The office of Greek Life held open recruitment Jan. 22 and 23 for the first time instead of the separate recruiting events held by fraternities and sororities in the past. Tom Stephens, greek life coordinator said he has hopes that this new way of inviting future participants will be beneficial for both the incoming Greeks and the fraternities and sororities.

Although Stephens enjoys all elements of Greek life, he does say the individual presentations can sometimes go “overboard” in expense without bringing in a lot of new recruits.

“Greek life is all about friendship,” Stephens said. He sees open recruitment as a way to reach the most potential friends.

Stephens said his goal is to simplify the enrollment process so students can readily see the benefits of being involved with a fraternity or sorority.

Janee Rogers, president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, said the new “open recruitment” is a way to make the recruitment process “more relaxed, less uptight and more fun.”

Rogers cites student involvement as a big benefit of Greek life. Greek students are involved throughout campus life including SGA, SPA, athletics and other leadership positions.

Each fraternity and sorority had a booth in the Bollinger Memorial Student Union highlighting the history and goals of the organization on Monday, Jan. 22 and Tuesday, Jan. 23.

Prospective recruits had an opportunity to meet with members and officers to ask questions about Greek life, requirements and expectations. There will be a joint recruitment social with refreshments served Monday night.

Alex Ludwig, president of the Interfraternity Council, said he expects this spring to bring in more recruits than last year. He said he is in favor of open recruitment because he feels it is able to unify the different fraternities and sororities.

To join a fraternity or sorority you must be a full-time student and you must also meet these GPA requirements: 2.0 for IFC organizations, 2.4 for NPC and 2.3 for NPHC chapters.