Bama Rush. TikTok. Legally Blonde. Even Scream Queens. Greek life in pop culture’s colleges and universities is quite different than it is at Gustavus. When I first arrived here, I knew there was some kind of Greek system, but I didn’t really know what it was compared to what I had seen elsewhere.
To begin with, one of the largest differences is that you have to be a sophomore or older to join a chapter. This is to “…ensure [that] students have a solid grasp of life at Gustavus before jumping into a commitment,” said Panhellenic Vice President of Recruitment Arie Bergeron. When it came to going through recruitment myself, this felt sensible because I had the time to establish myself first as a college student: Who I was on campus, what I was already involved in, how I enjoyed spending my free time. The “delay” helped me figure out which chapter would be the best fit for me.
Gustavus has seven chapters: three fraternities—Kappa Sigma Chi (aka Kappas), Tau Psi Omega (Reds), and Epsilon Pi Alpha (Eppies), and four sororities—two national chapters, Sigma Sigma Sigma (Tri-Sig) and Alpha Sigma Tau (Alpha Tau or AST); and two local chapters, Delta Phi Omega (Deltas) and Theta Xi Omega (Thetas). All the fraternities are local chapters, which means their recruitment process looks a little different from the sororities’. Recruitment is more formal for sororities, as there are different standards the College has to follow because of the connection to national chapters.
Gustavus has no dedicated sorority or fraternity houses, so instead of visiting house to house, each chapter sets up in a room and PNMs (Potential New Members) take turns visiting and getting to know more about each chapter.
There are four nights of formal recruitment, each with a particular theme that typically relates to leadership, philanthropy, and belonging. The last night is Preference Night, aka “Pref Night.” This is different from the other nights in that you don’t go to all four sorority rooms. Instead, you select your three favorites to attend. Chapters invite their top recruits for a final opportunity to connect and inspire them to join their sisterhood. PNMs then visit the rooms they prefer.
Each year’s recruitment looks a little different as the sororities always try to make subtle improvements. This year, for instance, recruitment took place in Jackson Campus Center rather than in Confer-Vickner, and having a Panhellenic Council means the College’s national sororities require the Inter-Greek Council (IGC) to have a Panhellenic representative. “Panhellenic at Gustavus is working to take over recruitment such as Formal [Recruitment], 365 [Recruitment], and other informal events,” said Panhellenic President Kaylee Cepress ‘28. “Our main goal is to get the student body involved in Greek life and to view it as a positive environment, rather than one that offers many negative connotations and viewpoints surrounding fraternities and sororities.”
After formal recruitment ends, PNMs input their top two preferences online. Chapters submit their bid lists of students they are extending an offer to. From there, the algorithm in the program Gustavus uses, Campus Director, matches up PNMs to chapters and sends the bids. The following four days are a “silent period” for all chapters. Sorority members cannot talk about recruitment to PNMs during this time, which relieves pressure on the PNMs who are deciding which bid to accept. At other schools, this silent period typically begins on the first day of formal recruitment, rather than after Preference Night. Members can still interact with PNMs about other topics or events, but the silent period ensures that no PNM feels pressured to choose their chapter based on someone else’s opinion.
Once all bids are extended, the silent period is over and it’s time to celebrate! Fraternities and sororities welcome new brothers and sisters with New Member Education throughout October and via other events, such as the large speaker event that the IGC hosts to kick off New Member Education.
For me, sorority life at Gustavus has opened up an entire world of opportunities. After going through recruitment and seeing what Greek life was like here, Alpha Sigma Tau felt like the place I belonged. Without AST, I wouldn’t have met the wonderful women I call my sisters today. I have been to research presentations, theater performances, and sporting events I might have never attended or heard about without them. Life at Gustavus has opened up to me tenfold since adding sorority involvement to my time here on the Hill.
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