The University of Alabama’s new sorority recruitment tradition of being the largest in the nation continued this year for the sixth time in a row.
The number of women who registered for recruitment this year increased by 7 percent, bringing the total up to over 2,400. Of those who registered, 214 self-identified as minority women, a 13 percent increase from last year.
“We are very proud of our young women and their commitment to continue to move forward with resolve, energy and enthusiasm,” said Dr. David Grady, the vice president for student affairs. “While numbers are not the only measure of success, they do indicate that we are making progress. We will continue to focus on creating and sustaining a welcoming and inclusive campus for all students.”
This year, each sorority gave bids to at least 120 freshman and seven upperclassmen, but some sororities exceeded that quota in order to place all of the women who went through recruitment.
UA Panhellenic President Olivia Acker attributes the growth to the already immense size of the Greek system at the University.
“It offers every single person who wants to join a Greek organization here the opportunity to find one that fits their needs,” she said.
The sororities doled out 2,261 bids to the prospective participants, ending with a 93 percent acceptance rate, about a 10 percent increase from last year.
“We were very proactive this year in making sure that the women who do want to participate in active recruitment know there are no barriers to deter them from coming to the university and joining a sorority,” Acker said.
According to a statement from Andreen, the number of African American women who received bids increased by 19 percent for a total of 25 women out of 34 initial participants.
Two out of 34 failed to show, four withdrew, and three did not find a home among the 16 UA Panhellenic sororities during the “mutual selection process.”
As overall numbers continue to rise, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life prepares for possible changes to the rush process, shortening the lengths of individual days by adding another day to the process, thereby reducing the commitment required by both active members and potential new members.
“Recruitment week is the best week you only want to do once,” Acker said.
