The informal guide to informal recruitment
By: Charlotte Smith, Columnist
So, you’re interested in going Greek, but you don’t want to wait until spring. Or, maybe the concept of formal recruitment freaks you out. Fear not, because informal recruitment is happening soon, and it’s ~pretty chill~ (insert sunglasses emoji here). Even though it’s informal recruitment, I totally get that any form of recruitment can be pretty daunting, and I’ve made you a list of tips to help you find your Greek home!
1) Follow Greek Instagram accounts. Follow @tugreeklife, @towsonpanhel, @towsonifc and any other accounts belonging to Towson’s fraternities or sororities. Each organization will post their informal recruitment schedule here.
2) Meet all the organizations. Go to events where you can meet multiple chapters in a short period of time, such as the semesterly involvement fairs, Meet the Greeks, etc. Talk to all of the sororities or fraternities there and give everyone a chance! If you like what you see, join their email list, and that organization will email you information regarding informal recruitment.
3) Speak up and ask questions! When talking to members of an organization, try to have meaningful conversations about things you really care about! Be sure to ask any questions you have! Sisters and brothers will be happy to answer your questions for you and can give you lots of information. After all, they’ve been through the recruitment process and have first-hand experience of being in their organization.
4) Avoid the Five B’s! The Five B’s are: Bush/Bernie/Barack, the Bible, Boys, Booze and Bucks. Honestly, just use common sense. You don’t want to get into a political or religious argument or accidentally offend someone. It’s also best to not bring up the opposite sex and say something like “HEY DUDE, I GET SO MANY GIRLS EVERY WEEKEND, BRO! I’M SUCH A MAN!!!!!” You will probably get an eye roll rather than a fist bump. Next, don’t bring up drinking or drugs! It is definitely best to leave substances out of the conversation. Finally, it’s totally fine to ask about dues and how much it costs to join an organization, but there’s no need to talk about money much beyond that. Flaunting money tends to make people uncomfortable in any situation.
5) Go to as many events as possible. This gives you the opportunity to meet more people in the chapter and to make a good impression!
6) Have fun! Ugh, I know. It sounds so cliché, but really. Have fun! Try not to stress too much. We’re probably just as nervous as you are! Every organization wants you to like them just as much as you want them to like you, so keep that in mind. This is not a one-sided situation!
Overall, have a great time and good luck!
