The Ultimate Guide To Sorority Recruitment At DePaul University
Let me just start off by saying that joining a sorority was one of the best decisions of my college experience. It was also something I hadn’t planned on doing. I didn’t tell anyone that I was interested in joining one, and I did not have an older mentor to inquire about the DePaul sorority recruitment process. It was right before starting my freshman year – summer 2011 to be exact – when I decided to look into the sororities on DePaul’s campus through social media. After creeping way too long on Facebook, I mustered up the courage to register for formal sorority recruitment at DePaul.
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I didn’t expect much from it, and even forgot about it all together until the brisk September air reminded me that my college career had in fact begun. I would have never thought that I would join a sorority, let alone meet my best girlfriends and gain philanthropic and leadership experience. After four years of countless Sunday chapter meetings, formals, and sisterhoods – two of which I was a Rho Gamma – I had accumulated some valuable tips that helped shape my personal experience and personal advice for going through recruitment at DePaul University.
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The Basics
First things first. There are eight Panhellenic sororities offered at DePaul University. These are Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Alpha Xi Delta, Chi Omega, Delta Gamma, Delta Zeta, and Phi Mu. Each girl going through DePaul sorority recruitment will have the chance to meet with the sororities listed above and learn about their traditions, philanthropy, chapter culture, and more.
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Learn the lingo.
There is a special language during recruitment at DePaul that you will need to familiarize yourself with when considering joining a sorority. I have listed out the most common phrases below. Learn them, live them, love them. They are the first step towards understanding what recruitment week is all about!
PHC – Panhellenic Council
The governing council overlooking DePaul’s eight sororities on campus.
Rho Gamma – Recruitment Councilor
Leaders who guide PNMs through the recruitment process.
PNM – Potential New Member
A girl going through the recruitment process.
Bid
A formal invitation from a given sorority offered at the end of formal recruitment.
Running Home
After receiving a bid, New Members “run” home to their sorority in DePaul’s Quad.
Attend the fall Involvement Fair.
This is probably the most important DePaul event of the entire year. The all day event is held in September, before the beginning of recruitment, on DePaul’s quad. This is the perfect opportunity to ask each sorority important questions about financial and time requirements, the chapter’s philanthropy, involvement on campus, grade requirements, and more. DePaul Panhellenic Council’s table will be your go-to for specific recruitment dates and times, descriptions of each night, and where to register!
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There is no Greek Row.
Contrary to your State school friends, there are no sorority or fraternity houses at DePaul. Take a moment for disappointed shock. It’s normal. Now take a moment to realize the beautiful potential of not having to share a room or live with an ungodly amount of hormones under one roof. What DePaul doesn’t have in housing is made up with Sunday chapter at the Student Center and spending a lot of time during recruitment at Cortelyou Commons (the “Church building”) and DePaul’s Art Museum under the Fullerton El stop.
While there may not be sorority houses – or a football team to tailgate at with your sisters – DePaul sororities have a city full of endless opportunities at their fingertips. What other school gets to say they had a sisterhood event at a Chicago Bulls game or cheering on the Chicago Cubs? I rest my case.
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Rounds start early and end late.
One of the most important aspects about recruitment that is often overlooked is making sure you are available to attend the entire week of events. Rounds start as early as 4:30 p.m. and can go as late as 9:30 at night. For this reason it’s important to make sure that you do not have any conflicting responsibilities during the week of recruitment. Remember, it’s a process of elimination on both ends, and a bid is not guaranteed. It is in your best interest, and the chapters’, for you to see and get to know each of them as much as you can!
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Brush up on letter etiquette.
It is not required to submit a letter of recommendation if you are a legacy to a specific chapter offered at DePaul. It is, however, common courtesy to write a letter for the chapters if you cannot attend a night of recruitment. Common excuses for missing include night class, work, or an emergency. Receiving a letter from a PNM is a nice way to let the chapters know that you are excited for the recruitment process and look forward to getting to know them. Just like in kindergarten, if you bring a cupcake for one person you must bring one for the entire class. Make sure to print out enough letter copies for all eight sororities!
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Rho Gammas are life.
These girls have gone through months of training to give you the best recruitment experience possible. Rho Gammas, also known as Recruitment Councilors, lead each group of PNMs through recruitment at DePaul by answering questions on each chapter and accompanying you to each round. They will be your go-to for EVERYTHING. From addressing concerns to arranging group outings, your Rho Gammas will become your close friend within a short amount of time. They gave up their letters so that you could find yours. I do mean this literally, seeing that all Rho Gammas disaffiliate and delete their social media accounts during formal recruitment so that there are no swayed feelings towards one chapter over another. They are here for YOU.
Tip: Don’t constantly ask your Rho Gammas what their chapter affiliation is; they can’t tell you until the big reveal on Bid Day!
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There WILL be cheering.
Each sorority has specific songs, cheers, colors, symbols, and mascots that will be displayed in their rooms throughout formal recruitment. This may come as an overload to your senses at first, but by the last night of recruitment you’ll be singing the memorized verses along with them (I say this from personal experience) and know each of their specific identifiers.
Pro Advice: Don’t judge a sorority solely based on their colors or mascots. It’s done more often than girls like to admit. It’s not about the things on the outside that make joining a sorority an experience of a lifetime, but rather the friendships and connections you make with the girls in a chapter.
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Avoid the five b’s.
All PNMs are asked to stay away from five specific topics while having a conversation with an active chapter member during recruitment at DePaul – boys, booze, Barack, the Bible, and brands. In other words, don’t talk about boys, partying and drinking, politics, religion, or clothing brands. This will be one of the first things your Rho Gamma leaders will tell your group. Why stay away from conversations that come up in everyday life? It’s simple. Recruitment is about finding out what chapter is the best fit for you. This means truly getting to know a person without talking points that sway an opinion or turn conversation to judgment. Think you can get away with talking about the five b’s without your Rho Gammas knowing? It’s unlikely. Rho Gammas hear everything, especially if the conversation made an active chapter member uncomfortable. Each sorority is aware that you are not supposed to talk about the five b’s – remember, they were once in your shoes – so purposely breaking these requests leaves a very bad impression!
Note: Just because these five topics are not talked about during recruitment doesn’t mean DePaul sororities are living under a rock. For example, there are many social mixers held throughout the year with both sororities and fraternities on campus!
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Pay attention to each chapter’s philanthropy.
Each chapter has their own unique philanthropy that they support as a sorority, both regionally and nationally. It is wise to pay attention to which philanthropies you’d like to be involved in because most, if not all, of the sorority events held on campus benefit them! Supported philanthropies at DePaul include Make-A-Wish, Autism Speaks, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Special Olympics, S. June Smith Center, Girls on the Run, Service for Sight, The Golden Anchor Program, The Starkey Hearing Foundation, Juvenile Arthritis and Arthritis Research, and The Alpha Phi Foundation. Philanthropy Night during recruitment at DePaul gives PNMs the chance to learn about philanthropy events, leadership opportunities, and chapter success stories.
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You might not end up where your best friend does, and that’s okay.
Your letters do not define who you hang out with. They say that out of all the girls in your chapter, 80% will become close acquaintances and only 20% will become your best friends. The great thing about DePaul’s Panhellenic sororities is that they all support each other, and with that support comes friendship. Some of my best girlfriends include those from other chapters that also served as Rho Gammas and those that I met through events on campus!
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Bid Day is one big Chicago takeover (and you’ll secretly love it).
You made it to Bid Day! Cue Beyoncé dance. After the anticipated Rho Gamma affiliation reveal and running home to your chapter, it’s time for a day of fun with your new sorority sisters. From Shed Aquarium dolphin shows to photo ops at The Bean to riding the Seadog at Navy Pier, Bid Day after recruitment at DePaul is nothing short of a pure Chicago experience (not to mention you get to strut around the city in matching themed outfits creating Insta-worthy shots).
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You’ll make lifelong friendships.
There are many benefits to recruitment at DePaul, including leadership opportunities, networking connections, and philanthropic and volunteer involvement. Past that, however, lies a very rare, very cherished friendship that can only be found if you give yourself the chance to create it. From Starbucks runs to accidentally matching more than once, having a sisterhood means always having someone there for you to call up, whatever your need may be. My undergraduate adventure began at DePaul and ended with my heart belonging to 100 sisters.
