Sorority recruitment, otherwise known as rush, will take place Sept. 5 – Sept. 10. It is an opportunity for women at NC State to learn more about the nine Panhellenic sororities that the university has to offer and to find which one is the best match for them.

“Right now, we already have about 380 girls, and we should get to around 500, which is our goal for every year,” said Morgan Shelton, vice president of recruitment for the Panhellenic Executive Board. “This year we seem to be a little ahead of where we’ve been in the past years.”

Open House will take place in the McKimmon Center on Sept. 5, giving girls the opportunity to meet with the different  Panhellenic sorority chapters. 

House Tours begin on Sept. 6. House tours are chance to walk through the chapter’s houses and talk to different sorority members to learn about the philanthropy and the kinds of service they do.

The chapters get to show their personalities on Sept. 7, which is Skit Day.

Sept. 9 is Preference Night, and the women rushing get to narrow down which sorority is the best fit.

Sept. 10, Bid Day, the pledge classes are revealed and the women are welcome into the chapter.

 Although registering for rush costs $75, the money is put back toward the girls who are rushing.

“It goes toward meals and also pays for transportation because we use buses to take girls from campus to Greek Court and from Greek Court to Greek Way,” Shelton said.

To register to rush, each girl must fill out an online application questionnaire.

“It’s important to take the application seriously because it tells us a little about themselves and is an opportunity to introduce themselves before they get to meet everybody,” Shelton said. “We also use it for statistical information and to figure out how many freshmen and sophomores we have.”

Preparations for sorority recruitment begin far in advance of the actual events.

“A lot of the preparation happens at the beginning of the summer,” said Mary Gray Cunningham, the rush chair for Sigma Kappa. “It’s really a year-long process.” 

“I’ve been preparing ever since I’ve received my position in December,” Cunningham said. “I started asking girls who just gone through rush for suggestions for the upcoming year.” 

Greek Life and the process of sorority recruitment have undergone a few changes since last year.

“The transformation of Greek Village is underway and a lot of new houses are being built,” Cunningham said.

“Also normally Rho Chis aren’t allowed to affiliate with their chapter,” Cunningham said. “As they council these girls through recruitment, they’re usually not allowed to tell them what chapter they are in. This year, they’re allowed to tell stories with their experiences in their particular chapter.”

Rho Chis are recruitment counselors that help girls through the week with an unbiased perspective, Cunningham said.

Joining a sorority can be a way for students to personalize their experience at NC State.

“NC State is such a big school and the Greek community is not only within your chapter but as a whole gives you a smaller community within such a large school,” Cunningham said. “It’s an opportunity to meet more girls personally, create new friendships and have the opportunity to give back to the community.”

Sororities are also heavily involved in events on campus.

“We like to get involved in as many events as we can, so it’s a great way to get plugged in to NC State,” Shelton said.

The last day to sign up for rush is Sept. 3.

Rush is not limited to freshmen, as many sophomores and juniors also rush for the opportunity to meet new people. 

“Some people have a bad stigma toward Greek life, but it’s a great opportunity, and I think that everyone should take the opportunity to look into recruitment,” Cunningham said. “You don’t always have to join, but I think through the process itself, you can meet a lot of new people and make friends.”