How to Become an OSU Greek

From OSU Wiki

1 So You Wanna Go Greek
- 1.1 Benefits of Going Greek
2 How To Join

So You Wanna Go Greek

Oregon State University has a very diverse greek system. With over Twenty different fraternities and Ten sororities, there is a chapter for everyone!

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Benefits of Going Greek

Greek life, being one of the largest organizations on campus, helps you meet a large variety of people, both male and female
You will also be able to get involved with campus activities. Through Greek Life one can learn more about community service throughout Corvallis and on campus. Most houses start their own IM teams, donate blood, compete in Rely for Life, and help support other houses by participating in their philanthropies.
Miss the old days of high school prom? Not a problem in the Greek world. Get all dressed up again during house dances (some formal, others casual)
Tired of living in the dorms? Don't want to search for a place off campus? Most houses have members live in. It is affordable and much cheaper then living in the dorms, plus you have your food cooked for you each mea0l (much nicer than the resident halls. Also if you live in your chapter you do not have to worth about monthly bills. The only bill you really receive is your house bill and you just get three of those a year.
Academics are a priority in all houses. You will be surrounded by people in your classes and will be able to study with them. Also because you meet so many people throughout the Greek system (not just your chapter) you will have many people outside of your house that you know and hangout with in your classes. This makes studying for those horrible tests even better.
There is a reason why they call it a brotherhood or a sisterhood. The people you meet throughout the greek community will ultimately become your friends for a life time. And a college experience can be no greater then a college experience with Greek Life.

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How To Join

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Formal Recruitment

Fraternity Formal Recruitment: For men looking at coming to Oregon State in the fall, summer and formal recruitment starts in the middle of May. On the 24th of May, there will be a recruitment event in Portland at the World Trade Center. After this meeting, fraternities will be given contact information for those individuals interested in going Greek. The summer is a good time to meet the various fraternities and hang out. With 21 fraternities on campus there is almost a guaranteed fit for everyone. The houses do various mixers and events and students are encouraged to check out all the different houses. If things go well, a fraternity can bid a man during the summer. If a man decides to wait until Formal Recruitment, it happens during Connect Week in the summer. That is the first week before school starts. This week is a mix between various OSU events and IFC Fraternity events. None of which should overlap and creates a fun but busy week for incoming men. There is an option of living at the fraternity houses without an obligation to join during this week. For more information please contact RJ Sohler, the VP of Recruitment for IFC at sohlerri@onid.orst.edu.

Sorority Formal Recruitment: Formal Recruitment starts during the beginning of fall term. If a high school student is planning on attending Oregon State University, in most cases the fraternities usually find the students. For sororities, we are a lot more structured for formal recruitment then the Fraternities. This year was the first try at the new changes of formal recruitment. Instead of using the process that we had in the past several years, Oregon State started a new system of a ten-day-week event.In this process the girls going through are able to get to know each chapter as much as they want within the first three days. These three days are called Go Greek Days. During Go Greek days the girls going through will all meet in the MU Ballroom and talk with each chapter. There is no time limits for any conversations and the only rule is that they had to make a visit at each chapter's boths. The next two days are House Tour Days, the girls will then visit the six houses they had choosen from go greek day. Each day they will then go to three houses and get to know moe about the house and their philanthropies. Then the second to last day is Prefnight. The girls will then choose two houses from the six that they visited and have a formal dinner with the chapters and learn more about the chapters traditions. The last day is Bid-Day. This is the day when the girls find out which house they are in, and then go back to their new chapter and celebrate.

The first three days of formal recruitment begin in the MU ballroom and are known as Go Greek Days. Each sorority sets up their own personalized booth with fun information about their house. The sororities want to do their best to make their station unique and different than the other houses, because girls going through recruitment are going to remember which house you are partially by your display, so you want to have a display that really stands out from other houses. After the houses have set up their booths the girls going through recruitment begin to show up. They come to the ballroom so that they have the opportunity to meet at least someone from each house. It is a requirement that if girls are going through recruitment, they must meet a member from every chapter. If potential new members really like a house then it is best to go back and meet as many members from that specific chapter so that both the house can get to know the potential new member and the potential new member can get to know the house a little better. After these three Go Greek Days have been completed, the mutual selection process begins. Each chapter picks girls that they would like to extend an invitation to so that they can come over to the house. While the chapters are picking potential new members, the potential new members are also picking their top houses to go back to and get a house tour from. This process of mutual selection can be tough for both the potential new members and the chapters, because sometimes girls may not get invited back to houses they want, or houses may lose girls that they really wanted. After the mutual selection process is done, potential new members attend specific houses for house tours. House tour day is super fun because girls going through recruitment can get a better idea as to what the house is like and the houses can get to know the potential new members even better. This is another day where houses want to try and stand out so that girls remember them when they make their selection. Chapters decorate and/or try hard to make their house unique and special in some way. Chapters may decorate their hallways, post pictures all over, organize specific rooms and make their house look the best that it can look. After house tour day, there is another mutual selection process. This time houses can only invite back a small number of potential new members and the potential new members can only choose their top two houses that they want to go back to. After visiting six houses on house tour day, it can be a real tough decision for a potential new member to pick their top two houses. Preference night is the last and final time that the girls going through recruitment will be able to visit the chapters and make a decision about what house they think they will fit best in. During preference night, the atmosphere is definitely much more serious than the previous event days. Each chapter usually does some sort of ceremony that is unique to their house and then some sort of fancy dessert is served. The chapters need to make the best impression that they can because this is the last time that the potential new members will get to talk with members from houses before they make their decision. New members also have a lot of pressure on themselves, because they need to make a good impression as well. If they really like a house, then this is the time that they need to tell that house that they like them and that they could definitely see themself in that house because remember that in mutual selection the potential new member must pick the house and the house must pick the potential new member. Once preference night is over, the last and final day of formal recruitment is bid day. This is the day when all the girls find out what house they will be in and each chapter gets to find out who their new members will be. After several long days of formal recruitment it is so exciting to meet the new members and welcome them into your house. Each chapter meets their new members in the MU and then takes them back to their house and welcomes them with games, gifts and fun music. Each house usually has their own activities that they do with their new members so that everyone can get to know each other and feel comfortable with their new sisters.

Rho Gammas will be known now as Recruitment Advisors. Recruitment Advisors aid in the formal recruitment process and help the potential new members be more comfortable in the Greek environment. They are there to answer any questions that the potential new members may have. A large portion of their job is to inform, not only new students, but also parents on what the Greek Community is all about. Recruitment Advisors are constantly attempting to promote Greek Life by explaining all the amazing opportunties that come from the experience. This has been helpful to bring up numbers in the Greek Community.

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Fall Recruitment 2007 Schedule

Connect Week: Details to be determined shortly...

Recruitment Week

9/30/2007- Go Greek Day #1 at the MU Ballroom- Orientation, Chapter Visits
10/1/2007- Go Greek Day #2 at the MU Ballroom- Orientation, Chapter Visits, Walking Groups meet
10/3/2007- Chapter Day #1 at Chapter Houses- Walking Groups, Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Walking Groups meet
10/4/2007- Chapter Day #2 at Chapter Houses- Walking Groups, Round 4, Round 5, Round 6, Round 7, Walking Groups meet
10/5/2007- Preference Night at Chapter Houses- Walking Groups, Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Walking Groups Meet
10/6/2007- Bid Day at Memorial Union Quad- Walking Groups, Bid Day begins in the morning

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Informal Recruitment

If your interested in being apart of the Greek system after formal recruitment is over, the easiest way is through informal recruitment. By just signing up in the Office of Greek Life (located at the bottom floor of the MU by the ballroom) different houses recruitment chair will contact you. They will ask you to come over dinners, game nights, sister hoods or other different activities. You will be able to visit different houses on a much more casual setting. Although informal recruitment is easier because of the informal setting, we encourage girls who are interested in Greek Life to go through formal recruitment. We suggest this because during formal recruitment you have the oppertunity to meet with all the chapters.

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Fraternity Spring Recruitment

For men interested in having a little more structure, the IFC Fraternities are offering a Spring Recruitment Week the 1st-4th of May. It is a good way to check out the various houses in a low pressure situation. Interested men are encouraged to sign up in the Office of Greek Life. The schedule for the week:

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