Panhellenic Sorority Recruitment

Panhellenic Recruitment (formerly known as "Rush") is a designated membership recruitment period during which a series of organized events is held by each sorority. Several Panhellenic Council officers work together to coordinate Recruitment. The purpose of Recruitment is two-fold: (1) to ensure that member organizations have equitable opportunities for membership recruitment within the Panhellenic system; and (2) to provide potential members every opportunity to become acquainted with as many sororities as possible so they may make informed decisions concerning membership.

This page will provide you with all the information about Recruitment. Please read everything carefully, as much of the terminology will probably be unfamiliar to you. Also, be sure to visit the Frequently Asked Questions page.

Sorority Recruitment is a mutual selection process. This means that throughout the week of Recruitment, sororities will make decisions about which Potential New Members they are most interested in inviting to membership, and PNMs will make decisions about which sororities they are most interested in joining.

Requirements for Recruitment

The University of New Orleans requires that women who wish to register for Panhellenic Recruitment must be enrolled in at least 12 semester hours at UNO and have a grade point average of at least 2.5 from high school or from previous college work. However, the individual sororities all require higher GPAs for membership; the minimum acceptable GPA among our sororities is 2.5.

Registering for Recruitment

You must register in order to participate in Recruitment. Registration requires a $25 fee, which is used primarily for 2 things: to offset the cost of renting university space during overtime hours for Recruitment events and for a Panhellenic t-shirt for Potential New Members (that's you!). We strongly encourage you to register online. Online registration allows you to pay with a credit card, debit card, or electronic check. Please register as early as possible so we can process your application quickly. Registration is available until September 5, but we encourage you to register as soon as possible.

Special Panhellenic Sorority Recruitment Terminology

• Alumna - A member of a sorority who is no longer an undergraduate. Plural: Alumnae.
• Bid - An invitation to membership into a sorority. During Recruitment bids are extended on "Bid Day," the last day of the process.
• Chapter - A chartered undergraduate or alumnae unit of a national sorority.
• Legacy - A potential new member who has a close relative (usually parent, grandparent, or sibling) who is an initiated member of a particular sorority.
• Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding Agreement (also known as "Preference Card") - A document each potential new member completes immediately following the Preference Round of parties stating her membership preferences. The potential new member ranks the sororities she would accept a bid from, listing the one which she most wants to join first and the other(s) in preferential order. This is a binding agreement, stating that the potential new member is willing to accept a bid from any sorority she lists.
• New Member - A woman who has accepted a bid from a sorority but not yet been initiated into full membership by that group.
• Potential New Member (PNM) - A woman who is interested in becoming a member of a sorority.
• Recommendation ("Rec") - A written letter or statement, usually from an alumna of a sorority, recommending a potential new member for membership.
• Round - A group of events held during Recruitment.
• Sigma Rho Chi (Sorority Recruitment Counselor) - A neutral representative of the Panhellenic Association who temporarily leaves her sorority to guide and support potential new members through Recruitment. The Sorority Recruitment Counselors' most important function is to answer questions and address the concerns of PNMs about Recruitment and sorority life. PNMs will meet their Sigma Rho Chis at Potential New Member Orientation, but feel free to contact one of them now if you have questions.
• Silence Periods - Periods of time during which sorority women and alumnae are allowed limited or no communication with Potential New Members. Silence periods relieve PNMs from undo pressure from chapters and allow them the opportunity to make sound decisions about sorority membership. Pre-Recruitment Silence begins at the first summer freshman New Student Orientation session and runs until Recruitment begins. During this time sorority women encourage women to register for Recruitment, but they do not recruit for their individual chapters.
  Recruitment Silence begins with the Open Houses and ends following Preference events. During this time sorority women may not entertain Potential New Members outside of recruitment events.
  Strict Silence is the period from the end of Preference through the distribution of bids on Bid Day, during which no sorority woman or alumna may communicate in any way with a Potential New Member.
• Sister - A term used to refer to another member of one's sorority.

Membership Recruitment Guidelines for Potential Members

1. A woman is not eligible for membership recruitment if she is, or ever has been, an initiated member of a National Panhellenic Conference group.
2. A woman is not eligible for Recruitment if she has been a new member of a National Panhellenic Conference group at the University of New Orleans within the last calendar year.
3. Potential Members shall attend Recruitment Orientation and all parties to which they have accepted invitations. Potential Members unable to attend events must contact a Recruitment Counselor, the Panhellenic Recruitment Coordinator, or the Greek Life Advisor in advance. The Panhellenic Recruitment Coordinator will be responsible for determining excused and unexcused absences of a potential member.
4. The Panhellenic Council will furnish potential member name tags, and potential members must wear them at all membership recruitment functions. The potential members will wear no other name tags.
5. A potential member shall not give a promise, verbal or written, to join a certain fraternity before formal bids are issued through the Panhellenic Council.
6. Potential members shall fill out Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding Agreements immediately after the final Preference Round parties. Once a Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding Agreement has been signed, no changes may be made.
7. Any woman signing a Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding Agreement and receiving a bid at the end of Formal Recruitment shall be bound by the agreement for one calendar year.

Potential New Members' Bill of Rights

*Adopted at the 1989 Biennial Session of the National Panhellenic Conference

Every person going through Recruitment has:

• The right to be treated as an individual.
• The right to be fully informed about the Recruitment process.
• The right to ask questions and receive true and objective answers from Recruitment Counselors and members.
• The right to be treated with respect.
• The right to ask how and why and receive straight answers.
• The right to have and express opinions to Recruitment Counselors.
• The right to have inviolable confidentiality when sharing information with Recruitment Counselors.
• The right to make informed choices without undue pressure from others.
• The to make ones own choice and decision and accept full responsibility for the results of the decision.
• The right to have a positive, safe and enriching Recruitment and pledging experience.