The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sororities of Francis Marion University
(FMU) hosted their annual formal recruitment proceedings Friday, Sept. 6. The three sororities participating in the events are Alpha Delta Pi, Kappa Delta and Zeta Tau Alpha. Nicole Guest, junior public relations major and president of the NPC, said the
primary reason that they host these events is to help the young women who are interested in joining a sorority make an educated, unbiased choice. “Once we begin recruiting, three delegates and three rho gammas (one from each
sorority) disaffiliate from their respective sorority and help counsel the new girls who go through
recruitment,” Guest said. “Our main goal is to promote going Greek, as it is harmonious with the
Panhellenic Creed.”
Guest said recruitment lasts three days with a different event each day. The first event is
orientation/open house, the second is Philanthropy Night and the third is Preference Day.
According to Guest, these activities allow the new girls to learn about each sorority, their
respective fundraisers and charity efforts so they can make a personal decision based on that
information. “During the three days, the girls are divided into groups and visit each sorority’s
decorated room,” Guest said. “The ladies get to mingle and, later in the process, they get to
choose which sorority their values correspond with.”
According to Guest, the NPC is especially excited about recruitment this year because
everything, including the theme, is new. Guest said the members of the NPC enjoy formal
recruitment because it is a good way to get to know more people. She added that a lot of effort
went into trying to get information about the process to new people because the NPC wants to
increase the number of participants. “Greek life is not what people stereotype it to,” Guest said. “These are women who are
intelligent, work hard, manage time and know how to have fun.
You find a huge network of girls who will be your friends for the rest of your life.” Whitney Burton, senior mass communication major and president of Zeta Tau Alpha, agreed that the women she met through recruitment are wonderful people. Burton said that anyone interested in recruitment should definitely get involved. According to Burton, each sorority is affiliated with different charities that they raise
money and volunteer for throughout the year. She also said Zeta Tau Alpha hosts many
activities, including “Think Pink, Drink Pink,” which raises money for breast cancer awareness.
Guest said anyone interested in learning more about joining a sorority should certainly
sign up. In order to be eligible for formal recruitment, she added, students must attend FMU
full-time with an overall grade point average of a 2.0 or higher. “Full-time first semester freshmen are eligible and encouraged to apply,” Guest said. “We do not exclude anyone.”