Should you go Greek?

Samuel Derkin

Pi Kappa Alpha, one of the fraternities at UT, is having a Fireman’s Challenge on Sept. 13 at 12 p.m. in the Health and Human Services parking lot. There will be food, Tshirts, a full sized fire truck pull and much more. To register, go to Eventbright.com and search Pi Kappa Alpha Fireman’s Challenge and the cost is $10.

As students launch back into their school routines certain thoughts come to mind. Campus provides many different clubs and activities; however, some students may begin to think about going Greek.

The University of Toledo has held a strong Greek life style for 72 years.

Alana Brooks, president of the University of Toledo’s Pan-Hellenic Council, spoke about how to begin the process of joining the Pan-Hellenic Council or Interfraternity Council (IFC).

To join, interested students need to register through recruitment and partake in recruitment week for each council.

If students are interested in going Greek there are a few steps they need to take.

First, the aspiring member must apply and pay a recruitment fee of $30. This fee covers food and other items.

Recruitment week for fall semester starts in one week.

The recruitment process differs between the Pan-Hellenic and Interfraternity Councils.

“[The Pan-Hellenic Council] is structured while the IFC fraternity recruitment isn’t as structured, however both are about a week-long process,” Brooks said.

Brittany Graham, Greek life coordinator at UT, explained sorority recruitment as “a week of events that ends in/results in bid day, where our potential new members find their home for the rest of their college career.”

Interested candidates for sororities can attend recruitment Sept. 3-7 on campus in the Student Union.

The Pan-Hellenic Council will kick off recruitment with the attendants meeting the Rho Gammas. For a specific amount of time these women disaffiliate themselves from their own sorority in order to recruit for all sororities.

The second and third days of recruitment are spent meeting all eight organizations. Those days are essential for both the chapters and the students trying to join a Pan-Hellenic Council.

Day four of recruitment is Philanthropy Day. This is the day when the chapters and the students do a community service project for the chapter’s choice charity.

After four days of Pan-Hellenic Council recruitment there is a final party. This is the event where aspiring attendants get to hang out like a potential sister, one last time.

On the sixth day the Pan-Hellenic Council chooses the new members. They receive their bids and are officially considered a sister.

Brooks said that she felt that this unclaimed quote, “Nothing like you expected, but everything you are looking for,” represented Greek Life very well.

The Interfraternity Council holds recruitment week Sept. 8-12 at McComas Village.

IFC Recruitment entails a week of flag football, a Chipotle dinner, a hog roast and an invitation-only dinner. The invitation-only dinner is where the chosen attendants are asked to join a specific chapter.

Gregg Smith, graduate assistant of Greek life, said that being involved in Greek life can help to boost resumes.

“Greek community at a large is a connection,” Smith said.

As well as being a potential connection, future employers may be attracted to the Greek experience for more involved reasons.

“In essence, they are running small businesses…managing teams, tasks, money,” Graham said about the young adults who are members of Greek Life.

Hanna Knight, who plans on rushing a sorority this fall, said, “It is a program that teaches leadership skills and strong, long-lasting friendships — not to mention the above average resume building.”