Cal Poly Panhellenic Association’s formal recruitment is scheduled to start halfway during the second week of Fall 2016, instead of halfway through the first week.
Panhellenic’s Vice President of Recruitment and business administration junior Rebecca Boghossian said Panhellenic was originally working with Cal Poly’s New Student and Transitions Programs (NSTP) to move fall recruitment to Week of Welcome (WOW), the week before classes begin.
However, the proposition was not passed once it reached administrative review by Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Humphrey because of a policy in the Deferred Recruitment Compromise.
The policy outlines when each of the greek councils (Panhellenic, Interfraternity Council and United Sorority and Fraternity Council) can start their formal recruitment periods. It does not allow recruitment events to occur before classes start.
Panhellenic President and psychology junior Michelle Georgette said though holding recruitment during WOW didn’t work out this year, that doesn’t mean it won’t in the future.
“We foresee a relationship in the future as well,” Georgette said. “It’s definitely going to be a project for us to keep in contact with NSTP, to maybe partner up next year or the year after.”
Panhellenic’s goal for moving recruitment to WOW was to reduce the amount of class conflicts that potential new members have faced in the past.
However, Georgette and Boghossian said Panhellenic has extended the formal recruitment week to allow for more events.
The week of Sept. 28 to Oct. 5 will include three tours for each chapter house instead of two, and two preference nights instead of one.
“Our intention is to spread it out more and keep (potential new members’) academics in mind because it’s more important that they go to class than show up at recruitment,” Georgette said.
The new formal recruitment schedule brought mixed reactions from those who have been through the process.
Biomedical engineering freshman Sarah McGoldrick attended formal recruitment during Fall 2015 and found the original schedule easy to work with.
“Pushing it back might make it worse since classes will be further into material and midterms might be around the corner,” McGoldrick said.
Biochemistry freshman Jade Hargrove attended the same recruitment period, but thought differently.
“I think the new system will be better because as a first year, not only was I stressed by being away from home, making new friends and trying to find classes on a giant campus, but trying to rush on top of that was stressful,” Hargrove said. “Pushing it further back will give people a chance to settle in.”
Georgette and Boghossian said Panhellenic expects the same number of potential new members to attend recruitment in Fall 2016. However, they think the sizes of the groups at each recruitment event will shrink, making recruitment a better experience for chapters and potential new members.
The addition of a new sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta, will reduce the number of potential new members at individual events as well.
Boghossian said that ultimately, formal recruitment is about giving each potential new member a good experience when being introduced to greek life.
“At the end of the day, our main goal is to focus on the potential new member experience,” Boghossian said. “It’s about making sure they’re acclimating to school, and trying to find their place on campus to make campus feel at little smaller.”