By: Anna Aguillard, Staff Writer
On Sept. 12 and 13, Wofford held its last fall Bid Day for Fraternities and Sororities, marking the end of a Greek tradition that has shaped its culture since Wofford became coed in the 70s.
After administration announced in the spring of 2015 that the campus would transition to deferred recruitment by the spring of 2016, it passed a new set of rules to the Panhellenic Community on Tuesday, Sept. 1 – less than two weeks before the start date of Formal Recruitment. Usually, sororities begin preparing for recruitment in the spring.
“We tried our best to plan our recruitment based up on what we anticipated the changes would entail,” said Chandler Balentine, President of Kappa Delta. “With an earlier recruitment date and a few last minute adjustments, the process has been a little stressful.”
Sorority chapter leadership has gone through great lengths to adapt to Wofford’s new standards. The new rules mirror the National Panhellenic Conference’s policy of “no frills” recruitment, guidelines that focus on communication between potential new members and sorority women, rather than costumes and shows. Notable changes in the 2015 rules include drastic budget cuts, restricted performance lengths, limited performers and set in-party monitoring.
Caroline Starnes, Recruitment Chair of Zeta Tau Alpha, mirrored Balentine’s concerns. “With all the intricate details that go into planning recruitment parties, it did get very hard when things were so last minute.”
“However,” Balentine continued, “We are excited for Fall Recruitment, and thrilled that 132 girls have decided that they want to go through sorority recruitment.”
Fraternities faced similarly significant changes. Due to the reconstruction of Fraternity Row, smoker parties were held in tents located in the horseshoe behind Old Main.
“Rush this year was different in a number of ways from how it has traditionally been,” said Cole Shannon, president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. “The shortened time period made it harder for fraternities to fully vet new members, and the lack of the row made it very difficult for fraternities to gather with freshmen outside of the classroom.”
Fraternities also faced the administration’s cancellation of the beloved “Boys’ Bid Day” celebration.
“It’s a little odd that there isn’t any event to celebrate with our new members,” said Shannon. “Luckily, this is a one-time experience.”
“Despite all the changes, everyone was clearly ecstatic today as each girl ran to her new home,” said Starnes.
Sorority quota was set at 26, and three of the four Panhellenic groups met quota and received additional members.
Fraternities, while receiving smaller pledge classes than usual, were also able to adapt to the changes.
“We are very happy with our new members, and hope to help them have a great experience as members of both SAE and the Wofford community,” Shannon said.
