Collegiate Panhellenic Council Recruitment

Click here to register for Primary Recruitment!

Thank you for your interest in joining a Panhellenic sorority at Iowa State! Joining a Panhellenic organization is one of the most important decisions that you will make during your undergraduate years. Being a member of a Panhellenic sorority is a lifetime commitment, and we are happy you have chosen to look further into this opportunity.

Questions? Read below or Contact us! Office of Sorority and Fraternity Engagement 515-294-1023 or at cpcrecruitment@iastate.edu

Interested in also learning about culturally-based sororities? Click to learn about MGC and NPHC sororities.

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Check out our Collegiate Panhellenic Council 2023 Primary Recruitment Guide!

Collegiate Panhellenic Sorority Primary Recruitment

Held each fall before classes begin, potential members will have the opportunity to get a sneak peek into all Panhellenic organizations. Women will move into their assigned residence halls early, meet residents living around them and visit with each sorority. The majority of the members in the Panhellenic Community have joined their sorority through Primary Recruitment.

Women will move into their assigned residence hall a week before the fall semester and be placed in a group with two Recruitment Counselors, known as Rho Gammas, as well as 30-35 other women going through Panhellenic Primary Recruitment. Women will visit all chapters during Welcome Weekend; after Welcome Weekend women will return to fewer chapters each day. The mutual selection process will be utilized for the whole week of Primary Recruitment. The last day of Primary Recruitment is what we call Bid Day! On Bid Day, women who have completed the Primary Recruitment process may be offered an invitation to join a sorority at Iowa State.

Primary Recruitment begins on Welcome Weekend, where potential new members will meet women in all 16 Panhellenic sororities at Iowa State. This takes place over two days, the Saturday and Sunday that Primary Recruitment begins. The second round of recruitment is referred to as Values Showcase, where a potential new member can be invited to a maximum of 11 sororities. During Values Showcase, sororities will share about the amazing philanthropies they support. The third round, Living Panhellenic, is when potential new members visit a maximum of 7 chapters. Living Panhellenic is an opportunity for women to receive a tour of the sorority house(s) they're invited to. The last round of Primary Recruitment is Preference Night. On Preference Night, women may visit a maximum of 2 chapters. This last round of the recruitment process is where potential new members and sorority members will get to know each other on a deeper level and will be the last time to have conversations with each other before Bid Day.

Mutual selection is a process that allows the Potential New Member to select which sororities they would like to return to, and the sorority to invite potential new members back each round. Potential New Members have the opportunity to find a chapter that matches their values and will enhance their experience at Iowa State University. Sororities have the opportunity to select women whose values match theirs and who they feel will make a positive impact on their organization. Invitations to each round are made based on the preference of the Potential New Member and the sororities they visited in that round.

When a Potential New Member progresses through the week, attends all the events she is invited to in each round, and preferences the chapter(s) she visited on Preference Night, she should receive a bid to a sorority she attended. During Primary Recruitment, she will have the opportunity to select which sororities she wants to be invited back to. However, this does not guarantee that she will be invited back to each chapter. Every potential new member is encouraged to keep an open mind and, find a personal way to connect with each sorority.

If you are interested in joining a Panhellenic organization, we recommend participating in Primary Recruitment, as many chapters will reach their capacity during this process.

Continuous Open Recruitment: Continuous Open Bidding is an informal process that sororities use to recruit new members after the conclusion of Panhellenic Sorority Primary Recruitment and during the Spring semester. No guarantee is that all 16 Panhellenic organizations will partake in Continuous Open Bidding. Due to this, we highly recommend registering for Primary Recruitment to meet all 16 Panhellenic organizations. If sororities are partaking in Continuous Open Recruitment, they contact a potential new member on their own,n or you may contact the chapter currently recruiting. The chapter will hold a series of informal events to get to know you better. Each chapter does it differently. Some might go to dinner with a potential member. Some chapters might hold a 'craft night' at the chapter house and invite potential members to attend.

If you are interested in Continuous Open Recruitment, you can attend the CPC Recruitment Fair hosted each semester. If you have further questions, you can contact cpcrecruitment@iastate.edu for more information.