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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 80 - 85% 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

Panhellenic Recruitment

Below you can find our outline for Formal Recruitment 2023: 

  • Welcome & Orientation - Monday, August 14th, 2023
  • Round 1, Day 1 (Open House Round) - Tuesday, August 15, 2023
  • Round 1, Day 2 (Open House Round) - Wednesday, August 16, 2023
  • Round 2 (Philanthropy Round) - Thursday, August 17, 2023
  • Round 3 (Sisterhood Round) - Friday, August 18, 2023
  • Round 4 (Preference Round) - Saturday, August 19, 2023
  • Bid Day - Sunday, August 20, 2023

2023 Formal Recruitment 

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 2023 Panhellenic Formal Recruitment process. For questions about Formal Recruitment 2023, feel free to email panhellenic@ou.edu or give us a call at (405) 325-3163.

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 2023. 

Formal Recruitment Registration

Formal Recruitment registration as now closed. Registration for Formal Recruitment 2024 will be coming in the spring. 

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 $100.  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. 

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.

Recruitment Guidebook

Our 2023 Guidebook is not yet ready. In the meantime, please check out our 2022 Recruitment Guidebook for tips, outfit suggestions, and more! This publication is downloadable for your convenience. *Please note we no longer print this publication in an effort to lower registration costs.

Panhellenic Formal Recruitment Tentative 2023 Schedule

*Please note dates and times are subject to change.

Formal Recruitment 2023 Schedule
May 15Formal Recruitment registration opens at 9:00 AM
August 1Last day for a registration refund minus $15 service charge
August 1Sorority Parent & Family Information Session #1 (6:30 PM I Zoom)
August 2

Sorority Parent & Family Information Session #2 (6:30 PM I Zoom)

TBACamp Crimson
August 10Formal Recruitment registration closes at 5:00 PM 
August 11Formal Recruitment check-in #1 (1:00 PM - 5:00 PM I JTMC)
August 12Formal Recruitment check-in #2  (1:00 PM - 5:00 PM I JTMC)
August 14First meeting with Panhellenic and small groups 
August 15-16Round I (Open House Round) - 11 parties
August 17Round II (Philanthropy Round) - 8 parties max 
August 18Round III  (Sisterhood Round) - 5 parties max 
August 19Round IV (Preference Round) - 2 parties max
August 20

Panhellenic Bid Day
Bids distributed at 4:00 PM in residence halls, all guests should be out of the residence halls by 3:45 PM so we may distribute bids efficiently as possible.

Students living off campus should report to Jim Thorpe Multicultural Center / designated meeting area with Rho Gamma at 3:45 PM for bid distribution. 

August 21Fall 2023 term begins

*dates and times subject to change

Meals

Students living in the residence halls or on campus for the 2023-2024 term will have activated meals plans to use during formal recruitment. For those living off campus, your registration fee covers lunch on both days of Round 1 (August 15 - 16).

Formal Recruitment Check-In

In order to participate in Panhellenic Recruitment, you’ll need to come check-in with us at the Jim Thorpe Multicultural Center, located just south of the residence halls. We’ll have flags on the north side of the building designating where you come to check-in, receive your nametag and your t-shirts! Check-in times and dates are listed below: 

  • Check-In #1 - Aug. 11th (1:00 PM - 5:00 PM I JTMC)
  • Check-In #2 - Aug. 12th (1:00 PM - 5:00 PM I JTMC)

WHAT TO DO BEFORE CHECK-IN:

We will email students who have registered for Formal Recruitment the weeks leading up to the start of the process with any mandatory paperwork to be completed before they arrive to check-in.

Sorority Parent & Family Information Sessions (Virtual)

These sessions focus on the experience of the parents and family members of anyone who is wanting to join the Panhellenic Association through Formal Recruitment. These virtual sessions will cover the following information: overview of what chapter membership will look like, a breakdown of the recruitment process, as well as hear our suggestions on how to support your child during and after recruitment. We will also offer a time at the end of each session for any questions you may have for our team. Both sessions will cover the same information. We would love to have you join us at one of the sessions!

 Session #1 - Aug. 1st (6:30 PM I Zoom) 

  • You can find the link to the training here

 Session #2 - Aug. 2nd (6:30 PM I Zoom) (recorded)

  • You can find the link to the training here

If you are not able to join us for either dates, we will post a video recording from the August 2nd session as well as a document of FAQs from both sessions. 

Primary sorority recruitment at the University of Oklahoma is only conducted in the fall semester, prior to the start of school. 2023 Recruitment week begins August 15, 2023, and concludes with Bid Day on Sunday, August 20, 2023. It is important to note that the OU Panhellenic does not host a formalized spring recruitment. If you are unable to participate in fall primary recruitment, but are interested in joining a sorority, you may participate in Continuous Open Bidding (COB).

COB begins immediately following the end of the formal recruitment process, on Bid Day. COB is also sometimes held in the spring semester; however, not all sororities are eligible to participate in COB. In order to host COB events, a chapter must be under Campus Total (I.e. Median Chapter Size).  Women interested in COB, can complete a COB interest form hosted on our website here. Once we receive your COB interest form, it will be shared with those sororities under campus total that have elected to participate in COB. 

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. 

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.

We are still working on the 2023 Panhellenic Financial Transparency Report. Click the link below to download and view the 2021 - 2022 Panhellenic Financial Transparency Report, outlining all required costs of Panhellenic membership. 

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 2023 - 2024 academic year is below.

 New Member YearMember In HouseMember Out of House
Average $3,972.90$10,949.14$3,411.49
Range$2,418.00 - $5,321.00$8,327.00 - $12,546.00$2,697.00 - $3,940.00

Yes! The Panhellenic team has been working closely with our friends in the Camp Crimson program. Students will be able to fully participate in both programs. There will not be any overlap for mandatory events for either program. We encourage all students to fully participate in Camp Crimson to build community here at OU. 

Just like there is a governing body at the collegiate level for Panhellenic chapters, there are local Alumnae Panhellenic organizations around the country. Many of these local organizations have early deadlines to assist potential new members with obtaining letters of recommendation. Please note that you do NOT need to register with these groups in order to participate in Formal Recruitment at OU. 

The ONLY paperwork requirement needed to participate in Formal Recruitment at OU is completing our campus registration form which will open on May 15, 2021 and close on August 1, 2021. 

Alumnae Panhellenic registration forms, recommendation letters, or letters of support are not requirements of the College Panhellenic recruitment process.

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 2023 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. 

Learn more about Panhellenic letters of recommendation

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 what was admitted to the University of Oklahoma (their 7th semester of high school GPA). Please see below to learn more about high school and college transcripts:

High School Transcript: Due to financial policies, the University is not able to update a student's final high school transcript past their 7th semester.

College Transcript: We are, however, able to update a student's GPA in their recruitment profile if they have taken new college courses between their 7th high school semester and the start of recruitment.

If a potential new member would like to contact the Office of Admissions & Recruitment academic records department, you can email this office at oardocuments@ou.edu

*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 (oardocuments@ou.edu) in an official, sealed document and then notify Panhellenic of this change (panhellenic@ou.edu). 

Not this year! Our Formal Recrutiment process is occuring later than previous years - 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.

Please note that students who do not have a meal plan with the university will be provided lunch on August 17th and August 18th but all other meals are not covered by the recruitment registration fee. 

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! August in Oklahoma is hot! Make sure you bring a water bottle to stay hydrated between events. 
  • Don’t be afraid to ask for tips. Recruitment guides are great resources for students participating in 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) 325-3163 during normal business hours for help. 

ContactPositionEmailInquiry
Emily AhearnPanhellenic Advisore.ahearn@ou.eduGeneral recruitment information, registration/reimbursement issues, accommodations
Macy PorterVP Recruitment Operations
macy.m.porter-1@ou.eduGeneral recruitment information, chapter-specific questions, recruitment logistics
Abigail BoetticherVP Recruitment Programming
abigail-boetticher@ouhsc.eduRho Gamma questions, recommendation letter questions
Parker ShedDirector of Recruitment Operations
parker.r.shed-1@ou.eduRegistration issues, transcript questions, changing information on registration