Clad in white and gold sparkles, the women of Sigma Kappa chanted and yelled as they welcomed their new sisters into the sorority on Bid Day, Sept. 14.
Amanda Clawson, a freshman elementary education major and one of the newly recruited members, ran over with the rest of her pledge class, eager to begin her life as a dove.
Her mother and sister, who were both involved with Greek life in college, encouraged her to get involved, and Clawson pursued the tradition while keeping an open mind and remembering to have fun.
"It was a really emotional process and decision, but everything leading up to Bid Day was way worth it," Clawson said. “I was pretty confident I would get the bids from the sororities, but when I found out I was in Sigma Kappa, I was so happy."
Before she went out to the Quad to join the rest of the women who rushed, Clawson received a folder holding the name of the sorority interested in her and sat in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center, excited to officially join Greek life.
During this time, current sorority members made their way out to the Quad, prepped for the night with balloons, signs, sparkles, bright neon colors and of course, plenty of energy. They began to circle around the Quad, leaving an open space in the middle for the recruits to sit.
The new recruits rushed to to their new sororities and families with open arms and smiles.
"Bid Day is all over and I’m still very overwhelmed," Clawson said. "The whole recruitment process leading up to [Bid Day] was super fun, but kind of stressful at times. It was hard to have to pick and eliminate different groups each day because all the sororities are awesome and have so much to offer."
Before Bid Day, every woman who wanted to commit to Greek life went through rounds of recruitment where they got to meet 10 Panhellenic Council sororities, figuring out where they fit in.
“[The first round is] like a get-to-know-you, casual conversation and super chill," Clawson said. “After the first rounds though, things get tough. I had to pick six chapters that I was most interested in and visit with them and learn more about their philanthropy and values.”
Recruitment started on Sept. 10 and the last rounds were on Sept. 13, making for a long weekend for the women.
The last round, the preference rounds, is where the women could visit with two sororities and had to make their final decisions on which one they want to join. Clawson was between Sigma Kappa and Phi Mu — she wanted a group that would allow her to make friends and give her good philanthropy opportunities.
“I felt like I fit in in both groups and the girls seemed super nice and welcoming," Clawson said. "This title as a Sigma Kappa member will bring so many opportunities. I’m just so excited for what the future has for me."
See 62 photos of Bid Day in our gallery here.
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