Formal Recruitment (a.k.a Rush) is a five day event that all national sororities on campus are involved in to gain membership. Sorority girls view this as the “most important thing we do all year” and put extreme effort into the event.

Recruitment is divided into five days; Open House, Philanthropy Night, Skit Night, Preference Night, and Bid day.

The Open House Night consists of alumni from each chapter showing off their lodges. The rushees can ask any questions they have to the alumni that are on hand.

Open House night is the most relaxed. The girls aren’t there to meet any active members, just to look around at what the lodges have to offer.

The second night is Philanthropy Night.

This night allows each chapter to educate potential new members on the philanthropies that they work hard to support throughout the year.

Alpha Delta Pi supports Ronald McDonald House. Alpha Omicron Pi supports the Arthritis Research Foundation. Chi Omega’s pull together to aid the Make-A-Wish Foundation. And the ladies of Zeta Tau Alpha work endless hours for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

The third night of recruitment is skit night. This is an opportunity for the chapters to show their creative side. They get to sing, dance, and boogie down to songs that they creatively change to reflect the characteristics of their individual chapters.

ADPi preformed a theatrical piece of the Grand Ole Opry, ADPi style. This included visits from Miss Minnie Pearl, Sara Evans and even local Jessica Andrews. The ADPi sisters made this skit humorous, while still including the values of their chapter.

The sisters of AOPi did a heartfelt Christmas theme. They preformed a skit meant to simulate the feeling you get at Christmas time. They believe that the feeling you get at Christmas mirrors the feeling you get by being an AOPi. Their lodge was filled with snowmen, Christmas trees and the smell of cinnamon sticks. AOPi’s welcomed potential new members with sounds of Christmas carols as they entered the lodge.

The sisters of Chi Omega preformed a skit that tied into the theme “Planet Chi-O.” This included many upbeat songs such as “What I Like About You”, “Out of this World” and “Foot Loose.” They introduced the potential new members to the many Chi-O traditions of excellence.

Last but not least is the Chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha. They preformed “ZTA Choice Awards”. This was an event devoted towards the different aspects of ZTA as told through song. They too had visits from celebrity impersonators including: Michelle Branch, New Kids on the Block and Pink.

The next to last day of this event was Preference Night. On this night, potential new members were invited back to the lodges that they may receive a bid from the next day.

The final day of this big event is Bid day, which takes place in the Quad. This is where all sororities gather to welcome their new members.

Bid Day marks the beginning of new friendships and the start of a new year.

So, in the end, is formal recruitment really worth all of the effort put into it? One hundred forty new members can say that it is. This year, each sorority reach quota with 35 new girls. Way to go!