This past Panhellenic Recruitment I was a Rho Gamma (also known as a recruitment Guide). It was such an amazing experience to go through and also truly fulfilling when you see all of your PNM's get their bids. This is something I would recommend to any woman who is in a sorority.
Let me start out by explaining the basics. Recruitment is a period where girls who aren't in a sorority go through the process of meeting different sororities on campus in order to find where they belong. Those girls are called potential new members, also known as PNM's. The sororities meet with them for a few days over a weekend period and the PNM's get to narrow down their selections, as well as the sororities get to narrow their selections. As a Rho Gamma, you have to "give up your letters". That means that for a short period of time, you are not known as being apart of your sorority. Yes, you are still a lifetime member, but you don't advertise it by wearing letters, hanging out with your sisters or going to your sorority events. By doing this, we are able to help all of the PNM's without being biased or having them not ask us questions because of our affiliation. All in all, we give up our letters to help them find theirs.
Now that we have the basics down, I can explain why choosing this route was a truly amazing one for me. Some people don't realize it, but you go through periods where being in your sorority feels like more of an obligation rather than a fun choice. Yes, it does feel weird saying that, but it's true. However, joining the Panhellenic counsel and becoming a Rho Gamma really made me fall back in love. I realized how strong my sisterhood is and each day I was away from my sisters and my letters, really made me miss them. Going back on bid night truly felt like going home.
When you're a Rho Gamma you are able to work with girls from all different sororities on campus. Because we are all in different sororities, people think we can't be friends or even get along. But, we all get so close during recruitment and we make friends that will hopefully last a very long time.
Also, we get to work with Panhellenic rules. You don't realize how many rules there are to follow and how hard the Panhellenic Executive board works to make things go smoothly. As Rho Gammas we are able to help them in any way we can, but still seeing their hard work and effort is amazing (also anytime you feel tired, you should see how hard they work with very little sleep).
I also was able to feel so happy when all of my PNM's received their bids and were so excited because they were able to go home as well. It is a long and tiring week for everyone involved, but seeing the girls faces when they open their bid cards is just so exciting knowing all of the effort and work you put in payed off. The best is seeing them soon after bid day hanging out with their new sorority and just looking so happy.
Being a Rho Gamma this past recruitment was a great experience I was so lucky to have. I did choose to apply, but it was also up to Panhellenic to choose me for this opportunity. I am so grateful they did because I've learned so much from this opportunity. To anyone thinking about doing this next recruitment in the Fall, I would 100 percent recommend it!
