Saturday marked the last day of sorority recruitment as 119 women received bids to formally join one of the eight sororities at WCU.”Bid Day,” as it is appropriately titled, was the final day of a strenuous two and a half week process where potential new members went to various meetings, by each sorority, hosted in order to determine which one they wanted to join.
The whole process began on Sept. 14 as the Panhellenic Counselors (Pi Chis) introduced themselves and gave the potential new members information on the process of formal recruitment.
The Pi Chiʼs job was to counsel the girls on the sororities and serve as a helping hand if they had any questions.
Sept. 19 was the “round robin” day. On this day, each of the sororities
hosted informal meetings, where they introduced themselves to the new members and gave a little information about who they are. This was the first day that the girls could get a feel for each sorority.
On Sept. 22 and 23, “philanthropy night” was held. On these nights, the girls went to each sorority and participated in their philanthropic event, which was making “birthday bags” for the children of Camp Dreamcatcher.
The first round of eliminations came on Sept. 24. On this day, titled “Post Office,” was where the girls chose what three sororities they felt were ones that they did not want to join.
How would you like to have a tailgating party, a beach trip, and a nightclub all in one day? For the new members, Sept. 26 was that day. Each sorority hosted a “theme night,” where particular rooms in Sykes were transformed into these festive ideas.
The next “Post Office” occurred on Sept. 28. On this day, each girl narrowed her choices from five sororities to three. Preference nights occurred from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1. On these nights, the girls visited their three remaining sororities and observed some of the rituals associated with them.
On Oct. 2, it all came to a close. “Bid Day,” which was held in Ehinger Gym, was exciting for all who attended. The eight sororities all lined up in a horseshoe formation on the floor, while the potential new members sat up in the bleachers. One by one, each Pi Chi walked up with her girls and announced which sorority was accepting them as a new member.
After all 119 new members were announced, the Pi Chis did something that they have not done since the beginning of summer.
They took off their Pi Chi letters to reveal which sorority they were actually a sister of. After all of the festivities, each sorority brought the girls back to their houses and hosted an alcoholfree sleepover, where each of the new members and sisters got to know each other.