By Lucy Ruscitto | Staff Writer
The return of “Sisterhood Day” extended this year’s Baylor Panhellenic recruitment process from four to five days.
Sisterhood Day was recently reinstated to this year’s week of Panhellenic Recruitment and had not existed at Baylor since 2017’s Recruitment. This year, 901 female Baylor students participated in sorority recruitment.
Southlake senior Whitney Woods is the Vice President of Membership for her sorority, and her chapter position plays a principal role during the week of Panhellenic Recruitment.
Woods said that because of Baylor’s most recent chapter addition, Alpha Phi, candidates were given an additional day in recruitment to experience more chapters.
“Instead of just three days to go from nine to one [sororities], they can go over a longer period of time with Sisterhood Day,” Woods said.
Recruitment began on Tuesday with Open House Day where potential new members, or PNMs, were led through the Stacy Riddle Forum to visit all nine sororities alongside their Gamma Chis.
“A Gamma Chi is an active member of a sorority who steps into a neutral role to guide PNMs through the recruitment process,” Baylor Panhellenic’s online Recruitment guidebook said.
Wednesday saw Panhellenic recruits take part in Philanthropy Day, in which girls had narrowed the number of chapters they were to visit to seven or less. This depends on which chapters requested their presence back again or not the following day, according to Baylor Panhellenic’s online Recruitment guidebook. This is also known as the mutual selection process.
Friday was preference day, where PNMs visited two chapters for a longer period of time. The goal of Preference Day is for future members to decide which sorority felt most like home to them, the online guidebook said.
In between Philanthropy and Preference Day, Thursday was the restored Sisterhood Day.
“Sisterhood Day is an opportunity for each chapter to showcase what they do as a sisterhood. Their friends, different events that they put on and the relationships formed,” Woods said.
In Woods opinion, the separation between Philanthropy Day and Sisterhood gave the PNMs more insight to each chapter’s morals and what they treasure.
Lexington, KY freshman Haidyn Chudy took part in Panhellenic Recruitment this year, and said Sisterhood Day was a valuable addition to the 2020 Panhellenic Recruitment.
“It was a day that you were able to really go deeper, and your connections with the ladies you’ve met in the sorority,” Chudy said. “Seeing how members of the stories have extended their friendship and sisterhood to me, even though I wasn’t a part of their chapter, really helped solidify what I felt was home for me.”
Throughout the week, the PNMs are reminded of what lies at the core of each chapter, whether that be the group’s philanthropy, events or overall values. Chudy said that Sisterhood Day combines a bit of both.
“I was really excited for the sisterhood and being able to give back to my community as well as create lifelong friendships, and I feel like those are some of the most important aspects of a sorority,” Chudy said.
