Bid Day brought excitement and rewarding experiences among potential new members turned active members on January 19.
Bid Day is put on each spring by the Panhellenic Association to welcome accepted members to their new chapter houses. Potential new members have to write out their top three choices for a sorority that they would like to receive an invite, or “bid,” to join from, Dausinas said.
Potential new members who received a bid said that they had a positive experience with Bid Day.
“Bid Day was the most nerve-wracking, exciting, overwhelming, best day of my life,” said Emma Johnson, a freshman and new Alpha Omicron Pi sister. “I have no words for the feelings I had stepping off the bus and running to my new home.”
PHA raised their standards for this recruitment. This included a raise in GPA requirements when considering potential new members for chapters, said Monica Dirk, PHA vice president of recruitment.
To accommodate these changes, Rho Gammas did all they could to help potential new members, current Rho Gamma Paige Dausinas said. She said Rho Gammas are a group of 97 recruitment counselors for PHA who spend all fall semester preparing for spring recruitment by essentially leading a double life.
Dausinas had to completely disassociate herself from her chapter and change her name lest any potential new members discover which sorority she belongs to. She said Rho Gammas have to conceal this information so that the potential new members won't make a biased decision for their chapter.
“It’s been a bit challenging,” Dausinas said. “Certainly more than I anticipated.”
For the first eight weeks of the semester, Rho Gammas attended a class that taught how to be a leader and how to handle crises that may occur with potential new members.
For the following eight weeks, Rho Gammas had to attend regular meetings at chapter houses to go over the logistics of how to deal with ranking sorority preferences with potential new members, as well as the logistics of how each round of recruitment works.
On top of all this, Dausinas said she still had to attend all of her regular classes, as well as attend meetings for her sorority. Some of these had possible freshmen recruits, causing Dausinas to take extra precautions.
“We really depend on the Rho Gammas to keep this process going,” said Dirk, a former Rho Gamma.
Dirk said the goal of any Rho Gamma is to make sure potential new members are having a good and memorable experience, regardless of whether or not they are accepted into a sorority. In fact, she said she believes the most important job for a Rho Gamma is after Bid Day, when she will stay in contact with her potential new members who weren’t accepted into a sorority and “help them find a new path at IU.”
Dirk said she still keeps in contact with potential new members who were not accepted into a chapter last year when she was a Rho Gamma.
“I think that was a really cool part, as well,” Dirk said. “Knowing that they found their own place here, regardless of how recruitment worked out for them.”
IU sophomore Kennedy Harrell, who received a bid Alpha Gamma Delta member, said that she also had an “exciting” experience. She said that her Rho Gamma, Sydney Ellison, played a significant role in helping her through recruitment.
“My Rho Gam was amazing,” she said. “She is so funny and made the whole process really easy.”
Dausinas said she had nothing but fondness to express in regards to her first experiences with her Rho Gamma, saying that she “loved” the whole process.
“I’ve definitely taken a lot from her,” Dausinas said.
Harrell said she supports the idea of other women to go through recruitment in the future.
“I would encourage anyone who isn't sure to at least try because you could end up loving it, and if you don't, it's definitely an experience,” she said.
Dausinas said that their Rho Gamma experience was “rewarding." She said she encourages future sisters to become Rho Gammas and that it is great way for them to meet other women outside of their chapter.
“It’s really a great way to continue to get involved and deepen your love for the Panhellenic community more than you ever thought you could,” she said.
