The members of Sam Houston State University’s Multicultural Greek Council have been working to recruit new members to their organizations this semester.
MGC’s five sororities and one fraternity have different means of recruiting students of all classifications, said Sigma Kappa Omega member Eloisa Cruz.
“You can be a freshman, you can be a sophomore, junior, even a senior,” she said. “You can be a part of it for a semester here at school, but you’ll be a sister or alumnus for life.”
Cruz said joining a Greek organization helps students meet new people and forge life-long friendships.
“You definitely meet a lot of people,” she said. “Especially if you’re coming from a small town or from another big school where you had a lots of friends and when you come to college and your friends didn’t come with you.”
While each MGC organization recruits during different time periods, the rush process is essentially the same. However, MGC’s process differs from the other Greek councils.
Groups will hold a “Rush Week” where prospective members learn about the process of going Greek. MGC also holds a showcase where all organizations show what their fraternity or sorority has to offer.
Towards the end of rush week, organizations hold interviews with their prospective new members to learn more about their future inductees, according Cruz.
“If we feel [the interviewee] fits with us, and us with them, we’ll extend them a bid which they can accept or decline,” she said.
After accepting their bid, new members are kept secret from other MGC organizations as they learn more about the fraternity or sorority they have chosen. At the end of this period, the new members are revealed at an event called “Probate,” where the new member shows what they have learned, according to Cruz.
After “Probate,” members are inducted to their groups. MGC members often refer to their induction as “crossing.”
Sigma Kappa Omega’s rush week begins next week, while the other groups in MGC are rushing this week.
For more information on Greek life, visit shsu.edu/greeklife.