Off the heels of winter break, women interested in Greek life are called back to campus a week early to take part in the sorority recruitment process. In many ways, students are entering this process completely blind. They have no idea what to expect. Mock recruitment, an event hosted by all sororities in November, gives students the opportunity to have insight into what the recruitment process is like and how to prepare. Mock recruitment is not only an asset, but is necessary for students who are considering entering the Greek life system, as well as useful for the organizations recruiting.
Recruitment is a nerve-wracking process no matter what. From meeting hundreds of women to the decisions one makes after a few short interactions, this is something no one could properly prepare themselves for. It is truly all about diving headfirst into the week and allowing the system to do its job so you will find the right organization for you. However, it is still nice to have a glimpse into what recruitment will be like, especially as a first-year student experiencing dozens of firsts. Mock recruitment is designed for potential new members to have the opportunity to see a simulation of what the actual process is like. They get to speak to women from different organizations, hear chants, interact and gain their footing in the process.
Mock recruitment is so vital for potential new members because it gives them the opportunity to shake off any nervous energy as well as ask questions. It is a lot easier going into the recruitment process when you feel a little familiarized with how things are being run and the women you have interacted with are not complete strangers. Additionally, this gives potential new members the opportunity to get to know the women in each organization. Five days is a short time to have to determine the organization you want to spend the rest of your Villanova career with. So, this early simulation gives you an idea of what each chapter is like from the things they are passionate about to their interests. There is no need to feel that you need to pigeon-hole yourself with one organization during mock recruitment, the whole point is to just familiarize yourself with the sororities better so you can make a more informed decision in January.
Something that many people don’t realize is how important mock recruitment is for the Greek organizations, as well. We are running a large-scale recruitment process with a lot of moving parts. From decorations to speeches, we have tons of things to prepare for. Specifically, the women who were just recently welcomed into their chapters have never been on the other side of recruitment before. The sororities have to train these women on how to properly evaluate potential new members in an appropriate and respectful way along with how to make members feel comfortable when interacting with us. This seems self-explanatory on a piece of paper, but each organization has different priorities and values that they feel define their organization. They want to look for certain things in the women they are recruiting who they feel will fit well with their group of women and their mission.
Women like myself who have never recruited are also given a test-run during mock recruitment. We are able to practice interacting with potential new members, learn the logistics of recruitment and improve ourselves so we can make the recruitment process better for all women involved. We understand how stressful of a time it is for potential new members and by having this opportunity to practice and put in the effort we are able to take our job as a greek organization more seriously. This practice also makes the newest round of recruiters more comfortable with the process and more confident in the insights they will offer during the deliberation process.
“Mock recruitment is so important for first-year recruiters like myself because we want to do right by not just our chapter but the prospective women,” Faith Malki, a sophomore in Chi Omega, said. “The same way that new members may be worried that they will misspeak, we are worried about the same thing. We want to ask the right questions and help them to determine if our chapter will be the right fit for them. This practice run takes away our nerves and gives our incredible recruitment chair an opportunity to have a test run with us.”
It is true that the recruitment chairs of each chapter work incredibly hard and this is an opportunity for them to test out some of their logistics and ideas they have for the recruitment process. In many ways mock recruitment is the dress rehearsal for the real show which is recruitment, and it is so needed. Not all universities offer this opportunity, and students are thankful for Villanova’s Panhellenic Office for allowing all women both already in and prospective members of the organizations to have this experience.
Now, mock recruitment is not required and has no stock in the decisions made during recruitment itself. This is simply an opportunity to take away some of the stress that is awaiting us women in January. We all want to do right by one another, help each other find our homes and continue to foster sisterhood within the walls of Villanova. Mock recruitment is an asset to this mission and something students hope is continued to be practiced each year as it benefits hundreds of women in the process.
