Behrend’s Greek life organizations are dedicating the first six weeks of the spring semester to recruiting new members through a series of events where students interested in joining a fraternity or sorority are given the opportunity to meet each chapter and learn about their contributions to student life.

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The first recruitment event of the semester for sorority chapters kicked off Jan. 17 in Burke with, “Recruitment Kickoff,” held by the four sorority chapters on campus. The event allowed women interested in joining a chapter the opportunity to meet with each one through a rotating group exercise. The fraternity chapters on campus held a series of events as well during the first few weeks of classes, including an introduction to each fraternity chapter at the spring Club Showcase on Jan. 10. Fraternity chapter, Delta Chi, held other recruitment events, including a pool night at Oliver’s, a pool night at Andy’s pub and a house tour. Future events include a Spaghetti Dinner at the Delta Chi house Jan. 30 and a Winter Delta Chi Poker Championship Feb. 1.

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President of Delta Chi and biology major, Andy Sanford, encourages students to join a fraternity or sorority as he believes the values of the organization help an individual grow as a person as well as a student.

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“The brothers of the Delta Chi Fraternity stand for the promotion of friendship, development of character, advancement of justice, and the acquisition of a sound education,” Sanford said. “By being a member of Delta Chi, we strive to help any brothers in need. If you struggle in a class, we have a programs set in place to assist in any help one may need. I personally noticed an increase in my social life when I began my involvement in Delta Chi.”

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The last two weeks of the recruitment process are filled with events hosted by each individual chapter. Sororities tend to focus on simple activities which allow potential new members to get to know more about the chapter and how they align with the values of the organization, said Lizzie Young, junior biology pre-med major and president of the Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority.

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“Recruitment events are also very low-stress as we all know how a process like FSL (Fraternity and Sorority Life) recruitment can be a bit nerve wracking,” Young added.

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However, with sorority, Phi Sigma Rho, the recruitment process differs in certain criteria compared to other sorority chapters. As a Social Engineering, Engineering Technology and Science Sorority, the members are required to recruit potential students whose majors meet the requirements of the Panhellenic council, a board which represents all four sorority chapters at Behrend. The majors that are accepted include engineering technology, chemistry, physics, and (IBE) interdisciplinary business with engineering studies. If a major is questionable, Phi Sigma Rho will contact the national office to determine if a potential member fits the criteria of the major requirement.

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Greek life organizations continue to face the changes of the new reforms which were put into place at the beginning of fall semester after the unfortunate death of Penn State student, Timothy Piazza. The reforms, which primarily focused on re-establishing student safety, also passed new measures such as the prohibition of Greek life organizations recruiting first semester freshman and the requirement that all candidates must complete 14 hours of Penn State credit to be eligible to join an organization. These new rules have affected the Greek life organization’s recruitment process.

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As president of Delta Chi chapter, Sanford believes it’s important for incoming freshman to become involved in clubs and organizations during their fall semester. “Due to this policy change, students are uninterested in joining Greek lettered organizations in their later semesters,” Sanford said. “This may be a result from them having pre-existing enrollment in other clubs and organizations. I agree wholeheartedly that the culture at University Park needed to be evaluated after that tragic night, however; we, as the Behrend Greek community, should not be penalized for the actions of University Park.”

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Amanda Mostowy, senior interdisciplinary business with engineering studies major and president of Phi Sigma Rho, witnessed a slight decrease in member recruitment last semester due to the changes.

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“The new rules have made it a bit more difficult for chapters to recruit in the fall semester when most freshman come into college excited to see what clubs and organizations are available to them,” Mostowy said.

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Nevertheless, Mostowy believes the new rules allow first semester freshman to break into their college workload and settle into their new classes before committing to a Greek life organization.

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“However, the spring semesters have been a lot more prosperous under these new rules as the freshmen who came to college in the fall all have enough credits now to join,” Mostowy said. “Hopefully this semester will be very successful for all of greek life so that we can allow as many students as possible to find a support system for years to come!”

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Associate Director of Student Activities, Lindsey Hopkins Hall, is planning to present an online format to potential members which will include the values of Greek life organizations as well as Penn State’s values, and concluding with information about hazing and the resources available in reporting it.  Hall referred to Alexander Astin’s Theory of Involvement, which suggests that student involvement in extra-curricular activities such as student organizations, leadership positions, and activity in campus residence halls has a positive correlation with a student’s performance in their academics.

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“For the fall 2017 semester, six of the eight chapters have above a 3.0 chapter GPA,” Hall said. “The size of our chapters present unique leadership opportunities for our fraternity and sorority members. Many of them have to take on a leadership role, whereas in larger organizations, they may be less likely to have that chance.”

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The sororities will hold Bid Day Friday, Feb. 6, where each chapter will formally give their bids, or invitations, to the women who are interested in joining their chapter. The fraternities, however, hold bids on an individual chapter basis, where the interested student must have a ¾ affirmative vote from the members of the chapter in order to receive a bid. Their bid acceptance eligibility will last two semesters, and if accepting a bid at a later time, the student’s GPA must be at or above a 2.5. However, Greek life organizations continue to recruit new members throughout the semester.