A new recruitment, stronger rules

UNC sororities have amped up for fall recruitment — and so has the Panhellenic Council, by updating its rules on how new members are recruited.

The sorority recruitment process began yesterday. Sororities have seen more strongly enforced regulations on activity as of this summer.

Chapters that violate the “no booze, no boys” and anti-bid promising policies will face steeper fines than in years past and might see delays in their social calendars, said Ana Samper, president for the Panhellenic Council.

“No booze, no boys,” which spans throughout the recruitment period, forbids both established and prospective sorority members from drinking alcohol and speaking to men.

Samper said she hopes these stricter regulations will make for a fairer, less stressful recruitment process for freshmen and upperclassmen alike.

“We’ll have a lot more girls who are pleased not only with their overall experience but with the bid they’re extended, and they’ll feel it is more positive all the way around,” she said.

Freshman Molly McAdams, who plans on rushing, said she finds the recruitment policies to be fair.

“I actually like (“no booze, no boys”) because that means I won’t get to go out as much and I can actually focus on my academics, which I know seems kind of corny,” McAdams said. “But I just want to get all my work done and not have any distractions.”

Samper said she also believes upperclassmen who wish to rush will be more comfortable during the process now that the council has clarified regulations concerning quotas for sophomore, juniors and seniors during recruitment.

While Samper doesn’t yet know how successful the recruitment process will be overall, she said clearer and sterner policies have already had a positive influence on some areas of recruitment.

Since the Panhellenic Council has prohibited summer parties, defined as events with three or more chapter members and five potential new members present, members have not heard of any parties occurring.

“Everyone is pretty much aware of how visible Panhellenic is right now, so it’s kind of like a team effort to make sure we get to maintain our self-governing powers,” Samper said.

She also said that the Panhellenic Council has seen a lot more interest from potential members, with more than 700 girls registered for recruitment.

Jermisha Dodson, an adviser to the Panhellenic executive board, said the organization’s decision to better enforce its own regulations demonstrates its commitment to making Greek life better for all.

“They were very forward-thinking when the Board of Trustees came to Greek life as a whole,” Dodson said, alluding to when the Board of Trustees suggested reform to the Greek system in 2010.

“I definitely see this as a testament to their leadership and a willingness to want to make Panhellenic a better community,” she said.

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