Potential ASU sorority members gathered at different locations around the Tempe campus Tuesday afternoon, anticipating final placement decisions.
Bid Day, when sororities pick potential members, marked the end of the official recruiting period for ASU’s 13 chapters of sororities in the Panhellenic Council. Recruiting for these sororities began Sept. 3.
Bid Day activities took place on the Tempe campus outside the Memorial Union and on the Old Main Lawn. Some sororities decorated the area with signs and other identifiers. The area was loaded with hundreds of young women in preparation for the event.
The recruiting activities included four rounds of interviews and meeting sessions that took place between Friday and Sunday, where hopefuls meet with members of each sorority. The interview process culminated with an event held Monday evening called “Preference Night,” where students are allowed to meet with only two sororities for an hour each.
Finally, they submit official bids to their sorority of choice. Then, on Bid Day, hundreds of hopefuls gather on various lawns around the Tempe campus, where officials from each sorority accept those bids.
Some sorority chapters, such as last year’s Chapter of The Year winner Kappa Alpha Theta, accepted more members than usual.
“We accepted bids from 61 pledges, as opposed to the 52 we’ve accepted in previous years,” said business junior Brittany McNabb, a member of Kappa Alpha Theta.
McNabb and other Kappa Alpha Theta members handed out roses to new members to acknowledge their acceptance into the organization. Different sororities practice different acceptance rituals.
Kappa Alpha Theta member Alexa Hughes indicated that the increase in accepted members was a direct result of an increased number of pledges.
“This is the largest pledge class we’ve ever had,” said Hughes, a biochemistry senior. ASU’s chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta has been operational for more than 50 years.
New members of each sorority will be responsible in working with charities that include the Make-A-Wish foundation, The Ronald McDonald House and the Girl Scouts of America, according to a recruitment packet on ASU’s Greek life website. Greek life raised more than $80,000 for the American Cancer Society through Relay For Life this year.
New members will also be responsible for dues that can range for $400 to $900 a semester.
Reach the reporter at michael.reppenhagen@asu.edu
