Panhellenic Council sorority recruitment numbers increase by 17 percent

21 Jan 2011

Five sorority women stand on the Drillfield with a sisterhood display. — Throughout fall semester, sorority members promoted recruitment in a variety of ways, such as this event on the Drillfield, that provided non-sorority women an opportunity to learn about Greek life on campus and the recruitment process.

Virginia Tech women signed up in record numbers this year to enter recruitment for the campus’ 12 traditional National Panhellenic Conference sororities.

More than 900 women registered during the fall semester, and after verifying academic requirements, 875 will begin the recruitment process this January, a significant increase from the 750 women who participated last spring.

“These recruitment numbers show that the Panhellenic community is continuing to show its relevance at Virginia Tech,” said Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Adam Cantley. “Panhellenic women are academically successful, service-focused, and committed to leadership. Women want to join these organizations because they see the value it can add, not just to their social experience, but also their entire collegiate experience. ”

Formal recruitment lasts two weekends, during which potential new members attend four rounds of events that allow the women to learn about each individual sorority and about sorority life on campus. The events are held in Oak Lane, Virginia Tech’s on-campus Greek housing community.

Sorority recruitment is a mutual selection process. At the end of recruitment, potential new members rank their final preference for sororities while the sororities indicate their selections for new members. The preference of each woman is then matched to the selections by each sorority to determine a bid. In the end, it is anticipated that 85 percent of the women who participate will receive bids, which is 10 percent higher than the national average.

After recruitment has concluded, the newest sorority on campus, Gamma Phi Beta, will begin recruiting new members for its charter class. The sorority will move into a house on campus in the Oak Lane Community next fall.

“The Panhellenic community has placed great focus upon the extension and recruitment process,” said Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Heather Evans. “The fraternity and sorority community welcomes Gamma Phi Beta to campus and we are excited that so many potential new members will become lifetime members of an interfraternal organization."

Virginia Tech currently hosts one of the largest Greek communities in the United States, with more than 3,500 students participating in a fraternity or sorority organization, encompassing 15 percent of the undergraduate student body.

Virginia Tech’s Greek-letter organizations maintain high academic standards, regularly achieving higher overall grade point averages than the university average. They also make significant philanthropic contributions to the campus, community, and various national organizations through volunteer hours and fundraising efforts. Last year, the fraternity and sorority community at Virginia Tech raised more than $150,000 for charity organizations and volunteered more than 80,000 hours of community service.