As the fall semester winds down, St. Joseph’s University, New York looks back on Greek Life recruitment on the Long Island Campus.
With three sororities and one fraternity, the Patchogue campus is full of Greek life, especially during their recruitment periods.
Recruitment happens twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring. Each chapter has an individualized way of recruiting new members, but all follow the same multi-day structure of potential new members (PNMs) meeting with the different chapters to learn about their values, members and events. Throughout these conversations and recruiting events, chapters and participants find the best fit before receiving or sending out a bid.
All four chapters on the Long Island Campus host many different events that potential new members can attend in order to find their perfect fit.
“Many of the events we host are crafts, like canvas painting, friendship bracelet making, vision board making and game nights,” said Vanessa Guarnieri, president of Theta Phi Alpha. “These events are designed to not only get potential new members involved but also initiated sisters involved as well, since this is a great way to break the ice and get girls talking about themselves and their favorite things.”
She continued, “It is important for potential new members to go to these open sisterhoods because these events are how we learn about you and how you would fit into our ideas, mission and values. The more authentic and real a potential new member is, the better it is for us to see how they would fit into our values and benefit the chapter in the future if they were to receive a bid.”
For the executive board of each chapter, the recruiting process is tedious but extremely rewarding.
“Each person on our Leadership Team has their own role in what happens within recruitment, but our Vice President of Recruitment, Leah, is the heart of it all,” said Carrie Ann Kraft, president of Delta Phi Epsilon. “Leah organizes what our shirts look like, is always in contact with our potential new members, makes gift baskets for the new girls, and also decorates our room for bid day!”
Bid day is the most important day for the chapters, because it is when PNMs are officially welcomed into the chapter.
“On Bid Day, we formally welcome PNMs into the chapter after they have been approved and signed the Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding Agreement (MRABA),” said Samantha Zappone, president of Alpha Gamma Delta. “Bid Day is important because it celebrates the start of the new member period, recognizes the commitment of the PNMs and fosters excitement and sisterhood as they begin their journey with our chapter.”
But recruitment does not end there. For the sisterhoods, new members must complete their six-week new member period.
“The next steps for our new sisters would be their New Member Education period that lasts six weeks. During this time our Vice President of Membership Development, Micky teaches them about Delta Phi Epsilon in more depth, like where and when we were established and our values. After that we hold a ritual to initiate them into Delta Phi Epsilon,” said Kraft.
Whereas, the brotherhoods have a different process.
“New members participate in our initiation ritual and receive an email within the next few days stating that they are official brothers of Alpha Phi Delta Fraternity,” said Kyle Hollander, president of Alpha Phi Delta.
Whether you choose Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Phi Delta, Delta Phi Epsilon, or Theta Phi Alpha, each chapter is a great way to make friends, get involved and build a lifelong professional network.
