Ninety-two Arkansas Tech University students accepted bids to join sororities during fall 2020 recruitment.
The process that led to Zeta Tau Alpha and Phi Mu acquiring 24 new members apiece and Alpha Sigma Tau and Delta Zeta adding 22 members each was conducted virtually and absent the in-person events that typically define sorority recruitment season.
Thomas Strahan, coordinator of fraternity and sorority life at ATU, said determination and preparation by student leaders were the key elements in making recruitment successful despite the circumstances created by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“I think our sorority women did an outstanding job in preparing for a virtual recruitment this year,” said Strahan. “Before a decision was even made to switch to a virtual recruitment, the College Panhellenic Council was preparing for multiple scenarios over the summer. One was the virtual recruitment process. They took the time to host weekly trainings with chapter leadership in the weeks leading up to recruitment to ensure that the process would be smooth and easy for all the potential new members who were interested in joining. I really have to hand it to the CPC recruitment team led by Gabi Sowa, CPC Executive Board and chapter leadership for putting together such a successful recruitment this year.”
In addition to Sowa, other members of the CPC Executive Board include Lauren Brown (president), Hailey Webb (secretary), Emily Diedrich (treasurer) and Joanna Frizzell (director of public relations).
The following ATU students served as Gamma Chi recruitment counselors during fall 2020 sorority recruitment. They temporarily disaffiliated from their organizations and provided prospective members with information about sorority membership:
- Cymber Henderson
- Samantha Burkeen
- Lane Hardgrave
- Briley Evans
- Erinn Beth Craig
- Rowan Laidler
- Hannah Bean
- Lora Brown
- Josie Tomboli
- Oriana Montoya
- Sarah Almand
- Asia Smoke
- Zoey Baldwin
- McKinley Heffley
- Abby Niemann
- Colby Willett
- Anna Rae Davis
- Megan Haley
- Sarah Phillips
- Jillian Bratton
Next up for the ATU Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life is fraternity recruitment. The ATU Interfraternity Council will be host a virtual recruitment Sept. 21-24. Men interested in joining can sign up at atuifc.mycampusdirector2.com.
Deadline to register for the fraternity recruitment process is Friday, Sept. 18. Registered students will receive an e-mail with information about the online activities for the week.
“I will remember this recruitment season as one that really showed our students’ ability to persevere,” said Strahan. “Our panhellenic organizations have never had a virtual recruitment before. For them to come together as a community to put on an event this large and successful was amazing.”
Learn more about fraternity and sorority life at Arkansas Tech by visiting www.atu.edu/fsl.
