When students arrive on campus for the first time, most of them are lost and confused. They don’t have any idea what extracurricular groups they want to be involved with, or even where some of their classes are. But for 92 women and more than 60 men, one thing was certain about this semester  — they wanted to go Greek.

“The new members are going to be a great asset to each chapter and to the community,” Interfraternity Council President Taylor Duval said. “They will eventually be leaders here on campus, and each fraternity has the power to help foster their growth in becoming leaders.”

There are four Panhellenic sororities and six fraternities on campus. Each chapter has its own recruitment process, with each taking a different approach to facilitate potential new members in finding which organization is right for them.

“For the Interfraternity Council, the process is informal,” Bazner said. “They do presentations on the backgrounds of each organization and then engage in conversations and activities throughout the week.”

Each fraternity has national advisors, alumni and guest speakers who aid in the recruitment process. Duval said this year was much more organized in comparison to previous years, with more teamwork displayed by each fraternity.

“Formal recruitment is a five-day process that enables the potential new members to meet active members of each fraternity in order to facilitate a confident decision by the chapter and potential new member,” Duval said. “The final day is Bid Day, and we have a rather unique style of going about our bid presentations.”

According to Duval, on Bid Day, potential new members arrive at the student center to receive their bid from each fraternity and that fraternity members are unaware of who has accepted or declined their bid.

The Interfraternity Council hosts a mock-NFL-draft-style event where each fraternity has shirts laid out on a table in front of an audience in Sunwatcher Plaza. The potential new members are announced individually, and hold up the shirt of the fraternity from which they accepted a bid. They then join their new fraternity brothers in the crowd.

For the sororities, incoming recruits spend four days in recruitment, while active members prepare for at least a month, making sure they are ready for the recruitment process and the incoming recruits.

“It is all worth it in the end when receiving a bid card, because being in a sorority isn’t just for four years, it’s for a lifetime,” Williamson said. ”Sororities allow you to become a volunteer, a leader, a team player, a hard worker. A woman.”

During the Panhellenic recruitment week, potential new members meet with all four organizations before making any selections. This ensures that recruits are exposed to each sorority equally, and they can make an informed decision of which is the best fit for them.

So far this year, the sororities have hosted an ice cream social, a “Meet the Greeks” pool party at the Wellness Center, and held a convocation highlighting the rules and guidelines of formal recruitment, among other things.

“The benefits of joining a sorority are endless,” Williamson said. “Not only do you gain a wonderful group of women who become your best friends, but unforgettable memories.”