Greek formal recruitment took place Sept. 16-20 for the sororities and fraternities. According to many involved in the Greek community, the festivities went quite well.

There were a few minor adjustments that took place this year with sorority recruitment. Sign-up for the ladies was online. According to Greek Advisor Lindsey Hunzelman, the online process was much easier.

“The computer system helped run things much more efficiently, not only for sign-up, but also throughout the week of recruitment,” Hunzelman said.

A new event that occurred this year was called “Greek Seek.” This occurred a couple weeks before formal recruitment. There was a full day of events including softball, volleyball, a bonfire and a grill-out.

“This was a great opportunity to get new recruits to the houses before recruitment actually began so they could meet members from all of the houses,” Hunzelman said. “I would like to continue more meaningful pre-recruitment events in the future.”

Approximately 60 girls went through recruitment this year. Quota for the third night was 17, Pi Beta Phi recruited 18 girls; Delta Delta Delta, 16; and Kappa Kappa Gamma, 14. Numbers were slightly down from last year, but Hunzelman said that’s normal.

“The numbers might have been down, but on average they were steady,” Hunzelman said. “This tends to happen. Numbers fluctuate from year to year.”

Due to the closing down of Alpha Chi Omega over the summer, there was also some adjustment with only having three sororities. This gave girls the opportunity to go to all three houses two out of the three nights.

Senior Megan Lucas, president of Delta Delta Delta, also thought recruitment went well.

“I thought recruitment ran very smoothly,” Lucas said. “There was great leadership from Hunzelman and Erin Hopp, vice president of recruitment on Panhellenic Council.”

Freshman Lexie Hagerty heard about recruitment through her sisters and e-mails that were sent to her.

“I liked how there was no pressure after the first night,” Hagerty said. “You knew you could go back to all three houses if you wanted to the next night. I would recommend recruitment to anyone, even if you don’t want to join a house. It’s fun to go through and see what it’s like.”

Hunzelman agrees that this process is a good opportunity for members of both sides of the Greek community.

“This is not only a positive thing for new members but also for the chapters to be able to get to know the girls better,” Hunzelman said.

Though there were some changes in the sorority’s formal recruitment, there weren’t any major differences for fraternities.

Senior Jeff Liggett, president of Lambda Chi Alpha, thought leadership throughout recruitment was great.

“Lindsey (Hunzelman), Scotty Schuknecht, and Tucker Priebe did a great job keeping the houses informed and aware of the requirments,” Liggett said.

Approximately 40 men went through recruitment. By the third night, Lambda Chi Alpha pledged 10 men, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, 13; Alpha Tau Omega, nine; and Kappa Theta Psi, one.

“I thought the group sizes were extremely small this year, but I also thought it helped because we were able to get to know the guys a lot better that way,” Liggett said.

In the future, Hunzelman wants to continue working on marketing Greek life to new students.

“It’s a goal of mine to capture the interest of students early,” Hunzelman said. “I would like to get students to the houses more beforehand and have them interact with the men and women. I would like to raise participation in Greek life and take it to the next level.”

Hunzelman also wants to remind students that formal recruitment isn’t the only way to become involved with Greek life.

“There will be many more opportunities to join a house,” Hunzelman said. “Formal recruitment was not your only chance.”