Mississippi’s universities are expecting large numbers of students to participate in rush this year, which will make it more competitive. However, both the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University are adding Alpha Chi Omega to their Panhellenic community, which will add another option for students.
The recruitment processes for Interfraternal Council (IFC) and Panhellenic Sorority Recruitment (CPH) is roughly one week long. Ole Miss’s Associate Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Jordan Freeman said the process allows for potential new members (PNM) and chapter members to become better acquainted through presentations, speeches and in-depth conversations.
“As rounds progress throughout the week, the conversations become a bit more deliberate and personal, with the goal of a mutual selection between the PNM and their preferred chapter after the final round,” Freeman said. “‘Bid Day’ is hosted as the conclusion event, where students gather together, open their bid cards, and celebrate with the organization that reciprocated interest in them.”
Freeman said Ole Miss is expecting roughly 1,200 registered students for IFC and roughly 1,700 for the sororities.
“This will be more than usual,” Freeman said. “IFC recruitment typically has just over 1,000 students, and Panhellenic has been around 1,400-1,500 students for their previous recruitment cycles.”
Mississippi State’s Panhellenic President Lindsey McCurdy said they are planning to have about 900 students participate.
“The number of students who register for recruitment every year typically increases, especially as the number of incoming students increases,” McCurdy said.
Although there is an increase in participation, there isn’t necessarily a limit on the number of spots available for students in the chapters.
“Our recruitment processes are set up in a way that allows a high percentage of PNMs to join a fraternity or sorority,” Freeman said. “In the past, IFC has typically floated around a 93 percent placement rate and Panhellenic stays around a 96-97 percent placement. The small percentage of students that don’t receive a bid are usually students who withdraw from the process for undisclosed reasons. With that in mind, we are still expecting student placement to be within the 90-99 percent range.”
McCurdy said MSU has undergone an expansion and added a brand new chapter to the campus, which will provide students with nine chapters to meet and get to know throughout the recruitment process.
“Our community is really growing and this can be seen by the addition of our ninth Panhellenic sorority,” McCurdy said. “This happens when you have continued growth and interest in our Greek community. We are excited about this addition, and our newest chapter Alpha Chi Omega has already seen growth and involvement in our community during their first year on-campus and rich engagement of students on many college campuses across the country. We are looking forward to seeing them continue to grow as well as build a new house in our Greek houses.”
Although Alpha Chi Omega had their first pledge class last fall in 2021, this will be their first time participating in the formal recruitment process at MSU. Alpha Chi Omega will also be joining Ole Miss’s Panhellenic community, which will increase their total number of Panhellenic sororities to 11.
“Their recruitment process will look a bit different since they are in the establishment process,” Freeman said. “They won’t be distributing bids through Primary Recruitment, but they will be able to provide bids to those students who choose to bypass that process or who were unable to receive a bid through that process.”
Although the fraternities at Ole Miss won’t be gaining a new chapter, they will have something new this year in a less lenient academic standard.
“The IFC has removed the appeal process for students who don’t meet the minimum GPA requirement of 2.75,” Freeman said. “With that, all students looking to participate in IFC Formal Recruitment must have a 2.75 GPA or above on a 4.0 scale.”
Freeman said in the unlikely event that a student going through the recruitment process at Ole Miss doesn’t receive a bid to an organization, they have the opportunity to participate in the open-bidding processes for both IFC and Panhellenic.
“Open bidding is a less-structured process held after the Formal Recruitment process in the fall, and once again in the spring semester,” Freeman said. “All organizations don’t participate in open bidding; however, it is a great opportunity for any students who may have missed out on the formal recruitment process for any particular reason. IFC open bidding lasts for two weeks immediately following bid day in the fall semester, and it’s held again for the first four weeks of the spring semester. Panhellenic runs a continuous open bidding process that lasts the entire semester immediately after bid day in the fall and the full duration of the spring semester.”
MSU also has the continuous open bidding process that opens after bid day.
“If they don’t wish to do that, students who were not granted a bid or chose to decline one can participate in formal recruitment the following fall again,” McCurdy said.
McCurdy said Greek life enhances the college experience in a special way that allows for philanthropic, academic, and professional enrichment.
“Our chapters on campus have raised over half a million dollars this past year for their philanthropies as well as performed over 65,000 community service hours during the last academic term,” McCurdy said. “Additionally, every year, our Greek Women’s GPA is higher than the All Women’s GPA at Mississippi State. Our Panhellenic chapters challenge their members to achieve academic success on campus, as well as offer many leadership opportunities within their organizations, leading to professional growth in members. Greek life is an excellent way to plug into campus and Starkville’s community immediately when they come to MSU.”
Freeman said fraternity and sorority life at Ole Miss helps students with their personal and professional development.
“There are countless opportunities for students to create lifelong friendships and connections through the different interactions they’ll have as a member of their Greek-lettered organizations,” Freeman said. “These interactions can range from community service opportunities, organizational collaborations, social events, and more. Overall, this all serves as motivation to achieve academically and go on to positively impact the community.”
Freeman said they are available to answer any questions about Greek life at Ole Miss at 662-915-7609 or greeks@olemiss.edu. MSU’s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life can be reached at 662-325-3917.
