A proposal was brought before Panhellenic to revamp the sororities’ bid day. The proposal would limit new members and actives to 30 minutes for them to “party” in the front of the house on bid day, during which there can be no disc jockeys but music can be played inside the house. After the abbreviated party, the women must move inside their house or to their back yards.

Each on-campus sorority already prohibits the presence of “boys and booze” on bid day. The impetus for the new proposal is the idea that by limiting the time spent outside their houses, the numbers of sorority women who show up intoxicated and the number of men at bid day will decrease, which is an admirable goal.

However, pushing the sorority members almost immediately into their houses automatically creates clusters, turning the greek houses inward. Instead of being able to see their friends or roommates who pledge other houses, first-years will be secluded within their newly selected community, cut off from the outside world. This retreat could reinforce the stereotypes the greek system desperately tries to shake, and create divisions among the houses.

The Editorial Board understands that bid day is necessary and a special part of being in a sorority. But isn’t it possible to mingle with all the new members of other sororities before breaking off into separate factions? Maybe there could be some sort of sorority-wide event like a picnic before each house does its individual thing. This would highlight the “together we’re stronger” mantra that Panhellenic has been pushing, make bid day about making every new member feeling comfortable in the entire greek system she has entered and highlight membership in the system in general, instead of solely her new house in particular.