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Formal Recruitment: September 7-14, 2008
Formal Recruitment is a week-long event from September 7-14, 2008, where you will learn about sorority life by meeting sorority members, touring sorority houses, and getting a chance to ask questions. Participating in Formal Recruitment is a wonderful way to meet new people at the University of Washington, Seattle Campus. Even if you decide not to join a sorority, you will gain fabulous memories and many new friends. The recruitment process gives you and the sorority women a chance to learn more about each other.
Formal Recruitment week description
Orientation
On Sunday, September 7, 2008, you must check in for Formal Recruitment at Orientation. Orientation will be held on campus. You will be notified of the time in your confirmation letter. Your parents are welcome and encouraged to attend. Panhellenic officers will review recruitment week logistics and answer last minute questions. Not only will you meet your Recruitment Counselor, but also the group of women who will be going through the recruitment process with you. If you have chosen to stay in the University residence hall during recruitment week, you will need to check in at the McMahon Hall front desk prior to orientation.
Panhellenic Day, September 8-9, 2008
Over the first two days, you will be escorted by your Recruitment Counselor to visit all sixteen sororities, where you will participate in one-on-one conversations with sorority women. Don't be nervous! The sorority women hosting you for these events will make every effort to make you feel comfortable. They will greet you at the door and escort you throughout the event while introducing you to many of their friends. It is not an interview, but an opportunity to learn more about each other.
House Tour Day, September 10-11, 2008
As the week progresses, the number of sororities you visit will decrease in order to give you a better opportunity to spend more time with each group and to allow you to narrow your choices. Over the next two days, you may visit up to ten sororities where you will tour the facilities and learn more about day-to-day living in a sorority house.
Philanthropy Day, September 12, 2008
On the fifth day of recruitment, you may visit up to six sororities where sorority members will present more information about sorority life as well as each respective chapter's national philanthropy. You may participate in an interactive philanthropic project benefiting a local charitable agency, or sorority members may present a video and/or slideshow. This round will give you a peek inside the personality of each sorority. Refreshments will also be served.
Preference Day, September 13, 2008
The last day of events, you may visit up to three sororities. These events are more formal and usually have a more serious tone. Through speeches and songs, sorority members will share their thoughts, feelings and memories of their sorority experiences. Hors d'oeuvres and desserts will be served.
Bid Day, September 14, 2008
The final day of Formal Recruitment Week is Bid Day. This is the time when you receive your invitation to join a sorority. The members of the sorority will enthusiastically greet you and escort you to the house, where you will move in immediately with their assistance. Most sororities will have a brunch in honor of their new members. Sorority members will help you move your belongings into the house; however, your parents are welcome to assist.
Welcome Week
Welcome week is the week between the end of Formal Recruitment and the first day of class. This is a fun and exciting time where you will settle into your new life in the sorority. The sororities plan many activities to introduce you to both the active and new members and to familiarize you with sorority and campus life. Many sororities host a presentation night the weekend following Bid Day. Chapter presentation is a night when your family and friends are invited to visit your new home and meet your new sisters. More details will be provided from the sorority you join.
It is important to remember that you are a University of Washington student first and foremost. If you will be a new student to the University you are encouraged to attend Dawg Daze, the University of Washington's tradition for welcoming new students to campus. It is possible to enjoy both your new sorority and Dawg Daze during the week.
As you can see, there are many reasons you may want to stick around for Welcome Week; however, you can go home or schedule work if necessary. You will also have free time during the week to make quick trips home to gather more of your belongings.
Recruitment Registration Information
Eligibility
Potential members must be enrolled, fully matriculated students at the University of Washington, Seattle Campus, for Fall 2008 to be eligible to participate in Formal Recruitment. The registration application, registration fee, and residence hall fee (if applicable) must be postmarked to the Panhellenic Association by August 30, 2008.
Registration Fee
The recruitment registration fee covers the cost of recruitment logistics including printing, mailing, processing paperwork, and renting facilities. The fee is non-refundable. If postmarked prior to August 15th the registration fee is $65. If postmarked after the 8th the registration fee is $80.
Housing During Recruitment Week
If you do not live close to the University of Washington or if you want to be in the center of all the action, you have the option of staying in a University of Washington residence hall during recruitment week. Haggett is conveniently located close to the sorority houses, making it easy to walk to the recruitment events. The Panhellenic officers and Recruitment Counselors will also be staying in the residence hall, making them very accessible.
Staying in the residence hall is a great way to meet other women going through the recruitment process. The fee for staying in the residence hall during recruitment week is TBD. The cost covers overnight accommodations for seven nights, bedding and towels, and your meals in the dining hall. To reserve a space in Haggett Hall for recruitment week, please send the housing fee in with your recruitment registration fee.
You will need to check into Haggett Hall on Sunday, September 7, 2008 between 10am and the time of your orientation. The check-in table will be in front of McMahon Hall next to Haggett. You will be notified of your orientation time in your confirmation e-mail. Rooms are assigned randomly; therefore, we cannot honor requests for room assignments.
If you are coming from out of town and are planning to stay in the residence hall, you may bring all of your school-year belongings with you. There is enough room for you to keep your things in the residence hall prior to moving into a sorority house. Note: Please send mail to the Panhellenic Association address and NOT Haggett Hall.
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A confirmation letter will be e-mailed to you immediately upon receipt of the registration material. The letter will be sent to the e-mail address provided to us on the registration form. NOTE: Any changes to the schedule or information that is pertinent for you to know prior to arriving on campus will be emailed; please ensure our email address (panhell@u.washington.edu) is not listed as junk mail by your provider.
Cancellation Policy
Please notify the Panhellenic Association if you decide to cancel your recruitment reservation. The recruitment registration fee is non-refundable. The residence hall fee is refundable in full if cancelled by August 8th. Cancellations after August 8th but before August 30th may be refunded minus 25 percent of the package rate. There will be no refund for cancellations after August 30th.
Recruitment FAQ
Parking During Recruitment Week
You may park in the N5 parking lot at the north entrance of the University Washington on 45th Street and 17th Avenue. Parking passes allow you to park during the day, but not overnight.
You may look for street parking in the Greek community, but it may be hard to find. If you are staying in the residence hall during recruitment week, you may purchase a parking pass for the lot underneath Haggett Hall. Residence hall parking passes can be purchased during check-in. Your attendance at all recruitment events needs to be on time; please plan accordingly.
Payments The recruitment registration fee and residence hall fee are payable to the Panhellenic Association. We accept checks or cash. Your recruitment fee and residence hall fee may be included in one check, please make sure the students name is in the memo field.
Absences during Recruitment Week
If an extenuating circumstance or religious holiday observance makes it impossible for you to attend an event during the week, you must contact our office as soon as possible. We will inform the sororities that you have been excused from the event(s). It is important to attend all of the events during Recruitment Week to which you are invited. Missing events may hinder your chance of being invited to join a sorority.
If you miss an event to which you have been invited without notifying the Panhellenic Association in advance and receiving permission from the Panhellenic Advisor, the Panhellenic Association at the University of Washington has the right to and will remove you from the recruitment process.
Withdrawal From Recruitment
Participating in Formal Recruitment does not obligate you to join a sorority. The recruitment process provides you with an opportunity to learn more about sorority life. You may decide that the sorority lifestyle is not for you. In that case, notify your Recruitment Counselor to talk about your options. You will also need to sign official withdrawal paperwork at the Panhellenic office.
Special Services
Services Requests for special services or accommodations related to disability during recruitment week can be made by contacting the Panhellenic Association in advance.
Recruitment Counselors
The Formal Recruitment process can be exciting and overwhelming. However, the Panhellenic Association has chosen some very special sorority women to guide you through the process. Recruitment Counselors, also known as "R.C.s," are active sorority members who have disaffiliated from their chapter during recruitment week so they can maintain an objective non-partisan outlook. Recruitment Counselors undergo extensive training throughout spring and summer before recruitment and are prepared to guide you through this process. Their main objective is to help make your recruitment experience the best is can be!
You will be divided into groups with several other women going through recruitment, and each group will be assigned an RC. Recruitment Counselors live in the residence hall with the potential members during recruitment so they are close at hand to answer your questions, be available to you, and plan entertaining off-hour expeditions and activities for the group. If you are not staying in the residence halls during recruitment we strongly recommend that you reserve some time in the evening to participate in these fun activities so you will get to know other potential members and give yourself a break from recruitment.
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University Housing
If you have signed up to live in a residence hall for the 2008-2009 academic year or are planning to do so, you should consider the following:
If you do not want to apply for residence hall housing at this time, you have the option of waiting until after recruitment week to do so. However on-campus housing is very limited, and you may be placed on a waiting list. Late applicants may not be assigned before the beginning of autumn quarter, and, depending on demand, some may not be assigned until winter quarter.
Women who pledge a sorority move in on Bid Day, and therefore are not in need of a residence hall room. You will have to pay the applicable cancellation fee if you apply for but decide not to live in the residence halls, even if you cancel because you will be living in a sorority.
Regular cancellation fees will be assessed upon cancellation and/or failure to move into assigned residence hall space. Cancellations may be made online at https://ucharm.hfs.washington.edu/ucharm/Default.asp. Fees will be assessed based on the cancellation schedule below:
Fees will be assessed based on the cancellation schedule below:
CANCELLATION BEFORE MOVING IN
by May 15, 2008--No Fee
by June 1, 2008--$200
by July 1, 2008--$250
by August 1, 2008--$300
by September 1, 2008 --$400
by September 15, 2008--$450
after September 15, 2008--$500
Summer Contact
The recruitment process is an opportunity for you to look objectively at all sixteen sororities at the University of Washington. We are pleased to have the one of the largest Panhellenic Associations on the West Coast, and you have the chance to get to know each one of our great sororities during recruitment week. We ask that sorority members and alumnae not contact you over the summer in order to protect you from outside pressure and so that you may give thoughtful consideration to each group. During Recruitment, Sorority members and alumnae should not contact you with the purpose of discussing recruitment or obtaining information about you throughout the summer.
Many sorority women participate in fraternity recruitment events during the summer. Consequently, we highly recommend that you do not attend any fraternity recruitment events. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at the Panhellenic office at (206) 543.1810.
Panhellenic officers will also be available through the summer to answer your questions about sorority life. Sorority information sessions will be held throughout the summer during the University of Washington orientations.
Legacies
A "legacy" is a potential member who has a mother, step-mother, grandmother or sister who is a member of a sorority. Legacies may be given special consideration by the sororities with whom their family members are affiliated, but legacies are never guaranteed membership in that sorority. If you have questions about the legacy policy of a particular sorority you may contact their inter/national headquarters to find detailed information.
Letters of Recommendation
A "recommendation" is a letter of introduction written about a potential member sent directly to a sorority from a sorority alumna. Potential members are not involved in the recommendation process of contacting sororities. It is also not the responsibility of the potential member to obtain a recommendation letter for a sorority.
If a sorority alumna offers to write you a letter, go ahead and accept it! It is perfectly acceptable for letters to be sent on your behalf; however, recommendation letters are not necessary in order for you to participate in recruitment at the University of Washington and they do not guarantee an invitation from a sorority.
Will I get into a Sorority?
Recruitment is a mutual selection process. After each round of events, sororities and potential members will issue in writing their preference for the next round. The sororities are given a specific number of invitations they are allowed to give, and they must abide by the number. The potential members' preferences of which sororities they would like to revisit will be matched to those of the sororities. The number of sororities you are able to visit decreases as the week progresses in order for you to narrow down your choices. It is not atypical to receive fewer than the maximum number of invitations in any given round; do not let that discourage you!
Following the final round of recruitment of events known as Preference, you will prioritize the sororities you attended during that round in order of your preference. You will sign a statement that you are willing to accept an invitation from one of those sororities listed on your preference card. You reserve the right not to join a sorority if you so choose. However, if you receive an invitation to join a sorority that you have listed on your preference card at the end of recruitment and you choose not to accept it, you will not be able to join another residential, University of Washington sorority for one calendar year.
We encourage college sophomores, juniors and seniors to participate in the sorority recruitment process.
What to Wear
There is no actual dress code during recruitment week. At any given event, you will see quite a range of outfits. The most important thing is for you to be comfortable and to be yourself. It is not necessary for you to purchase a new wardrobe in order to participate in the sorority recruitment process.
PLEASE wear comfortable shoes! We strongly advise you not to wear a brand new pair of shoes. You will be doing a lot of walking, sitting, and standing; therefore, you will want to be comfortable. Seattle weather can be unpredictable in autumn; keep this in mind when deciding what to wear. An umbrella is always a good idea! To give you a better sense of what to expect, we have outlined some of the types of outfits we generally see throughout recruitment week.
Orientation is casual and comfortable.
Panhellenic Day will involve a lot of walking, so you will want to wear something comfortable. Clothing worn during this round is usual casual, such as nice jeans or khaki pants, which will complement the all-Panhellenic T-shirt you will be given at orientation.
House Tours Day is similar to the Open House events. A casual skirt or nice pants with a blouse will work well.
Philanthropy Day is slightly more formal, and a casual dress or nice skirt outfit would be a good choice. Many outfits at this round are the types that would be worn to a luncheon or church service.
Preference Day are the most formal events of the week with both potential members and sorority women dressing up. Typically, women wear a nice evening or dinner dress; however, rhinestones, sequins, or formal gowns are not appropriate. A nice silk or rayon dress is fine.
Bid Day is casual. You will be moving into your new home, so you will definitely want to be comfortable.
Tips for successful Recruitment
-Be relaxed and enjoy yourself.
-Attend the Panhellenic/IFC sessions at Summer Orientation. You can have your questions answered by knowledgeable sorority women!
-Focus on the conversation!—avoid making decisions on material items such as clothes and house structures.
-Bring flip-flops to wear when walking from one even to another…or break in your shoes!
-Disregard rumors from other women, guys, and any other sources. Make decisions based on your feelings and experiences you have during recruitment.
-Don’t be pressured to join a particular chapter because of a parent, sibling, friend, boyfriend or companion.
-Drink a lot of water!!
-Write down as much as possible…keeping notes will help you make the best choices throughout the week.
-Have personal down-time—try not to get burned out too quickly. Recruitment is a long week and you need to be adequately prepared.
-Keep your opinions about recruitment and specific chapters to yourself.
-Initiate conversations with your RC—don’t be intimidated by your RC or anyone on Panhellenic, they are here to help YOU!
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Informal Recruitment
This is an informal process in which women who are current students at the University of Washington may participate. Students fill out a registration form and are contacted by sororities to attend everyday events and have a chance to converse with sorority members. Not all sororities participate in informal recruitment and we highly recommend going through the Formal Recruitment if you have the chance.
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