With a new school year barely under way, members of Baker University’s fraternities and sororities have already recruited new members.
Although the men’s and women’s recruitment processes are similar, some differences exist, including the way in which prospective members are divided for the week’s activities, the process of accepting invitations and bids and the maximum number of bids each house can give.
Senior Dave McCain, Delta Tau Delta fraternity president, said the men were divided into four groups and spent an equal amount of time at each house on Monday and Tuesday.
McCain said the men chose two houses to visit on Wednesday night and at least one house on Thursday night. McCain said the process wraps up today with the men choosing which bid to accept.
“On Thursday night, we take the bid cards to Gessner (Hall) and slide them under the guys’ doors,” he said. “On Friday morning, they take their bid cards to (Director of Greek Life) Bryan VanOsdale and pick up a shirt. “
On the women’s side, each sorority chooses a Gamma Chi to represent their house. The Gamma Chis are each in charge of a group of women, but their sorority remains confidential until the recruitment process is over.
Senior Leslie Kersting, Zeta Tau Alpha sorority president, said the women get to visit all four houses on Monday and Tuesday nights but only attend the houses they are invited back to on Wednesday and Thursday.
“On Wednesday night, the girls get to sit around and talk and really get to know some of the members,” Kersting said. “We do the same thing on Thursday, and hopefully you can figure out whether this is the right place for you.”
Gamma Chi Tracie Spring said Gamma Chis mainly try to help the women find the right sorority for them.
“We really try to encourage as many girls as possible to participate,” she said. “We also encourage girls to try to find a place that really fits them.”
Spring said the women’s process is based on a quota system, which creates a set number of women the sororities can give bids to. At the beginning of the week about 86 women were going through recruitment.
On Thursday night, the sororities notified the Gamma Chis of which women they would like to give a bid. The women rank the houses by interest, eliminating the possibility of receiving multiple bids.