Lehigh’s Panhellenic Council will host Meet and Greets on Oct. 7 in which potential new members can meet women from the eight sororities on Lehigh’s campus.
Emily Reynolds, ’19, the vice president of external recruitment for Panhellenic, said Meet and Greets will allow potential members to learn about the chapters they may not interact with on a daily basis. Each student who goes to the event will talk to at least one member of each chapter.
Isabel Standbridge, ’19, the vice president of internal recruitment for Panhellenic, said the event provides potential new members a look into the recruitment process and gives chapters practice for formal recruitment.
Reynolds, Standbridge and Panhel President Emily Brown, ’19, agree that holding formal recruitment in the spring semester is better than holding it in the fall. Brown said spring recruitment allows potential sorority members of different chapters and get a feel for what Greek life is like on Lehigh’s campus.
“Lehigh has a different Greek culture than what people are seeing in the news, movies, shows and (at) other schools,” Brown said. “(Spring recruitment) gives chapters a chance to actually display who they are and allows them to recruit new members in a more holistic way.”
Standbridge said spring formal recruitment also allows first-years to have time to get comfortable with Lehigh’s campus and make friends.
Caroline Klebanoff, ’22, said the delayed recruitment process has allowed her to adjust to Lehigh more easily.
“Some of my friends rush first semester at other schools, and it just seems too soon to really know which chapter you really see yourself with,” she said. “It also restricts them from meeting new people at a time which is imperative for figuring out who you are, and who you want to associate yourself with.”
Reynolds advises potential new members to look beyond the conversations they have at Meet and Greets and pay attention to what each chapter stands for and the community it creates.
“After you examine their values, compare it to your own,” Reynolds said.
Registration for Meet and Greets closes at 11 p.m. on Oct. 6. While registration is not required, it is highly encouraged. Those who cannot make Meet and Greets should fill out the registration form and indicate that they will not be coming, so Panhellenic can distribute recruitment information to them in the future.
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