Sorority Recruitment is the process in which Undergraduate Collegiate women join a sorority and, in turn, the Panhellenic community. At the University of Tampa, there are two different types of Recruitment: Primary Recruitment and Informal Recruitment (otherwise known as Continuous Open Bidding or COB). Because of this, Potential New Members (PNMs) may find that they’d prefer to go through one form of Recruitment over another. Both options will be discussed in detail below!
Even with options, both Recruitment processes follow a Mutual Selection Process. The Mutual Selection Process is the method by which a chapter evaluates potential new members and potential new members evaluate chapters as they are narrowing down their desired invitations during the Primary Recruitment process. As Potential New Members evaluate the chapters they are most interested in joining, the chapters evaluate the women whom they believe best align with that organization’s values and the active members of their chapter. After each round of Recruitment, Potential New Members prioritize which chapters they would like to visit the next day of Recruitment based on the conversations they had with chapter members, how their values align with those of the chapters, and where they feel most comfortable. The same will happen on the chapter side of things. Invitations to return to each chapter on another day of Recruitment are the result of this Mutual Selection Process.
It is important to note that the Mutual Selection Process may mean not going back to a chapter you prioritized highly as you may receive an invitation to a chapter you have indicated as a low priority; reasons you may receive an invitation to a sorority you indicated as a low priority include (but are not limited to) how many Potential New Members a sorority can invite back and not meeting membership requirements like GPA.
Deciding to join a sorority doesn’t just impact your college journey; it’s a decision that will stay with you throughout your lifetime!
Fall Formal or Primary Recruitment, happens at the beginning of UT’s fall semester over the course of 2 weekends. Primary Recruitment provides women with the chance to meet and get to know women from all 8 sororities, assessing which they'd feel most comfortable in. Primary Recruitment is comprised of four days, and on each subsequent day, Potential New Members (PNMs) visit fewer chapters and spend longer amounts of time at the remaining chapters. This opportunity is more popular and the easiest way to join as all logistics are planned for PNMs — all you need to do is show up each day and have fun!
For Primary Recruitment, PNMs DO need to register and pay a registration fee of $45.00.
If you decide to withdraw during the middle of the process or miss the deadline to register— you still have an opportunity to join a sorority through Continuous Open Bidding (COB) in the fall. Continuous Open Bidding (COB) begins after the conclusion of Formal Recruitment and continues throughout the academic year with the larger scale events happening in the spring semester. In the fall, however, participating sororities will contact women by phone, email, or Instagram DM to invite them to attend additional membership activities to continue to get to know you. Please note: not all 8 chapters will be eligible to participate in COB, either in the fall or spring. This process also does not guarantee you a bid to a sorority.
Spring Informal Recruitment, or Continuous Open Bidding (COB), happens at the beginning of UT’s spring semester. Much more casual than Formal Recruitment, this is a longer and more relaxed recruitment style as events are held over a few weeks. Just as with Formal Recruitment, not all who go through the process may receive a bid, but you may find that this more relaxed style is more comfortable for you.
It's important to note that not all chapters participate in Spring Recruitment. Chapters who are eligible to recruit during the spring semester will typically post on their Instagram and have interest forms in their Instagram bios for PNMs to fill out for more information. Each sorority participating in Spring Recruitment is required to host one open event for all interested PNMs. Membership recruitment activities might include craft nights, networking events, or movie nights.
PNMs DO NOT register for Spring Recruitment or pay any fees. They also aren't assigned Recruitment Guides, leaving them free to attend the events that they wish to or are invited to. PNMs must reach out to chapters on their own.
