WHAT IS RECRUITMENT LIKE?
FALL RECRUITMENT
Fall recruitment is a formal process that is both values-based and a mutual selection. Registration is required to participate in formal recruitment. You can find the registration link at the top of this page, by clicking the "Register Now" button starting on June 1.
By values-based, we mean that each chapter is looking for women who uphold their organizational values and have similar ideals and beliefs. We also mean that you should expect for conversations to focus on what is truly important to you and makes you unique.
By mutual selection, we mean that both the organizations and potential new members have a say in this process. It is never solely the chapters’ decision on who to invite to be members. It also isn’t fully the choice of potential new members. Together, chapters and potential new members are working to find the best fit for everyone.
Potential new members (PNMs) will travel to each sorority house on the first full day of formal recruitment to meet each chapter and learn more about what makes them unique. At the end of this day, PNMs will return to the Student Union to input their preferences of which organizations they would most like to visit the next day. Our recruitment follows a 6-4-2-1 schedule: you will visit 6 chapters on Day 1, up to 4 chapters on Day 2, and up to 2 chapters on Day 3. On Bid Day (typically the Tuesday evening after Labor Day), PNMs will return to the Student Union to learn which sorority has offered them an invitation to membership!
Check back in the summer for more information on fall recruitment for 2022.
SPRING RECRUITMENT
Recruitment in the spring is still a mutual-selection process, but it is not formal. The College Panhellenic will organize a "sorority fair" for those organizations participating in spring recruitment, but after that it is up to individual chapters to plan and promote events. Please note that due to how chapter membership total works, not all sororities are guaranteed to be able to recruit in the spring. The fall is the best time to maximize your options!
YOU DO HAVE TO REGISTER
There is a fee - $50 per registration. The primary recruitment process has many moving parts and we have to prepare in advance to welcome every woman to the process; registration opens each summer on June 1 and closes around the first week of fall classes.
PRIMARY RECRUITMENT TAKES PLACE OVER LABOR DAY WEEKEND EACH FALL
If you already know you won’t be able to be on campus over Labor Day Weekend, it will probably be better for you join in the spring or the following fall. Recruitment is all about conversations and making connections—you need to be in person for this. Fall 2021 sorority recruitment is expected to have a hybrid format of both in-person and virtual events. More information will be released as fall approaches.
YOU DO NOT NEED LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN RECRUITMENT
We promise—while letters of reference might be important at other colleges and universities, our sorority members are much more interested in getting to know you. Think of it like this: if you know a sorority alumna who is a member of one of our organizations, her letter will be a great first step in meeting her sorority but only a baby step. And if you don’t know any sorority women, don’t stress. (If you are having letters of recommendation written on your behalf, sorority alumnae should follow their organization’s submission process; the College Panhellenic and Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life do not accept letters submitted to them.)
THE DRESS CODE FOR RECRUITMENT
There is a dress code, but nothing too out of the ordinary. For the first round, think denim shorts/skirts, a t-shirt, and comfortable shoes. Round two is a little dressier but something like a summer dress, romper, or jumpsuit will be great. Preference round is the most formal of the week—picture a trendy little black dress or similar and functional shoes.
Is there a limit on how many women can join sororities in the fall?
Absolutely not! While most organizations have similar new member class sizes, this is due to how the recruitment process works. The more women who participate in the recruitment process only increases the number those new member classes could be. If every women not in a sorority registers for formal recruitment, it is possible all of those women could join!
RECRUITMENT COUNSELORS
You will have 4-5 Recruitment Counselors (current sorority women) who will lead you through the recruitment process and make sure you feel prepared and ready to go.
WHAT DO I TALK ABOUT DURING RECRUITMENT?
We will give you resources and examples of things to talk about and expect to come up during recruitment conversations. Our sorority women will lead these conversations as you are their guest and want to get to know you! (But don’t forget, you have to feel at home with them too.)
FALL RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE
Fall recruitment works like a funnel: during round one you meet all six NPC affiliated chapters, during round two you’ll return to and continue the conversation with up to four chapters, and during preference round you will spend a final period of time with up to two chapters.
STILL NOT SURE...
Fall recruitment isn’t for everyone—maybe you don’t like super organization, structured process, maybe you feel you aren’t ready to join a sorority yet, whatever the reason this is totally okay. You can join our sorority community when it makes the most sense for you. Spring recruitment is much less structured, but we can’t guarantee who will recruit each spring.
SIGNING BIDS
Once you join the sorority where you feel at home (which might not be where your best friend feels most at home, that’s okay) you’ll be required to sign a financial agreement specific to the sorority you join. This could be for a full academic year, on a semester-to-semester basis, or something else. Our sororities will talk to you about the financial commitment that come with joining—but make sure you have reflected on what is financially reasonable and sustainable for you.
Please reach out for any questions or more information about Fraternity & Sorority Life at the University of Utah.
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