Panhellenic Association Formal Recruitment
Formal recruitment is the main process the National Panhellenic Conference sororities at the University of Oklahoma use to recruit new members. Formal recruitment is typically conducted before the start of fall semester and lasts 5 days.
It is important to recognize that formal recruitment is a mutual selection process. All students will visit every sorority during the first round (Open House), but the remaining rounds are by invitation only. Just as the sororities are narrowing down the number of women attending each round of events, potential members may only accept a certain number of invitations to each round. The Panhellenic Adviser and Recruitment Guides (Rho Gammas) will explain the process in detail throughout the week. Each potential member will be assigned Recruitment Guides who will be available during the entire process to answer questions, provide support, and give valuable insight.
Participation in formal recruitment does not guarantee an invitation to join a sorority, nor does it obligate a student to join. However, approximately 78-83% of the students participating in formal recruitment each year join a sorority at the end of the week!
The Panhellenic Association at the University of Oklahoma also participates in an informal recruitment process. You can read more about Informal Recruitment, or Continuous Open Bidding (COB) here.
COVID-19 and Panhellenic Recruitment
The impacts of COVID-19 are being monitored for the fall 2020 term. This fall, the University of Oklahoma will be conducting a hybrid model of virtual and in-person recruitment, a fully-structured recruitment hosted with social distancing guidelines in place. While a fully virtual recruitment is our backup, we are working with our community to build a safe and meaningful experience for all participants. More information will be provided as recruitment approaches.
A brief overview of our 2020 recruitment structure is provided below:
- Round I (Open House), 15 minute virtual events over one day
- Round II (Philanthropy), 25 minute virtual events over one day
- Round III (Sisterhood), 35 minute virtual events over two days
- Round IV (Preference), 60 minute in-person events over one day
- Bid Day - Due to health and safety concerns, we are not able to host parents, families, and other guests at Bid Day activities. This was not an easy decision, but we feel this is the safest way to allow our potential new members and their new sisters to have a safe Bid Day experience.
The document below outlines our health and safety plans for Formal Recruitment 2020, as well as policies, major changes, and information about requesting accommodations.
Formal Recruitment 2020
We are excited that you are interested in joining the Panhellenic community at the University of Oklahoma. The information below should be helpful in preparing you for the 2020 Panhellenic Formal Recruitment process. For questions about Formal Recruitment 2020, feel free to email panhellenic@ou.edu or give us a call at (405) 325-4006.
Give us a follow on Instagram for the latest information about recruitment or other Panhellenic happenings. Be sure to join our Facebook groups to stay on top of everything you will need to know for Formal Recruitment 2020.
2020 Formal Recruitment Registration
Registration for 2020 recruitment will open June 8, 2020 and close August 16, 2020 at 5:00 PM CST. Our priority deadline for Formal Recrutiment is August 1, 2020.
REGISTER FOR FORMAL RECRUITMENT HERE
To participate in formal recruitment, you must be a full-time, undergraduate woman enrolled at the University of Oklahoma and registered with the University of Oklahoma Panhellenic Association. The fee to participate in recruitment is $120. That fee will rise to $145 on August 1, 2020. You must pay the registration fee in order to be registered with OU Panhellenic. Please note this fee covers all operating costs of Panhellenic Formal Recruitment. PNMs will not be provided t-shirts for Round I this year.
Make sure to have a high quality picture to upload when you register to include with your application. Please be very detailed with the information you place in the activity boxes as this will be considered your resume. This information will be relayed to all 11 of our chapters.
Before registering, please consult our Sample Registration Form below.
Panhellenic Formal Recruitment 2020 Schedule
Please note dates and times are subject to change.
| Formal Recruitment 2020 Schedule | |
|---|---|
| June 8 | Formal Recruitment registration opens |
| August 1 | Last day for a registration refund minus $15 service charge |
| August 1 | Formal Recruitment Priority Deadline before fee increase |
| August 11 - 15 | Residence Hall Move In |
| August 15 - 18 | Crimson Welcome Week |
| August 15 - 16 | Panhellenic Recruitment Check In at Jim Thorpe Multicultural Center
|
| August 16 | Formal Recruitment registration closes at 5:00 PM CST |
| August 18 | Evening meetings with Rho Gamma small groups - 9:00 PM |
| August 19 | Round I (Virtual Open House Round) - 11 parties |
| August 20 | Round II (Virtual Philanthropy Round) - 8 parties max |
| August 21 | Round III Day I (Virtual Sisterhood Round) - 5 parties max for whole round |
| August 22 | Round III Day II (Virtual Sisterhood Round) - 5 parties max for whole round |
| August 23 | Round IV (In-Person Preference Round) - 2 parties max |
| August 24 | Bid Day 6:00 - 9:00 PM (email panhellenic@ou.edu for schedule conflicts) |
| August 24 | Fall 2020 term begins |
*dates and times subject to change
2020 Recruitment Look Book
Use the link below to download a copy of the 2020 Look Book. We no longer print this publication in an effort to keep operating costs down. However, you can save or print the PDF version of the Panhellenic Recruitment Look Book.
Formal Recruitment Frequently Asked Questions
All sorority women including collegians, alumnae, College Panhellenics, Alumnae Panhellenics, inter/national organizations and the National Panhellenic Conference should actively promote the OVERALL sorority experience and membership opportunities in organizations. This should be done through all forms of communication (e.g., print, digital, in-person) in the spirit of Panhellenic unity and desire to reach out to all women to share the opportunity for sorority membership. College and Alumnae Panhellenic rules should not infringe on the rights of individuals, chapters and/or organizations in the content or forms of communication to promote the sorority experience.
The intention of this guideline was to inform and allow PNMs to be encouraged to participate in Formal Recruitment across all campuses. Additionally, chapters are allowed to ONLY contact women to promote the overall Panhellenic experience before registration. If you have been contacted by a chapter(s), please know that the intention of this communication should be to promote the entire Panhellenic experience, not just one chapter. Whether or not you have been contacted by a chapter member, this communication should not affect your Recruitment experience. We hope that you will have an open mind and a positive attitude going forward into this Recruitment season. We are all adjusting to this new normal and apologize for any confusion along the way.
Financial Transparency
On February 20, 2019 the University of Oklahoma Panhellenic Association voted to adopt a resolution regarding financial transparency during Panhellenic recruitment processes. In a spirit of transparency and accountability, this information will be provided to potential new members and other Panhellenic constituents before, during, and after the University of Oklahoma Formal Recruitment process.
Click the link below to download and view the 2020 - 2021 Panhellenic Financial Transparency Report, outlining all required costs of Panhellenic membership.
Financial Information
It is important to be as informed as possible regarding the costs associated with obtaining a college education. Understanding the financial obligations associated with sorority membership is just as important.
Each student joining a sorority should be aware of the dues, fees and other expenses that are involved and should consider these when making financial plans to attend college. During Formal Recruitment, a potential member should ask sorority members about financial obligations and payment options. Each sorority sets its own fees and housing costs as well as payment schedules.
Chapters report yearly member fees and expenses. The financial breakdown for Panhellenic membership at the University of Oklahoma for the 2019 - 2020 academic year is below.
| New Member Year | Member In House | Member Out of House | |
| Average | $3,702.63 | $9,963.39 | $3,172.68 |
| Range | $2,506.00 - $4,550.00 | $7,802.00 - $11,675.00 | $2,261.00 - $3,580.00 |
The Panhellenic Association does not require a specific grade point average to participate in formal recruitment. However, each sorority has a minimum grade requirement to be considered for membership and initiation. The average grade point for a freshmen to join is around a 3.2. and the average grade requirement for an upper-class student is around a 3.0. These grades are pulled from university records.
Entering freshmen can expect to be scored on the grades that they were admitted to the university with. Upperclassman can expect to be scored on their overall GPA from the Spring 2020 semester.
Should your academic records ever be updated with the university records office from what you were admitted with, please notify Panhellenic as well so we can make those changes in our records. You can simply email Panhellenic (panhellenic@ou.edu) with your name, student ID number, and a brief message telling us that your academic records have changed with the university.
*Please note, when you submit your final transcript to the University of Oklahoma, Panhellenic will not be notified of changes unless you reach out to our team. Should you wish to update your GPA, you must first submit your updated or final transcript to the Office of Admissions and Records in an official, sealed document and then notify Panhellenic of this change. We will work with Admissions and Records to update your GPA.
Some chapters look for a four year commitment; however most of our groups do consider upperclassman in their process. Fewer upperclassmen go through and fewer join chapters. We cannot predict any one person’s recruitment experience. The best advice is to go through the process with an open mind.
A legacy can be defined differently by each chapter, but most commonly, a legacy is defined as a potential new member who is the sister, daughter, or granddaughter of an alumnae sorority member. Legacy policies for each organization on our campus can be found here.
If you are legacy you are not guaranteed a bid to your legacy's chapter. It does not hurt or help to be a legacy; it just notifies our chapters that you have a family member that was a part of that specific organization. Each chapter looks at the individual going through and will make their decision on what is best for their group at that time. We would encourage you to go through the process with an open mind.
Should you have questions about letters of recommendation, check out our web page covering this topic! You can find the link below.
It is important to recognize that formal recruitment is a mutual selection process. All students will visit every chapter during the first round (Open House), but the remaining rounds are by invitation only. Just as the chapters are narrowing down the number of women attending each round of events, potential members may only accept a certain number of invitations to each round. If a potential new member maximizes their options on preference round, a bid is guaranteed from one of the chapters.
The registration fee is refundable, however there is a $15 service charge. Refunds must be made by August 1st and sent into the Panhellenic office via email. You can email us at panhellenic@ou.edu.
The Panhellenic Association will verify grade and test information from a potential new member based off of what she was admitted to the University of Oklahoma with (often 7 semesters of a high school GPA). If a potential new member's academic records are updated with the university, please email Panhellenic (panhellenic@ou.edu) with your name, student ID number, and a brief message explaining that your academic records with Panhellenic need to be updated.
*Please note, when you submit your final transcript to the University of Oklahoma, Panhellenic will not be notified of changes unless you reach out to our team. Should you wish to update your GPA, you must first submit your updated or final transcript to the Office of Admissions and Records in an official, sealed document and then notify Panhellenic of this change. We will work with Admissions and Records to update your GPA.
Not this year! Our Formal Recrutiment process is occuring later than normal - after move in for our campus residents. You will not be required to live in the residence halls for recruitment but are expected to be on campus for all in-person recruitment events, including meetings with your Rho Gamma small groups.
Helpful hints:
- Consider bringing a change of shoes. There can be a lot of walking during recruitment from chapter facility to chapter facility and bringing a change of shoes is strongly advised.
- Plan ahead. Many students find it helpful to bring a bag with them with face towels, personal fans or cosmetic products.
- Be sure to bring a water bottle! To help stop the spread of COVID-19, chapters will not be serving drinks during recrutiment events. We will have sealed water bottles near but students will be allowed to bring water botles into the chapter facilities during recruitment events.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for tips. Recruitment guides are great resources for women going through the recruitment process and can provide helpful hints and tricks for a positive experience.
Panhellenic Recruitment Contact Information
Use the information below to find who you should contact with specific recruitment questions. However, feel free to email any of us with questions and we will be happy to direct your question to the appropriate team member.
You can also call (405) 325-4006 during normal business hours for help.
| Contact | Position | Inquiry | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kylie Frisby | Panhellenic Advisor | kylie.frisby@ou.edu | General recruitment information, registration/reimbursement issues, accommodations |
| Heather Balliew | VP Recruitment Operations | heather.m.balliew-1@ou.edu | General recruitment information, chapter-specific questions, recruitment logistics |
| Riley Burr | VP Recruitment Programming | riley.c.burr-1@ou.edu | Rho Gamma questions, recommendation letter questions |
| Harper Morris | Recruitment Assistant | harper.morris@ou.edu | Registration issues, transcript questions, changing information on registration |
| Meredith Douma | Recruitment Assistant, Head Rho Gamma | Meredith.E.Douma-1@ou.edu | Rho Gamma questions, communication with Rho Gammas |
| Emily Rhinehart | FSPS Grauate Assistant | erhinehart@ou.edu | Volunteers during recruitment |
