Preparing for Preference Night

Monday evening is fast approaching and as the last night of recruitment many people feel nervous or overwhelmed. It's okay! Preference night is a time for all potential new members to alleviate all their concerns about each chapter they visit. It is a good time to ask questions, and make a educated decision.

Preparing for Preference Night

I would try to think of the "pros and cons" of every chapter you visited on Sisterhood day. Not just your top three. There are positives and negatives to every chapter.

Think back about your experience at all those chapters from open house day on.

Answer these questions about all the chapters you visited on sisterhood day:
- Can you remember the conversations you had at those chapters?
- What draws you to those chapters?
- Can these chapters offer you what you want from a college experience?
- Could you see yourself hanging out on an average weeknight with the women in these chapters?
- Could you see some of these women being your mentors during your college years?

 Doing the above things might make your decision easier Monday night!

Reminder Number One:

You should rank all the chapters you visit on preference night. 

That means if you go to three chapters you rank them 1, 2, 3. If you go to two chapters you rank them 1, 2. If you go to one chapter you rank 1.

You have the option to select only one out of three, two out of three, or one out of two. But if you do this your chances of receiving a bid to your top chapter goes down. Even if you do not feel like one of the chapters you visit is right for you, it is smart to rank it as your lowest number. By doing this you are raising your chances of getting your top choice. Also, even if you receive a bid to the chapter you don't think is for you, you could end up completely loving it on bid day and beyond!

Remember if you are being invited into a chapter it is because they think you would be a great fit in their sisterhood. That's awesome!! 

Reminder Number Two:

No single member has the knowledge or power to invite you into their sisterhood before the official bids are handed out. 

Keep an open mind about all the chapters even after preference night. It is hard not to get your hopes up, but remember the chapters know best if you would be a good fit or not for their sisterhood. 

Reminder Number Three:

The sorority women are just as nervous as you!

Each recruiting member wants to make sure you are finding the perfect chapter for YOU! That might not be their chapter, but they are nervous because they want to make sure you make a good decision for yourself. 

Most Importantly, Have FUN! Enjoy the time you spend with each chapter, no matter what chapter you receive a bid to all the women you talk to will be your Panhellenic sisters! 

Orientation Re-Cap

I have been getting a lot of emails asking about what you missed at orientation. Your Rho Gamma's should be contacting you soon, so they can let you know important stuff. We collected 661 toys for Jilly Bug's Toys for Hugs! YAY! They were Thrilled (and so were we)! 

Vital information: 

- Be at the Undercover Tennis courts at 6:15pm on Wednesday!

- If you cannot make it to some part of recruitment you need to fill out an excuse form in the Holden Center

- Do not skip a party without an excuse form or an emergency reported to your Rho Gamma. If you skip a party without one of those options you will be kicked out of recruitment. Every chapter is great and deserves your time. 

- Meet with your Rho Gamma before Wednesday!!!! She should call you, text you, and email you tonight or tomorrow morning. 

Other then that just enjoy some pictures from the evening!

There are 822 Women going through recruitment this year!  YAY!

Preparing for the Open House Days!

• Take care of yourself
• Eat dinner before recruitment (then brush your teeth!).
• Drink lots of water
• Wear comfortable shoes (you don’t want blisters the first day!).
• Bring a little snack for in between events.

• Only bring what is necessary
• You are not allowed to bring your purses inside, so they will be stacked outside the house and one of your Rho Gammas will watch them. But please only bring a small bag- satchels and backpacks are not required. However if you are coming straight from class don't worry about it we will take good care of your bags during your visit to each chapter. 

• Get your questions answered about what to expect
• Make sure to meet up with your Rho Gamma over the next few days and get all your questions answered.
•  If there is anything they cannot answer feel free to email us! phcrush@uoregon.edu

Think of questions you want to ask chapters
•   Is there something your looking for in a chapter?
• What kinds of activities do you want to do with your chapter?
• What is important for you in your college experience? 

• Use those questions to create a set of questions you want to ask every chapter! Chapter members will be impressed by your prepared-ness! 
• [Personal Note: I did this, I asked every single chapter three questions and it really helped me know where I wanted to be. FYI one of my questions was "Do your members where sweatpants to class?" ... Everyone answered yes, so that wasn't that helpful. haha. ]

Take a deep breath! They are way more nervous to meet you then you are to meet them! Your going to do great!

Panhellenic Love,

Crista & The Recruitment Staff

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And follow us on Twitter! @UO_Panhellenic

If your talking about recruitment #ffr12

Panhellenic Field Day

Ever wonder what Panhellenic means? Pan=All, Hellenic=Greek... So put them together and you get all greek! 

This week all the sororities have been hard at work preparing for recruitment. It is a stressful time for everyone involved, they want to make sure they are at their best for all the women who come through recruitment! But we forced all of them to take a break and relax as a community while playing some fun field day activities (third grade style!).

Members competing in the hula hooping contest!

It happened to be a beautiful day in Eugene (rare I know) so it was a perfect opportunity to run around outside! The Rho Gamma's ran all the activities so it obviously went very smoothly!

One of the tallest towers of the day!

We played so many games, from the traditional sack race, to kickball, hula hooping, saltine eating, and red cup tower building. It was so fun! Each team had members from multiple chapters so it was really exciting for everyone to make some new friends.

Saltines anyone?

Recruitment Staff

Crista, Hillary, Kelly, Laura A, and Moira
Not Pictured: Laura H, and Katie 

Panhellenic Vice President of Membership- That's Me! My name is Crista Coven, and I was elected into my position by the Panhellenic Community last fall. Many people ask how I got into my job, well, it happened as much by accident as it could have. I wanted to join leadership in Fraternity and Sorority life as soon as I joined. I did little jobs around my chapter until I was chosen to be on Panhellenic Recruitment Staff my Sophomore year. I was the Recruitment Assistant (see below) for one year then smoothly transitioned into being the VP of Membership.
My job is to plan all the logistical operations of recruitment. I made the schedule, hired the staff, did the marketing, and trained the staff. It doesn't sound like much but what a job!

Panhellenic President- Laura Hinman. Laura's job during recruitment is to take care of all the chapter members and presidents, keep stress levels down and everyone happy!

Panhellenic Vice President of Accountability- Katie O'Neill. Katie's job during recruitment is to make sure all the national and local recruitment rules are being followed!

Recruitment Assistant- Kelly Sommers. Kelly is my right hand woman for all things recruitment. She keeps track of time, schedules, names, plans events, runs meetings and helps with almost everything!

Logistics Assistant- Moira Cain. Moira makes sure the computer system that organizes the recruitment structure is running properly. Also, she is super helpful with computer problems!

Rho Gamma Co-Coordinators- Laura Addy and Hillary Ross. Laura and Hillary plan the training for the Rho Gammas (see below) and make sure that they all know what they are doing. They also help with all other aspects of recruitment!

Rho Gamma's and Staff

Rho Gamma- A recruitment counselor. We have 70 of them who will be their for all the potential new members during recruitment and beyond. They have been trained on all things recruitment, sorority, Oregon, and leadership! They are leaders in the community and represent the Panhellenic community for us all! They are not members of their chapter during recruitment. They must stop talking to their sorority sisters, not wear any chapter apparel, and can not tell anyone what chapter they are in all to make sure they can support you in an unbiased way!

Don't forget registration closes on SATURDAY at 11:59 PM

T-Shirts for the Open House Days!

Below is the artwork for the t-shirts that just came in! If you are going through recruitment to join a sorority you will get the WHITE t-shirt at Orientation! 

You will need to wear these shirts for the first three days of recruitment!

The Black shirts are for the members of the chapters. Every recruiting member will wear the black v-neck for the first three days of recruitment!

Registration Deadline

Just to be clear- to participate in recruitment you must register. 

Register by following this link:

https://secureapp.icsrecruiter.com/ICS/GM/v3/Pan/Web/Enrollment/RegistrationV3b.aspx?UID=UOREGN

It costs $50 to go through recruitment. You get a t-shirt and more importantly the opportunity to be a part of something bigger then yourself.

The deadline to register is ONE WEEK FROM TODAY! 

Saturday, September 22, at 11:59pm

If you have questions, feel free to ask! phcrush@uoregon.edu

Panhellenic Love,
Crista

GO DUCKS!

Recruitment Fashion

For the first three days wear weather appropriate pants and comfortable shoes. Tennis shoes or flats are appropriate. The t-shirt in the picture will be provided. 

Philanthropy day is the first day to express your style. Make sure to wear a watch so you can keep yourself on schedule. Cell phones shouldn't be out during recruitment! Wear flats, sandals, or little tennis shoes. You will be walking a lot! 

Meet Emily! She is one of the women who will be a recruitment councilor! The outfit she is wearing would be perfect for philanthropy day. 

Meet Alana! She is another one of the women who will be a recruitment councilor! Her outfit is perfect for Philanthropy Day! Note: Those are jeans not leggings!

Sisterhood day is a wonderful day but very long! Wear comfortable shoes, sun dresses, pants, blouses, and don't forget your watch!

Emily's outfit here would be great for Sisterhood Day!

Preference night is the most important night! Wear a dress that is comfortable, appropriate, and expresses your style. Avoid wearing all black or all white because chapters generally wear those colors, you don't want to get lost in the crowd! If you choose to wear heels, bring flats or flip flops to wear in between chapters! 

Here Emily is all ready for  Preference Night!

Delta Delta Delta

Tri Deltas During Recruitment 2011

The Theta Delta chapter of Tri Delta is so excited to meet all you lovely ladies this fall formal recruitment! We welcome you to Fraternity and Sorority Life!

In 1888, Tri Delta was founded on the ideals of truth, self-sacrifice and friendship.
Members of our chapter live these goals in their personal lives, as well as remind one another of their importance within the chapter.

One of our large commitments to showcase these ideals is philanthropy. 

Tri Deltas at Delta Desserts

Delta Delta Delta nationally is the top fundraising Greek organization in the nation, raising millions of dollars a year for our philanthropic partner, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Our chapter contributes largely with our annual Delta Desserts event and our Sincerely Yours event, raising over $34,000 in 2012! We are very proud of our sisters!

In addition to philanthropy, we also hold social events, sisterhood events, and participate in other chapters’ events on campus! We believe in forming a strong bond with one another, as well as U of O Fraternity and Sorority Life.

 

Tri Deltas at a bowling sisterhood event

Our strong sisterhood is what got us here, and we are ecstatic to show you all the reasons for this “Delta Love!”

Kappa Delta

The Alpha Lambda chapter of Kappa Delta can’t wait to welcome PC’43 into our sisterhood this fall! 

Kappa Delta's During Recruitment 2011

Here at Kappa Delta we live by our open motto, “Ta Kala Diokomen” meaning, "Let us strive for that which is honorable, beautiful, and highest.”  Kappa Delta remembers that the most important aspects of being in a sorority are sisterhood and giving back to our community. 

Every year we host our annual Shamrock Basketball Tournament and Spaghetti Feed to help benefit Prevent Child Abuse America and the local Looking Glass Shelter here in Eugene. This past year we raised $7500 which all went back to help our local community. Besides our own philanthropy, KD’s go out in full force for all other chapters philanthropies. KD is known for their enthusiasm in philanthropies including winning the Spirit Award in Sigma Chi’s Derby Days and Delta Gammas Anchor Splash last year. KD has also won Greek Week for the past two years and cant wait for this years Greek Week to start!

The Winning Team of Shamrock 2011 - Sigma Chi - With Their Coaches!

KD’s are involved all over campus including Clubs Sports, Panhellenic Council, Marching Band, UOPRSSA and Jam Squad just to name a few. KD’s pride themselves in being a well rounded house and having something to offer anyone who is looking for sisterhood and bonds that last a lifetime. 

Go KD and Go Ducks! 

Twitter:  @UOKappaDelta
Website: http://uoregon.kappadelta.org/

Delta Gamma

At Delta Gamma we pride ourselves on always remembering that being a part of a sorority means you stand for something bigger than yourself: you stand for your letters, your national organization, and you stand for the girls who you come to love as sisters. We truly value our friendships and together we strive to live each day by our national motto: “Do Good.”

One of our yearly commitments to doing good is putting on “Anchor Splash,” the largest Greek philanthropy fund-raising event on the University of Oregon campus. We put together a week full of events meant to inspire all 25 chapters in the Greek life community to come together and raise money for our three 2012 causes: Service for Sight (Delta Gamma’s national philanthropy to aid the visually impaired), Team Cure ALS (a local organization that supports patients of Lou Gehrig’s Disease/ALS), and Fight Against Sarcoma (a special fund set up to support one of our sisters through her struggle with cancer.)

The Delta Gamma chapter house prepares for Anchor Splash 2012 with hand-painted banners and a live DJ!

In less than a month of fundraising we raised over $34,000 – more than we’ve ever raised before! We hosted a series of events over the week to make the process fun and exciting, including “Donation Days” at Dickie Jo’s burgers, a Twitter scavenger hunt, an all-Greek house-decorating contest, “Dunk a DG,” and a Meet and Greet with a gentleman currently living with ALS.

John Simpson, an ALS patient of 8 years, speaks about his condition to Greeks at the Delta Gamma chapter house.

 The week culminated with the Anchor Splash Big Show where each house had a chance to wow us with their final performance. At the end we presented awards for the fraternity and sorority who raised the most money during Anchor Splash, the houses with the best final performances, and the coveted titles of Anchorman and Anchorwoman of Delta Gamma.

Delta Gammas sitting front row at the Anchor Splash Big Show, watching performances by every Greek chapter to wrap up the week of fund-raising!

 

We wish you the best of luck as you go through recruitment and no matter where you find yourself at the end of the week, we urge you to “Do Good” 

Love,

Delta Gamma!

Visit our Twitter page: www.twitter.com/uodg

Visit our brand new Facebook page: www.facebook.com/deltagammaoregon

Visit our chapter’s official website: www.uodeltagamma.com

FAQ: What if I have a class during recruitment?

If you have a class or any major scheduling conflict during recruitment, first analyze how much of recruitment you will be missing. The dates and times are listed on the side of this page, but remember those are the times you need to be there, we don't start going to chapter houses until an hour after the "start time."  If you will only be missing a few hours of recruitment don't worry about it! We will have you fill out an excuse form during Orientation (Sunday September 23rd at 7pm) and the chapters will know then why you are missing. If you are going to miss an entire day or more please consult with us and we will help you make your decision. Every year women get into the perfect chapter, even if they have to miss one day. So it is possible!

Rho Gamma Spotlight: Caitlin

First, you might be asking- What is a Rho Gamma?

A Rho Gamma is a recruitment councilor. The recruitment staff (the students running recruitment) hired 72 of them this year. They are all disaffiliated from their chapters meaning they can't tell you what chapter they are in. They are your guides to recruitment, they will show you from chapter to chapter the first three days, and will be there for moral support through bid day and beyond! They are your resource for all things Fraternity and Sorority Life and the UO in general.

Caitlin Davidson

My name is Caitlin, and I am a junior at the UO. I am from the Los Angeles area, and am excited for my third year for two reasons. First, I will be studying abroad in Paris, France. Second, I was selected to be a Rho Gamma for 2012 Formal Recruitment. As a freshman, I wasn’t too hot on the whole sorority idea, but ended up going through recruitment just for fun. Recruitment itself was a lot to handle, and that’s why I chose to be a Rho Gamma. In high school, I was a peer counselor and enjoyed being able to connect with other students. So when I went through recruitment and saw how helpful the Rho Gammas were, I knew that was the job for me. Freshman year had its ups and downs, but looking back, I could not be more proud to be a member of Fraternity and Sorority Life. One of my favorite college memories will always be my initiation into my chapter. I wasn’t used to so much rain, so my first Oregon winter was rough. I needed a pick-me-up, which ended up coming in the form of my mom. I’m a legacy, meaning my mom and I are both members of the same chapter, so my mom was able to be a part of my initiation ceremony. I had no idea she was in Eugene until my ceremony, and I was so surprised that I started to cry. Embarrassing I know, but it was exactly what I needed at the time. Overall, my best advice for the recruitment process is to stick with it because you never know what can happen!