Jason Pepe
Writer
As the spring semester comes to a close, Greek organizations around campus are already beginning to recruit potential new members (PNMs). Fraternities invited potential new members to their houses to watch the NCAA men’s basketball championship on Monday, April 2. The Panhellenic Council hosted Open Suites last Sunday in Hunt Hall to further acclimate PNMs to the sorority recruiting process.
The first round of open suites started at 3:30 Sunday afternoon, and from there potential new members were introduced to each sorority. For each round, PNMs were briefly introduced to each sorority and then spent the remainder of time getting to know a few of its members.
Molly Flaccavento ’13, recruitment chair for Pi Beta Phi sorority, said the event is important because it helps both PNMs and sorority members prepare for fall recruitment.
“Open Suites is a great opportunity for us to show our spirit and let PNMs know what Pi Phi, and Greek Life as a whole, is all about,” Flaccavento said.
While there is typically a great deal of stress associated with Greek recruitment, these events help to alleviate anxiety by providing an environment where PNMs can get to know members of Greek organizations on a personal level.
“I was surprised by how comfortable the sororities made me feel and how smoothly the conversations went,” Clare Lawler ’15 said. “It got me excited for the recruitment process next year.”
Fraternities treated their PNMs to dinner and watched the Kentucky Wildcats beat the Kansas Jayhawks as they got to know the brothers.
Dave D’Alessandro ’14, recruitment chair for Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, said they watched a game on a big screen projector and enjoyed getting to know the PNMs.
“The brothers of Fiji look forward to meeting more freshmen and opening its doors to a large and diverse pledge class,” Alessandro said.