Each year, thousands of girls arrive in Auburn early in order to participate in sorority recruitment with the hopes of getting in their favorite sorority. This year was no different as the green space outside of the basketball arena was filled with friends and family of those participating in recruitment.
As the door to the arena flung open, nearly 1400 girls sprinted out of the gymnasium most of which were happy with their sorority choice.
With rumors spreading throughout the Greek community that this year's recruitment would be one of the largest in the school's history, Jill Moore, the director of Auburn Greek life, said this year's recruitment was the same as every years with the exception of the number of girls.
"Over the past five years, the average new member class has been about 60 members, but that has been creeping upward," Moore said. "Based on the trends and registration and the size of the incoming freshmen class, some classes may have about 70 girls."
Moore, who estimated there to be between 1,400 and 1,500 potential members prior to recruitment, said this recruitment while larger than previous years, was still only a few potential members more than the five-year average.
"It's only about 200 more than our five-year average of 1, 214," Moore said. "The Pi Chi groups might have had two or three more people and we had to order a little more supplies, but the process did not change."
Moore continued on to say that the new member learning process, which comes after recruitment is finished, will not be affected by the larger group of girls.
"We always want new member education processes to be safe and fun," Moore said. "But these new member classes will not be big enough to mandate a change in the way we do things."
This year, Auburn panhellenic gave out 1,278 bids to girls who are now referred to as new members. 1401 girls were registered for recruitment but 17 were no shows, leaving 1,384 girls that participated in sorority recruitment.
Anna McCarthy, a junior in marketing and member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority, said this year's rush was one that brought their sorority together while having the chance to meet a great group of girls.
"There was so much planning involved at times which could be a little much," McCarthy said. "However, a lot of people stepped up to the plate to help which brought everyone closer I think. I'm just excited to watch these girls join our sorority and develop over the next couple of years."
McCarthy, who accepted a bid from Pi Beta Phi nearly two years ago to the day, said she remembers the feeling of opening the panhellenic paper and knows the excitement the girls are feeling right now and will feel for some time to come.
"It's an overwhelming feeling but it really doesn't set in until a few days later," McCarthy said. "Going through a week of rush isn't as easy as some people make it out to be. There's a lot of waking up early and a list of other things. Today is a day of celebration and finally some relaxation for everyone."
Hope Hays, an incoming freshman and now a new member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority, said the experience was exhausting at times but worth it when it is all said and done.
"I met a lot of awesome girls over the past week and made friendships that may not have been made without going through recruitment," Hays said. "I'm so excited and blessed to have the opportunity to join ADPI. A week of recruitment is without a doubt worth it when bid day comes around and I can't wait to see what the coming years have in store."
The new members will now go through their sorority's new member education process prior to be initiated into the sorority in which they received a bid.
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