The 2013 Potential New Members run to their respective new houses on Thursday afternoon after receiving their official bid cards. The students spent four days visiting the eight Panhellenic houses on campus Jan. 14-17. (Christopher Saul/The Daily Campus)
Owl balloons were flying above Chi Omega. Anchors were lodged in front of Delta Gamma. “Sweet Home Alabama” could be heard across campus from the Kappa Kappa Gamma house.
“It was a tough decision, but they told us to follow our hearts,” new Delta Gamma Katherine Zopatti said.
Sorority recruitment ended on Thurs., Jan. 17 with the annual Bid Day celebration, and of course, the run of the new members from the Hughes-Trigg Student Center to sorority row.
“It was the best thing we’ve done in a long time,” Gamma Phi Beta junior Melissa Maguire said. “It was so much fun. I love spending time with my sisters and it will be so great meeting all the new girls.”
The potential new members waited with bated breath all week to find out what sorority house they would soon become a part of.
After opening the envelopes containing their bid cards, all control was lost.
The doors of Hughes-Trigg burst open as hundreds of girls dashed to sorority row to celebrate with their new sisters.
And the scene at sorority row was no more tame.
Balloons, streamers, posters and smiling girls awaited the new members as they approached.
“Today, I’m feeling amazing,” Dana Brown, a new member of Chi Omega, said. “I just knew what house was right when I went to it. Everything worked out perfectly.”
The sorority members, both new and old, danced, sang and posed for photos in front of their houses along sorority row.
The occasion also called for Rho Gammas and Panhellenic Executive members to re-affiliate with their sororities.
These girls had to disaffiliate during the fall semester to help organize recruitment.
“I’m feeling so excited. I’m exhausted,” junior Rho Gamma Briana McIntyre said. “But I’m just ready to go see my sisters.”
The parties in charge of recruitment week were especially worn down because, for the second straight year, the Preference ceremonies and Bid Day celebrations were squeezed together into less than 12 hours.
Preference Day, formerly Preference Night in 2011, is the formal end to recruitment where potential new members have one last chance to interact with the sororities and make a decision.
“I know that having Bid Day and Pref Day the same is kind of tough,” Alpha Chi Omega House Director Martha Buckner said. “But [new members] just kind of get it all done with in one day.”
While the majority of the girls ended up happy with how recruitment week played out for them, they were also pleased to see it end.
“I’m so glad that it’s over,” new Delta Gamma Emily Heft said, “but by the end, it’s so worth it.”
This was due in large part to the inclement weather throughout the week.
The temperature rarely rose above 40 degrees, and the layer of snow on the ground Tuesday morning didn’t help the shivering potential new members.
“I haven’t seen snow since I was three,” Brown, a Miami native, said. “It was awful.”
Calling the event Bid Day this year was a bit of a stretch, as the girls didn’t open their bid cards until close to 5:30 p.m. It seemed more like Bid Night.
The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life declined to comment on why the function was held so late.
Although it is customary for members from the fraternities to wait along the new members’ path, this year each fraternity was reportedly tied up in meetings during the actual bid run of the female new members.
The fraternities did not arrive at the sorority houses until shortly after 6 p.m.
Their new members had also received their bids this afternoon and were keen to celebrate.
“I’m pretty pumped,” first year new member of Kappa Alpha Order David Stoll said. “I was nervous all day, but once I found out where I got bids from, it was pretty awesome.”
The sororities and fraternities won’t have long to celebrate as the start of classes is today.
“It’s bittersweet,” said McIntyre. “But I’m ready to start the semester.”
