Greek life recruitment looked different this semester

Sun Devils have been doing a great job of adapting to changes this fall semester. ASU students have continued to pursue opportunities for service, leadership and connection that help make their ASU experience unforgettable. 

Many Sun Devils look forward to Fraternity and Sorority Life recruitment each fall. This semester, things looked a bit different. There were no big events on campus, where all the fraternities and sororities would come together, table and inspire potential new members to join their organization. There was no Bid Day, culminating with new sorority members gathering in the Greek Leadership Village to celebrate their bids.

And yet approximately 2,300 Sun Devils aspiring to affiliate with a fraternity or sorority still participated in virtual recruitment activities this fall using digital tools, which in some ways made the process more memorable than ever before. 

The Interfraternity Council Walkaround is usually a part of fall recruitment. This year's recruitment was all virtual.

For the Interfraternity Council, events were kept virtual. Vice President of Recruitment Akhil Mahant, 20, a biomedical sciences major, encouraged each organization within the IFC to shape an individual recruitment plan for their fraternity this semester. 

“I anticipated that everything would be virtual from the beginning, but after talking with the other council members, it was decided that each organization would have the liberty to choose how they would recruit,” Mahant said. 

With some guidelines on events, Mahant and the council also agreed that the month of September would be declared as the official recruitment period. Usually recruitment events only last one week, but by adding some time, it allowed chapters to adapt to the new way of recruitment. The council hosted a virtual IFC Walkaround on Zoom that consisted of all the different chapters presenting for about five minutes while having potential new members join, watch and ask questions. 

Supply chain management major Parker Wilson, 20, vice president of judicial affairs, believed that the IFC Walkaround was great for students to ask questions and learn more about the chapters. 

“We had around 300 total participants; it was really good for us. We saw an increase of interest and social media follows after the webinar,” Wilson said. 

Wilson, who is a member of Sigma Pi, said he quickly recognized that social media would be a key tool in recruiting members.

Recruitment for many chapters was done through Instagram. It was a place where students could connect with members and get information. 

“For a handful of chapters, within seconds of presenting [during the walkaround] they had an influx of Instagram follows and reaching out to them," Mahant, who is in Chi Phi, said. 

The Panhellenic Association took a similar route for their recruitment process. Zoom was the medium used to hold events, get to know potential new members and make connections with current members. 

New Alpha Chi Omega member Genesis Rivas, a first-year student majoring in marketing, said virtual rushing and recruitment was a very meaningful experience. 

“It was long days for sure; it was a full time commitment sitting at the computer,” Rivas said. 

Although in-person interactions were strictly kept to less than five people, Rivas mentioned how making a connection was much easier through Zoom breakout rooms. Rivas connected especially with a future sorority sister on the topic of relationship violence, an issue that the sorority emphasizes in their service work. 

“Current members said it was way more personal this year. I had an amazing connection with one of the girls, and that’s why I chose Alpha Chi,” Rivas said, 

The rules and guidelines were put in place to keep everyone safe while facilitating a recruitment experience that leads to lifelong connections with fellow leaders. If potential new members met up with current members,, all were required to wear masks for the duration of their time together. 

“I am just happy that they were taking those precautions,” Rivas said.  

All told, nearly 1,400 women registered for the first-ever virtual Panhellenic Association recruitment, with more than 1,000 women joining a Panhellenic chapter, which are on par with 2019 recruitment levels. Over the summer, more than 900 men expressed interest in Interfraternity Council recruitment and participated in virtual, small group and one-on-one events. Preliminary bids indicate that the number of men who will join the IFC community will be similar to the total number of students who joined in previous years.  

Multicultural Greek Council, National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations and National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations asked for interested students to register their interest and attend events virtually. More than 200 students expressed interest by registering or attending various council events throughout the summer, including the Multicutural Greek Open House at the beginning of the fall 2020 semester.  

For more information or updates about Greek life at ASU, visit ASU Fraternity and Sorority Life.