Sorority Recruitment

Panhellenic recruitment is an exciting opportunity that enables women interested in joining a sorority the opportunity to learn about the meaning and benefits of sorority life.

Learn About Our Sororities at College of Charleston

• Alpha Delta Pi
• Chi Omega
• Delta Delta Delta
• Delta Gamma
• Kappa Alpha Theta
• Kappa Delta
• Phi Mu
• Sigma Delta Tau
• Zeta Tau Alpha

Informal Recruitment Process

Each spring semester a few sororities do hold an informal recruitment process. The organizations participating in informal recruitment vary from year to year. Informal recruitment is usually kicked off by a Meet & Greet sponsored by the Panhellenic Council during the first or second week of classes. At that event Potential New Members will have a chance to meet the sororities who are participating in the informal recruitment process and will receive information about recruitment events from each participating sorority. Please contact Katherine Pezzella at pezzellaka@cofc.edu if you have any questions.

Formal Recruitment Process

Formal sorority recruitment is organized, coordinated, and managed by the Panhellenic Council. It takes place prior to the start of each fall semester and involves four rounds of parties (recruitment events). During these parties, sorority members will meet and converse with potential new members (PNMs).

Formal Recruitment Dates

Formal Recruitment for Fall 2012 will be held August 14-19th.*

Preliminary Schedule:

August 14, 2012: Recruitment Convocation

August 15, 2012: Open House Night (On campus)

August 16, 2012: Philanthropy Night (On campus)

August 17, 2012: Sisterhood Night (On campus)

August 18, 2012: Preference Night (In chapter houses)

August 19, 2012: Bid Day!

*Incoming CofC students who are attending Orientation Session #10 or Summer Preview will not be able to participate in Formal Recruitment, so please plan accordingly. No exceptions can be made.

Please contact the Greek Life Office or email cofc.recruitment@gmail.com if you have any questions. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at CofC Panhellenic and @CofCPanhellenic!

REGISTER FOR RECRUITMENT HERE

Please use this link to register for Panhellenic Fall Recruitment 2012. You will be asked to enter your payment information for the $65 recruitment fee upon registration.

Event Details & What to Expect

Early Move-In Information

Arrangements are being made to accomodate students who register for recruitment on time and are living on campus to move into their rooms early. Depending on the date that you register you may receive an Early Move-In packet in the mail from the Department of Residence Life. If you do not receive a packet DO NOT WORRY, you can still move in. If you do not receive the parking pass in the mail, one will be available for you on Sunday when you check-in that you can use. If you have any questions about move-in please contact the Department of Residence Life at 843.953.5523.

If you register for recruitment after the deadline, you are responsible for your own accommodations and will need to move in to your residence hall during your regularly assigned time and date.

Dining Options for Recruitment Week

On-campus meal plans do not go into effect until dinner on Friday, August 17th. Arrangements are being made to provide lunch to women participating in Recruitment on Wednesday, August 15th. You will be responsible for covering the cost of the other meals during that week, but some group meal trips will be planned! You can eat on campus in dining locations that are open but will need to plan to have cash or credit to pay since the meal plans will not go into effect until dinner on August 17th.  You can visit the Dining Services website for information on hours of operation for the dining facilities during that week.

Recruitment Schedule

The first event is a mandatory Recruitment Convocation held on campus before recruitment rounds begin. The suggested dress is casual. Potential New Members (PNMs) will not be meeting sorority women at this time. You will meet and be introduced to the Executive Board for Panhellenic and the Panhellenic recruitment counselors that have worked long and hard for recruitment to be a huge success. All questions will be answered and schedules for the weekend will be distributed at this meeting.

Open House consists of nine parties that last 20 minutes where the PNM will visit all nine chapters for a meet-and-greet type setting.

Philanthropy Day consists of up to six parties lasting 30 minutes. In this round, the PNM will participate in an activity (usually making a craft) that will support each individual chapter's philanthropy. This is wonderful opportunity to ask more in-depth questions.

Sisterhood consists of up to four parties lasting 40 minutes. This round is where most chapters either do a presentation of some nature that gives you insight into the sisterhood bonds that exist between the members. PNMs should continue to ask questions about sorority life in general and each specific chapter. The sisters will help answer your questions by sharing their personal feelings about their individual chapter.

Preference Round consists of up to two parties lasting forty-five minutes each. The sorority members will explain to PMNs what it means to be a member of their sorority and what their sorority could offer you. Think back on the previous rounds and recall what you liked best about these sororities and why you would choose to join a particular group. When choosing a sorority, keep things in perspective.

On bid day you, will receive a bid to one chapter. From that point on, you will be a new member of that chapter. However, you will not be initiated into the chapter until weeks after bid day.

1. Expect to be nervous and stressed. It’s natural to have butterflies in your stomach when you meet the chapters, but it will get easier as the days progress. And remember, the sisters are just as nervous as you! They also feel a lot of pressure to find new sisters for their chapter. Just relax and smile, and recruitment will breeze by.
2. Expect to meet a lot of new people! One of the best parts of recruitment is all the new people you meet, both peers and upperclass women. You may find your new best friend right in your recruitment group. At any rate, you're guaranteed to end recruitment with a whole bunch of new friends.
3. Expect to be asked questions. Recruitment relies a lot on conversation and interaction to help you meet the sisters and for them to meet you. They want to know more about you, so don't be surprised if they ask you questions. At the same time, we encourage you to ask your own questions of them. You're trying to find out more about them, too!
4. Expect to have fun! Recruitment is not always serious. Your new sisters will be a lot of fun to meet!

What to Wear

Check out the What to Wear Guide to help you plan for what to wear during recruitment. Remember, do not stress about outfits, it is about who you are not what you are wearing that really matters during recruitment.

Pi Chi's - Who They Are, How They Help

Upon registration for recruitment, each Potential New Member is assigned a recruitment counselor (Pi Chi). Recruitment counselors are sorority women, who have chosen to disaffiliate from their sorority during the recruitment period, in order be a trustworthy resource and source of aid for the women going through recruitment. Since their sorority membership is unknown, Potential New Members should feel comfortable discussing their options and asking candid questions of their recruitment counselors.

Recruitment counselors will usually oversee a group of approximately 15 to 20 women during recruitment. Pi Chi’s will meet with their PNM's before and after each round, both to provide them with their schedules for the round and to offer guidance to the women.

You should feel free to ask Pi Chi’s any questions you have before, during, or after recruitment. They are there to help! All of the recruitment counselors have gone through the recruitment process themselves and have many more sorority experiences to share.

What is a Recommendation and do I need one?

A recommendation or a "rec" is just that, a letter of recommendation typically written by an alumna of a particular sorority "recommending" you to that organization.

At some schools recs are very important but at the College of Charleston they are encouraged, but they certainly are not required.

If you do have a rec, you may send it to:
[Name of Sorority]
c/o Greek Life
97 Wentworth Annex
Charleston, SC 29424

Contact Us

We try to inform you through our website so that you feel comfortable with recruitment at the College of Charleston. If you or your parents have any further questions, concerns or just need advice, please contact:

The Office of Greek Life at 843.953.6320
The Director of Recruitment at cofc.recruitment@gmail.com