Sorority recruitment gets a new home

Pitt’s sorority recruitment usually means meeting new friends —  sometimes too many. 

In an effort to improve safety and create a more personal experience for interested students, the University moved Greek rush week events out of Amos and Bruce Halls into other buildings, such as the William Pitt Union, the University Club and the O’Hara Student Center, Matthew R. Richardson, the coordinator of fraternity and sorority life at Pitt, said. Amos and Bruce Halls will still be used exclusively for the final two rounds of recruitment.

During recruitment in past years, sororites would open their suites in Amos and Bruce Halls and speak with interested students there. Recruitment involves a meet-and-greet with sorority members, sharing personal information with one another and, oftentimes, free food or craft sessions. 

The number of women rushing has increased in recent years, Richardson said, so the University realized that having too many people in small spaces, such as the suites inAmos and Bruce Halls, posed a safety concern. 

Also, in moving the first rounds of recruitment to the weekend, Richardson said the College Panhellenic Association hoped to ensure that the women rushing had enough time to sleep and focus on their studies during the course of the school week. 

Dorothy Hayes, president of Chi Omega, said this has been a growing issue for sororities. 

“The more people who join, the more people who advocate for rushing,” said Hayes, a junior studying chemistry and finance. 

Emelia DiBello, marketing chair for Chi Omega and a junior studying marketing and finance, said she was excited about the changes.

“When you would go through it [in the past], it would just be hot and sweaty,” DiBello said. “None of the girls looked happy.”

Hayes also said part of the change of location was to pursue a “no frills” recruitment. In previous years, many sororites decorated their suites with the aim of attracting new members. This year, the goal was to prevent girls from choosing a sorority based off the superficial details of how its suite looks.

“We want a girl to like a sorority because of the girl she’s talking to, their attitude and the things they have in common,” Hayes said. “It’s a win-win for everyone because it’ll be safer and lead to better matching.”

Hayes said the sororities that will succeed the most in this new setting will be the ones that don’t change their recruiting approach because of the change. 

“It’s just a change of scene,” she said.

Hayes said students interested in rushing should judge each sorority based on merit and not the appearance of their room, which were randomly assigned.

Kamila Rak, a freshman on the pre-physical therapy track at Pitt, plans on rushing a sorority and said she was eager to participate in the back to basics-style recruitment. 

“Girls see a nice room and think, ‘Ooh, I want to live here!’ but that’s not what’s important,” Rak said. “It’s about the sorority. I want to get to know a lot of girls and feel comfortable in my new home.”