Thursday is the first night of sorority recruitment week, a week some students have been dreaming of since they first arrived on campus.
Belmont has four panhellenic chapters, all with their own values and traditions that make them unique.
Alpha Gamma Delta’s focus is fighting hunger, which they do by partnering and volunteering with local foodbanks around Nashville.
Alpha Sigma Tau works with Girls Inc., which advocates for policies to overcome barriers that try and stop girls from succeeding.
Kappa Alpha Theta teams up with Court Appointed Special Advocates to help children that have been abused or neglected.
Phi Mu partners with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, specifically Monroe Carell Jr.’s Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
All the sororities support St. Jude as well.
“As far as our Panhellenic sororities go, there are many ways in which the Belmont community is impacted. Many of our members hold positions all across campus such as in Student Government, TT leaders, Bruin Recruiters, and so much more,” said Belmont Panhellenic Vice President of Recruitment Gretchen Stalnaker.
There are about 275 students who signed up for formal recruitment.
The first day of formal recruitment is the Open House where participants get to visit each chapter.
Over the next two days, students will be asked back to certain sororities to learn more about that chapter’s big picture.
It all ends on Sunday with Bid Day.
“On Bid Day, participants receive a bid from one of the chapters and get to “run home” to their new community. The chapters spend the rest of the day celebrating all the hard work they put in and the acceptance of a whole new member class,” said Stalnaker.
Sorority recruitment is different at Belmont because it takes place in the spring, and there is a 100% bid policy allowing a guaranteed bid as long as you participate, have a 3.0 GPA and follow all the guidelines.
Something else to know is that Belmont sororities do not have houses.
Instead, they meet in different places around campus.
But regardless of what chapter students find themselves in, Belmont Panhellenic President of Recruitment Lauren Prickett said that they should enjoy the experience.
“My biggest piece of advice for someone going through the recruitment process would be to have an open mind and to trust the outcome,” said Prickett “These few days can be overwhelming at times with ranges in emotions, stress, and other academic responsibilities to take care of on top of participating in recruitment, so I think it’s crucial to be graceful with yourself and to know that each of our chapters here on campus are so special.”
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This article was written by Bree Fabbie