A record number of women registered for sorority recruitment this spring, and with that came one of the highest recorded numbers of students who didn’t receive a membership.
The spring incoming class brought the average sorority chapter size to 168 members. Sororities offered 636 memberships to 884 potential new members, leaving 248 without a home in Greek life. The growth shows the increasing popularity of Greek life on the campus, but some Panhellenic Association officials are concerned about meeting the demand of interested students.
This semester, the PHA saw its lowest drop rate — the number of students who withdraw from the recruitment process without receiving a membership or completing all four rounds — in years, said Molly Alsobrook, PHA president.
In spring 2013, each chapter aimed to offer a PHA-set goal of 39 new memberships. This year, they aimed for 44, the largest quota yet. Almost every chapter reached the quota, Alsobrook said, making it the largest number of memberships given out in recent memory.
But the number of potential new members made it more difficult for people to get bids, said Amanda Eisenberg, a sophomore history and journalism major. Eisenberg received a membership from a sorority in spring 2013 before dropping out, and she withdrew from recruitment this year.
“Around 900 girls rushed, so if you look at it that way, there should’ve been around 60 girls in each pledge class,” Eisenberg said. “The quota being 44 means that regardless of your age, it’s difficult to find a house.”
Adding a chapter could be beneficial, Eisenberg said, because more interested students could be accommodated. The PHA has discussed the idea, Alsobrook said.
The Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life ultimately decides which Greek organizations are allowed at the university, but it plans to look into adding chapters in coming years, Alsobrook said.
“Personally, I think we should look into extension,” Alsobrook said. “We have an incredibly diverse community, so any time we can add another house, it’s a chance to appeal to more types of people and interests, which will only make Greek life better.”
For now, the expanding interest in Greek life and the limited space in chapter houses leave a number of disappointed students — particularly sophomores — without a house on bid day, Eisenberg said.
“It may be a decision that goes above the sorority chapters’ heads — I don’t know,” Eisenberg said. “But I do think it’s pretty apparent that it’s more difficult for sophomores and upperclassmen to get bids than freshmen.”
From a financial standpoint, Eisenberg said, it makes sense that a sorority would rather admit a freshman than a sophomore, especially if the new member would want to live in the chapter house. Freshmen would have three years to pay to live there, rather than the two remaining years for sophomores, she said.
But Alsobrook said sororities have increased their acceptance of sophomores and juniors over the past few years, especially when compared to chapters at peer institutions, which often don’t accept nonfreshmen.
“Each chapter is different, but I would say that as a community, we’ve varied acceptances in new member classes,” Alsobrook said. “The stigma is that sophomores or upperclassmen won’t find a house, but we’re starting to combat the stereotype.”
Regardless of the process, though, the growing popularity of sororities is hard to ignore, Alsobrook said.
“We’re making a positive name for ourselves on campus,” Alsobrook said. “People see us with Terp Thon, with Greek events; they just see what we’re doing and want to be involved.”
