As students arrive on campus this fall, they are met with a variety of student organizations and clubs that they can join. One of the most prominent student organizations being Greek Life. Greek Life has deep-rooted foundations at the University of North Dakota (UND) dating back to nearly a century. This has given the Greek Life community the opportunity to spark the interest of thousands of students from all areas and of all ages.
This past week of Sept. 8 through 14 both the Fraternity and Sorority official recruitment process took place. Both established members of Greek Life and incoming members enjoyed this past week full of fun events, socializing and ultimately finding their forever home.
Greek Life has many benefits and draws the interest of students for a variety of reasons. It can be viewed by many as a sense of community, a sisterhood or brotherhood, and a home away from home. The community that Greek Life brings to students can help them adjust to leaving their homes and families as well as give them the opportunity to build new connections, create a support system and participate in fun activities.
“Joining Greek Life offers students a great way to meet new people and create life-long connections,” said Vice President of Recruitment for the Panhellenic Council, Tasia Staudinger.
Many students put time and effort into preparing for recruitment. From things like planning outfits, to preparing questions to ask current members and determining which chapter’s values align most with their own. All of these aspects of preparation helped students feel confident in their ability to find the chapter that is best fit for them.
Another aspect of Greek Life that sparks the interest of many students is the community involvement opportunities that it brings. The Greek life chapters are actively involved in the Grand Forks community through volunteering, fundraisers for charities, and hosting and attending philanthropy events.
“The value of philanthropy in Greek life is a big reason of why I want to join,” said Fr. Ellie Lopez. “Being able to give back to the community and those less fortunate is an amazing opportunity that it provides to its members.”
Although the recruitment process started long before this fall, this past week students were given the opportunity to meet all of the Greek life chapters and build strong connections with each of them. The Fraternity recruitment week consisted of more laidback events where the interested students were able to get to know the current members, find out more about the fraternity, play fun games and enjoy some free food.
Sorority Recruitment follows a structured schedule for students, consisting of three rounds. Within these three rounds students met each chapter, built connections, and narrowed down their options each day until they finally received their official offer or bid on Sunday night. After opening their bids, the new members ran to their respective chapters house and celebrated with their new family.
“Running home to my chapter on bid night will always be a happy memory for me that I hold dear to my heart,” said Staudinger.
The excitement of rush week has been felt all around campus. Students meeting new friends, making life-long connections and running back to their new home away from home has put a happy ending to this fall’s recruitment.
Sonya Skar is a Dakota Student General Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].
