After this year’s CPC Formal Recruitment, Seton Hall’s Greek Life community grew by 22.2 percent according to Greek Life liason Michael Davis.
The recruitment process kicked off with the annual Meet the Sororities event Jan. 17, with nearly 200 women from all classes and even some transfer students, Davis explained.
“It was great to see so many women interested in going Greek and being able get to know them all a little bit through the formal recruitment process,” said Alpha Omicron Pi president Laura Way.
This year’s Meet the Sororities included Alpha Omicron Pi, Delta Phi Epsilon, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Phi, Alpha Sigma Tau and newcomer Zeta Tau Alpha. The event serves as marketing for Formal Recruitment.
“It allows women to learn more about each organization before they commit to registering for the Formal Recruitment process,” Davis said.
The recruitment process occurs over a course of three days in which potential new members learn more about each sorority.
“During recruitment, we are just hoping to get our values out and have women understand what we are about,” said Amanda Shute, formal chair of Alpha Sigma Tau.
Each day potential new members narrowed down their choices to two organizations they would like to join, while each sorority creates a list of women that they feel embody their values and ideals.
“This year we had 144 women match with organizations, slightly lower than last year’s number of 187,” Davis said.
This is in part due to the many “sophomores and upperclassmen who would’ve went through the Formal Recruitment Process this semester” but joined ZTA during the fall instead, Davis said.
According to Davis, the overall increase in CPC sorority membership came from the new ideas, practices, and initiatives brought to campus by new organizations.
“Students who may have not joined a Greek organization in the past are now able to find one to call their own,” he added. “I believe that’s what happened with so many women who joined ZTA this past year.”
However, despite this overall improvement, the cap, or quota, for this year’s recruitment was 24, significantly lower than the year prior, said Shute, a sophomore biology major.
Women who withdraw during the recruitment process affect what the quota may end up being for that year, Davis said.
CPC executives are already trying to determine what caused the drop in attendance mid Formal Recruitment for next year.
Davis advises all students who are looking to join Greek Life to keep an open mind and strive to have authentic conversations in order to make real connections with sisters.
“This year’s recruitment was more intimate,” Shute said. “I think each sorority will retain more of its new members and that these new members found their proper new home.”
Payton Seda can be reached at payton.seda@student.shu.edu.
