Every fall, Nicholls women are given the opportunity to become involved by participating in Greek recruitment in hopes of joining a sorority. Greek recruitment is a four-day process giving women the opportunity to meet and greet with various sororities and eventually be paired with a fitting chapter.
“I decided to go through recruitment because I wanted to be involved in an organization while in school,” Amber Zorn, freshman from Morgan City, said, “Being involved is very important to me, and it was a chance to make new friends. I was really nervous about joining a sorority because I had so many unanswered questions, and I was scared I wasn’t going to be able to make time with all of my schoolwork.”
Being a part of the Greek community involves “leadership, organized community service, philanthropy and personal development,” Rushton Johnson, dean of student life, said.
On the first night of recruitment, each woman interested in joining a National Panhellenic Council sorority is given the opportunity to attend three sorority parties. The girls are then given 30 minutes in each party to learn about the sorority’s philanthropy.
“I enjoyed this night the most because you got to find out their [the sorority] compassion in helping people in their particular philanthropy,” Zorn said.
The second night of recruitment is slide show night. Girls are invited back by particular sororities, maybe all three, two or even just one. Slide show night gives the potential members the opportunity to see what the girls do for fun throughout the year and the events they attend.
“I really enjoyed meeting and talking to the girls that chose me for the night. All of them made me feel very comfortable and welcomed to their sorority,” Zorn said.
The third night of the recruitment process is preference night. This is the time where girls are going to make a final decision on which sorority they would like to join.
“Preference night was an emotional night for most girls. Each sorority shared their true feelings about the sorority they belong to. I felt really comfortable, welcomed and like I belonged with the girls. I could see myself sharing a sisterhood with many of the girls,” Zorn said.
The final day of recruitment is Bid Day. On this day, the chosen girls find out to which sorority they have been accepted. After the girls receive their bid card with their new sorority, they meet their active sorority members.
“It was a very exciting moment. It is the most amazing thing to see how happy everyone is when their new sisters come in to join them and it is the most welcoming feeling. Greek recruitment was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone. Even though at moments it may have been overwhelming, I’m glad I went through it,” Zorn said.
Johnson said students are more likely to be happy when they are connected, and connections happen at Greek recruitment.
“Greek recruitment is an excellent opportunity to meet people, not just members, but also friends. It is also an excellent opportunity to make career connections,” Johnson said.
