Ninety-five women received bids at the conclusion of the winter Panhellenic sorority recruitment on Tuesday, according to Panhellenic Council vice president of recruitment Mandy Bowers ’14.
At Alpha Phi sorority, 13 bids were accepted; Alpha Xi Delta sorority, 12; Delta Delta Delta sorority, 13; Epsilon Kappa Theta sorority, 8; Kappa Delta sorority, 12; Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority, 10; Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, 12; and Sigma Delta sorority, 13, sorority members said. A representative from EKT added that due to its open recruitment process, its numbers are not yet final.
Five Panhell members announced their decision to abstain from winter recruitment, citing systemic discrimination the Greek system. Sorority presidents, however, voted to proceed with recruitment.
New and existing sorority members had mixed views on the changes made to recruitment, including a discussion of finances and open question-and-answer session that replaced the songs traditionally performed by sorority members during the first two rounds of rush.
Panhell president Eliana Piper ’14, one of the five abstaining Panhell executives, said in an email that the changes were small and virtually ineffective given the systemic issues identified in the “call to action” message, though she said she believes that the concerns she and other authors expressed have gained traction in the community.
Shari Liu ’14, EKT president, said the changes represent a positive development, but further reform must occur.
“In my mind, any opportunity for potential new members to think more critically about affiliation is an opportunity worth pursuing,” she said in an email. “I hope that the events of the past few weeks have set a precedent for the next set of Greek leaders.”
Several students who rushed in the fall and again this term offered conflicting opinions on the changes.
Vickie Pan ’16 said that she didn’t notice many substantial changes during rush this winter, as she was stressed and anxious in the fall as well.
She added that although fewer women participated, winter rush did not feel as relaxed as she had been told.
“I think it was just as superficial,” she said. “I don’t think anything changed.”
Carene Mekertichyan ’16 said she felt the changes made rush more transparent, more informative and less superficial. Though she had thought she knew which sorority she wanted to join, her discussions with sorority members challenged her initial impressions, she said.
Mariel Wallace ’16 said the process was more relaxed in the winter, though she also felt more comfortable due to her previous knowledge of how it worked.
While she felt the changes provided some good information, Wallace said, it was difficult for her to remain neutral during the process.
“I think when you rush for the second time, it’s harder to keep an open mind,” she said. “You’ve rushed before, you know the ’16s. I rushed with a very good idea of what I want.”
Mekertichyan said she found the informational panels and the finance discussion helpful, but said she believes sorority rush should be amended further to resemble the fraternity recruitment process.
Piper said that sorority presidents should spearhead future initiatives to further reform recruitment.
Presidents of Alpha Phi, AZD, Tri-Delt, KD, KDE, Kappa and Sigma Delt did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
