While applying to college, joining a Greek organization was probably not the first thing on your mind. Now that you're here and getting adjusted, it is a great time to discover what student organizations have to offer. By going Greek, you can be more involved in the Columbia community, meeting new people and contributing to your school, whether it be going to a homecoming football game or participating in a fundraising project like Dance Marathon.
Sororities are a great deal of fun. There are mixers, formals, sisterhood dinners, and various outings. While joining a sorority can definitely fill up your social calendar, most activities are optional though recommended because they are always a great time. In addition to having a lot to do, you will also find that you have a large network of people to share your experiences with and to forge bonds of friendship that will last longer than your time at school.
Greek Organizations offer many ways to get involved with community service. Each sorority has its own philanthropy for which it hosts fundraising events throughout the year. There are also local opportunities to give back to the community, like serving at soup kitchens or tutoring middle school students.
Greek organizations also provide great networking opportunities. A large network of alumnae is more than happy to give advice or assistance concerning careers. Also, many current sisters hold fabulous internships and are proud to pass them along to their sisters. By joining a Greek organization, you not only get to meet and interact with the members of your organization but of the entire Greek community. In addition to membership, there are many leadership positions available in individual organizations and in the larger Greek community.
Most importantly, joining a sorority means becoming part of a sisterhood. Being away from home and in New York can be daunting at times, and members of Greek organizations find themselves extremely fortunate to have a family in the city with whom they can watch their favorite television shows, study for finals, or go out on a Saturday night. Most SDT sisters would agree that the sisterhood is the most rewarding aspect of joining the sorority and that it has improved their college experience more than they can describe. We hope to see you and share our experience with you at Recruitment!
The Formal Recruitment Process
Meet and Greet (First Party)
This is the first night of Formal Recruitment. You will be placed in a group with other women who are going through the Formal Recruitment process, known as PNMs (Potential New Member). You and your group are led by a Membership Recruitment Counselor. Your MRCs are members of sororities who will guide you by answering your questions. You won't know which sorority your MRCs are in because they disaffiliate in order to give you unbiased advice!
Each of the four sororities hosts a party and you'll get to attend all four and meet everyone! You'll spend 30 minutes with each sorority, and your MRC will lead you to and from each party! At these parties, each sister you meet will share information with you about her own sorority, as well as about the benefits of Greek Life at Columbia.
Philanthropy Brunch (Second Party)
The second party is a Philanthropy Brunch! You will again visit all four sororities, and you'll get to hear about each sororityÕs national philanthropy Ð ours being Prevent Child Abuse America (PCAA). Sigma Delta Tau hosts a great event every semester to raise money and awareness for PCAA. Two semesters ago, we hosted a great event at Artopolis with all-you-can-eat treats and last semester we hosted an wings eating contest! You'll spend 40 minutes with each of the sororities learning about their philanthropy and opportunities in the sororities for sisters, including social activities, alumnae life, sisterhood activities, leadership opportunities and more! Delicious brunch food will also be served!
Development Night (Third Party)
This time you'll only attend a maximum of three parties (see more information about this below). On this night, from us you will hear what makes SDT the place to be! We'll show a slideshow that gives you a chance to see what it's like to be a Sig Delt, with pictures from sisterhood events, social events and philanthropy/service events. You'll get to spend 50 minutes with each sorority so that you have more time to ask questions and spend time with sisters.
After spending time with all four sororities, we realize that it's important to show you what sets us apart. You'll learn about the career, academic, and personal benefits of being counted as a sister of Sigma Delta Tau, and you'll learn more about leadership opportunities, our new member program, awards we've received, events in which we participate, networking opportunities, and what sisterhood means to all of us.
Every Sig Delt is unique, and we all bring our own set of talents and interests to our sorority. But even though our majors, our school affiliation, our hometowns, and hobbies, might be different, we are all connected by the thread of sisterhood.
Preference Night (Fourth Party)
This is the final evening of Recruitment, and is a very elegant and special night. At our pref night, the sisters of Sigma Delta Tau will show you a small part of our ritual. You'll be paired with a sister who will be able to talk to you alone so that you have time to ask any last questions about Sigma Delta Tau, the lifelong bond of sisterhood, and the experience of being a Sig Delt. On this night, you'll visit a maximum of two sororities, and you'll spend an hour with each so that you have enough time to chat with the girls you've met and bonded with over the previous few days and see the ritual.
Bid Day
After pref night comes Bid Day where each PNM finds out if any of the sororities have offered them a bid, meaning they are extending an offer for membership to the PNM. Each PNM can only receive one bid, and while not every PNM is guaranteed a bid, the vast majority receive bids. Throughout the recruitment process, MRCs are always available to help explain how to increase a PNMÕs chances of receiving one. Bids are picked up from 12:00 PM-5:00 PM in the Panhellenic office and after picking up a bid, each PNM must call the recruitment chair of the sorority they received a bid from to accept or decline it.
Bid Night Festivities
Bid Day is often considered one of the best days of sorority life - it's the day that you could receive a bid from one sorority! You'll formally accept or decline the bid after you receive it, and then you'll meet with all of the sororities on College Walk and find out which other PNMs will be joining you as a new member! The MRCs, who led you through this experience, will also reveal to which sorority they belong! The night continues with fun and celebration with your new sisters!
Which Parties Do I Attend During Recruitment? How is this determined?
After each party, you and your fellow PNMs will fill out a confidential form ranking the sororities that you believe would be the best fit for your personally. Likewise, after each party, each sorority submits a list of PNMs who we think would be the best fit for us. Using a confidential process, matches are made, so that each PNM is matched with a sorority in which both the sorority, and you, the PNM, are interested! This is called the Mutual Selection Process. Your MRC will be able to answer more questions about this, but it is a great system because in the end, everyone is happy with where each PNM finds her home!
Please Contact Beth Malin, our VP Recruitment for further information.
