By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff Writer
While some students continued to rest during their winter break, over 1,000 Baylor women flocked to the Stacy Riddle Forum to participate in the Panhellenic’s formal sorority recruitment. The event took place from January 8 to January 12, however, many women had prepared during the previous semester for the week that laid ahead.
Formal sorority recruitment week includes a schedule with days highlighting various aspects of each sorority, including each philanthropy and dynamic sisterhood. Through a mutual selection process, the goal is for young women to ultimately join a group that they favor and matches up with each sorority’s decision as well.
On January 12th, students still participating in recruitment received a bid, or an invitation, to one of Baylor’s eight existing chapters- Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Pi Beta Phi and Zeta Tau Alpha.
Alpha Phi, Baylor’s newest sorority, also participated in the first day of recruitment and is preparing for their own rush process taking place from January 29 to February 6.
Throughout rush, potential new members have the chance to interact and converse with young women belonging to all of Baylor sororities. Waco freshman Kylie Akin appreciated the genuine connections and conversations she had with girls in her sorority, Chi Omega.
“Anytime I entered the Chi Omega room, it didn’t feel as if I was going through rush,” Akin said. “It truly felt like I was at home. The conversations I had were incredibly genuine and it was clear that these women were proud of their sorority and their faith.”
Out of all of the days included in Baylor’s sorority rush, Akin said that the most impactful for her was Preference Day, which focuses on personal connections and sisterhood.
“In both of the rooms I went into, I got to sit and have conversations with girls that I knew and loved,” Akin said. “Both sororities shared special aspects of their sisterhood. It was an emotional day and I shed a few tears, but it was a very special time.”
Dallas freshman Susannah Turner mentioned the stressful nature of rush, especially for freshmen living in the dorms and surrounded by fellow potential new members.
“Rush was definitely more involved than I thought it would be,” Turner said. “It got more emotional the more tired the girls got. Especially in Collins where the majority of the residents all rushed, the atmosphere was very frantic and stressful.”
Despite the nerves and stress rush can bring on, Turner saw the process as worth the anticipation, and is excited about joining her new sorority Zeta Tau Alpha and participating in its philanthropic efforts.
“The thing that stood out to me about Zeta was that the girls were so genuine and accepting of everyone — I was able to look around the room and see the beauty and diversity in the sisterhood,” Turner said. “Philanthropy day was very meaningful to me because my mom is a breast cancer survivor and Zeta’s philanthropy is breast cancer awareness. The personal stories I heard were ones I could relate to and I found out that a lot of girls’ moms or aunts were survivors as well. I really connected with that.”
Bolingbrook, Ill., freshman Hannah Yeung appreciated the effort that current members of her new sorority Alpha Delta Pi made to ensure that each potential new member had the best rush experience possible.
“When I was introduced to members, I was taken aback that I wasn’t being introduced to a ‘friend’ but a ‘sister’,” Yeung said. “I could feel the sincerity and bonds that held ADPi together. While we are not the biggest chapter, I think the size is part of what makes the sisterhood so tight knit.”
Yeung appreciated rush events and bid day, but was also pleasantly surprised and impacted by the bonds she shared with other students going through rush.
“I was surprised by how supportive the PNMs were of each other since so much of rush consists of PNMs being compared,” Yeung said. “I was surprised by how many heartfelt friendships I made during rush week.”
