Sorority Row and Rebel Drive were filled with tears and screams of excitement on Saturday, Aug. 24 as Panhellenic Formal Recruitment ended with bid day and 11 Panhellenic Sororities welcomed new members home.
The largest group of potential new members in university history — 2,461 freshman and transfer students — participated in the process this year. As of May 2024, 50% of the University of Mississippi students were active in Greek organizations.
The location of bid day was moved to the Sandy and John Black Pavillion, a shift from recent years, when it took place in the Grove.
Freshman allied health studies major and new member of Alpha Delta Pi Ella Ann Jensen talked about her experience receiving her bid.
“I knew from the very beginning of recruitment I wanted to go ADPI, so being able to run home to my new home and best friend was one of the most memorable experiences of my entire life,” Jensen said.
Prior to bid day, PNMs go through four rounds of recruitment, including Greek Day, three philanthropy days, three sisterhood days and a preference day. This is a longer process than previous years.
In an attempt to accommodate the influx of participants, recruitment and bid day were slightly altered from years past.
“It’s not usually this long. In the past, Philanthropy (Round) has been two days and Sisterhood (was) one, but because there are so many girls, so we’ve had to change it to three days of Philanthropy and three days of sisterhood,” junior finance major and Delta Delta Delta Active Member Emma Williams said.
Freshman integrated marketing communications major Anna Thrasher received a bid from Alpha Chi Omega. The community aspect of recruitment stood out as a significant part of her experience.
“It has shown me all the different ways to get involved and be able to help the community,” Thrasher said. “The highlight so far is getting to meet other girls who are also going through recruitment. I love seeing how each sorority is different. It’s fun getting to see a glimpse of each sorority and what it would be like to be in that house.”
Williams encouraged the young women beginning their Greek life journeys to remember that the sorority they end up in should not represent their whole personality.
“Don’t put too much of your identity into what sorority you’re a part of because, at the end of the day, it is just a club,” Williams said. “It does not define who you are.”
Olivia Grace Gorton, an allied health studies major and member of Chi Omega from Belzoni, Miss., shared a similar piece of advice.
“You can be as involved as you want or not,” Gorton said. “It is not make or break in any sense. It can be amazing, and for me, so many great things have come from it, but it is not everything.”
Gorton said that recruitment is worth the long hours.
“It can all be very overwhelming, but this is just such a small portion of what being in a sorority really is. It does give you such a great opportunity to meet so many people and form so many new connections,” Gorton said.
Williams shared a similar sentiment.
“A lot of people say that it’s all fake, but I can’t jump and scream fakely for hours on end. I do it because I love the girls around me, and I want them to feel that love,” Williams said. “Even when my calves are dying, I can look at the girls across from me and keep jumping for them.”
