 6. Our Pi Chis will also arrive on August 6. They will be going to many of the churches in our area on Sunday morning August 7. If you are here and want to go to church with our Pi Chis and other recruits we will e-mail a schedule out on Friday, August 5. We will have you meet Pi Chis at the Trojan Center 1st floor food court lobby and go to church from there.

Backpack for KidsBackpack for Kids is an initiative started by our Troy University Freshman Forum and is coordinated with Troy

University’s office of Civic Engagement. The mission is to provide underprivileged Headstart students food for over the weekend. Headstart children are given each Friday a backpack with food items to take home over the weekend. On Monday morning, they return the backpack to be stuffed for the following weekend.

Each year Panhellenic asks the women going through recruitment to support a local charitable effort. Over the years we have sponsored the American Red Cross, the local zoo, women’s shelters and Sav-a-Life. This year we selected to help Backpack for Kids. We are asking you to bring some food items for Backpack for Kids to recruitment check-in on Sunday, August 7. Food items needed are: Easy Mac, Chef Boyardee, Beef Ravioli, Tuna, Hormel Plain Chili Micro Cup, Animal Crackers, Crackers, Chips, Fruit Gummies, Pudding Cups, Granola Bars, Del Fruit To-Go Cups, Raisins, Fruit Cups, Oatmeal, Pop Tarts, NUT-rition Healthy Mix, Grits, and Cereal. Thank you for your support!

Tip: These two days are the longest and you will be doing a lot of walking so that is why we have you dressed comfortably for the day. Note that there are 18 parties but you will be scheduled to go to 5 out of the eighteen. This means you will have a free day. On your free day Downtown Troy will be hosting sorority recruits and have special shopping deals. Plan on spending part of your free day with your Pi Chi group shopping and having lunch!

• Monday & Tuesday August 8 & 9, 2016Philanthropy Day 1Event 1: 8:15 – 8:50Event 2: 9:00 – 9:35Event 3: 9:45 – 10:20Event 4: 10:30 – 11:05Event 5: 11:15 – 11:50Event 6: 12:00 – 12:35BreakEvent 7: 1:35 – 2:10Event 8: 2:20 – 2:55Event 9: 3:05 – 3:40Event 10: 3:50 – 4: 25Event 11: 4:35 – 5:10

Philanthropy Day What to Expect: Service and giving to others is the theme for this day.

You will be visiting each sorority for 35 minutes. You will be welcomed at the door with a song as you enter the chapter’s house, and a sister will greet each of you at the door. They will introduce you to other members so be prepared to tell them about yourself. The sororities may guide you in a craft project that they will use for their philanthropy or watch a video about the philanthropy. Please note that you will be going to five events this day.

What to Wear: Recruitment T-shirts (provided by Panhellenic Association)

and casual shorts or skirt with tennis shoes, flip flops or sandals. On Sunday, August 7 at Orientation you will receive the T-shirt you will wear for Philanthropy Day.

Philanthropy Day 2Event 1: 9:00 – 9:35Event 2: 9:45 – 10:20Event 3: 10:30 – 11:05Event 4: 11:15 – 11:50Event 5: 12:00 – 12:35Event 6: 12:45 – 1:20Event 7: 1:30- 2:05

Sisterhood & Values Day

TIP: This is the day when you learn about each chapter. Digging deeper into what they are about. Think hard about what you have to offer to this chapter and what this chapter has to offer you!

• WEDNESDAY, August 10, 2016Theme Day 1 Event 1: 1:00 – 1:45Event 2: 2:00 – 2:45Event 3: 3:00 – 3:45Event 4: 4:00 – 4:45BreakEvent 5: 6:00 – 6:45Event 6: 7:00 – 7:45Event 7: 8:00 – 8:45

•Thursday, August 11, 2016Theme Day 2Event 1: 9:00 – 9:45Event 2: 10:00 – 10:45Event 3: 11:00 – 11:45Event 4: 12:00 – 12:45Event 5: 1:00 – 1:45

What to Expect: Sisterhood and Values Day is designed to help you learn

more about the bonds of sisterhood of each sorority and hear about their values. You should be thinking about which sorority would be the most comfortable “home away from home” for you. Take a good look at how the women of the sorority interact with one another. Is the bond of sisterhood strong? This is your special time to communicate one-on-one with the sorority women. The conversation is longer and more meaningful. You should begin to look for certain qualities in the sororities and their members. On this day you will be scheduled to attend various parties with a limit to four different sororities.

What to Wear: A causal cute dress, or skirt and top. Paired with sandals,

wedges, heels or flats.

TIP: Look around the room at each of your events. Many of the other PNMs present could be your pledge sisters, so make sure that you feel comfortable.

• Friday, August 12, 2016Preference Event 1: 12:00 – 12:50Event 2: 1:05 – 1:55Event 3: 2:10 – 3:00Event 4: 3:15 – 4:05Event 5: 4:20 - 5:10Event 6: 5:55 – 6:45Event 7: 7:00 – 7:50Event 8: 8:05 – 8:55

Preference DayWhat to Expect: Preference events are the most serious of the events held during membership

recruitment week. Sorority members begin to introduce you to their bonds of sisterhood. By Preference Day, you will be thinking seriously about which sorority is best for you, and you may take part in a special ceremony. A sorority member may talk privately with you about your feelings toward the sorority and answer any final questions you may have, helping you in your decision making process. During this time, you should listen carefully to what the women tell you about their ideals of sisterhood. Listen to what they say, for these women are revealing to you the strong characteristics of their sorority. Ask the women what their sorority means to them. This is a very serious event, where the atmosphere is serene. You will be scheduled for a maximum of two parties this day.

What to Wear: Church dress with heels, perhaps a dress that you would

wear to an evening wedding.

Bid DayWhat to Expect: The last event of membership recruitment is Bid Day. You may receive

an invitation to join or your Recruitment Counselor may tell you that you did not receive a bid. If your bid did not match, you are eligible for continuous open bidding. All potential members will gather in the Elm Street Gym by 8:45 a.m. to receive their bid and to walk to sorority hill no later than 9:30 a.m. Friends and Family should be on Sorority Hill by 9:15 a.m. to view Bid Day. Friends and family are not allowed in the Elm Street Gym during the distribution of bids. Each sorority will host an event for their new members that evening. You may be obligated to pay pledge fees this night. You will also meet with your new member educator that evening. She will go over a schedule with you that you will follow for the next couple of days.

What to Wear: A Troy T-shirt with shorts and comfortable shoes. You will receive a

T-shirt with your new sorority letters when you reach your sorority!TIP: This is a very exciting and long day.

Make sure to get a good night’s rest, as some chapters will have a retreat planned immediately after Bid Day!!

Social Media EtiquetteWe are very sensitive to our recruits (you!) being contacted by sorority women over the summer. We know that

social media is most everyone’s favorite way to communicate and share information. We have rules concerning social media that our sorority women must follow and think it is important for you to know what we expect.

We want you to know that if you have been friends with one of our sorority members before Trojan Day and IMPACT, such as having been high school friends, you can and should continue those contacts and friendships, and may use social media and continue normal activities with them.

But, it is against Panhellenic rules for the sorority women to be adding you on any form of social media including; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc if they are not your close friend. For instance if you meet a sorority woman at IMPACT browse, neither you nor she may add each other. By adding sorority women on social media, you may be hurting your chances to be placed in a sorority. If a sorority woman adds you, she is breaking Panhellenic rules and she as well as her sorority will receive consequences. IMPACT leaders that are also in a sorority are the only exception to this rule.

You may follow the individual sororities’ social media, but they are not allowed to follow you back or comment on your post. An example: you may follow Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Chi Omega, Kappa Delta, and Phi Mu, but they are not to follow you back. As a side note our sorority woman are to deactivate their individual forms of social media from August 3 through August 13. While you our recruits are not required to deactivate their social media, if you wish to do so we recommend from August 7 to August 13.

The social media and no contact Panhellenic rules are set in place for the recruits to go through the recruitment process with an open mind. We want you all to view our sororities equally and to have a fair chance with all sororities. Sorority recruitment week is a time for you to meet and get to know all our sororities and we do not want you to prejudge our groups because of social media.