Panhellenic members open up about the process, give tips for incoming participants
The beginning of a new school year means that formal Panhellenic recruitment is right around the corner. Though the percentage of UC Davis undergraduates involved in Greek life is small — only about 3,000 students participate out of 30,000 — many say it’s a meaningful opportunity that can only be taken advantage of in college.
The first week of school is action-packed, especially for girls looking to join a sorority in Davis. This year, recruitment begins on Sept. 27. Panhellenic has also extended the recruitment process to two weekends instead of one. “Rush” will conclude on Oct. 6 and, hopefully, with a bid from the house of one’s choice.
Erin Love, president of recruitment for the UC Davis Panhellenic Association, gave a few pointers for any girls hoping to go Greek.
“Recruitment will begin with an orientation evening and then each day will be centered around different discussion points that are important to our chapters, such as philanthropy and sisterhood,” Love said. “Each woman who signs up for the recruitment will be given a recruitment counselor who will help them through the process, facilitate new friendships and make the transition to college easier.”
Formal Panhellenic recruitment is described as a “mutual selection process,” with each girl picking her top houses and each house picking their top prospective members. All chapters try their best to make recruitment a values-based process.
Conversations become more serious as the days inch toward the final step of the rush process: preference evening. Interactions will become longer with the goal of establishing a genuine connection between potential new members and chapter members.
Second-year mechanical engineering major Annaya Tyagi is excited for the upcoming process and explained why she is rushing.
“I want to be a part of a group of women who are working towards philanthropy while overall having fun,” said Tyagi.
There are nine sororities at Davis. Eight participate in rush week and one, Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi, UC Davis’s resident associative sorority, conducts a separate informal rush week for prospective candidates.
Janina Larsen, a fourth-year clinical nutrition major and Panhellenic recruitment counselor — also known as a Pi Rho Chi — gave her thoughts on the extensive process.
“Coming to college can be a really stressful time, especially for freshmen and junior transfers,” Larsen said. “Joining the Greek community here at UC Davis is a great way to make a really big campus feel smaller and more like home. By going through recruitment, you’re joining a community that values academics, social responsibility and genuine friendship.”
Interested students should visit www.davispanhellenic.org for additional information, including a detailed schedule and outfit recommendations.
Written by: Isabella Beristain — features@theaggie.org
