Bid Day is approaching and a lot of UMich students are dropping out of rush
Some are on grounds for removal after breaking the rules
*Names have been changed to preserve anonymity
Panhellenic formal recruitment is in full swing, and while you’ve probably noticed the large crowds of girls running to and from sorority houses in dresses, heels and name-tags, many have already dropped out of the race.
*Ellie O'Connor is one freshman student who discontinued her role as a potential new member (PNM). "The only reason I wanted to do it was to curb my FOMO," she said, but later explained that "they wanted a person who'd pay $2,000 to go to parties [and] I just didn't want to be that kind of girl."
O'Connor also decided to drop out because she "thought it was keeping [her] from joining other student organizations."
Another freshman student, *Sarah Gray, said she entered recruitment because she wanted to meet people.
After receiving her schedule for second set, she contacted her Rho Omega and told her she would not be continuing the process. “It was too stressful and time consuming,” Gray said.
Gray was also unhappy with the sororities on her schedule, receiving invites to houses she wasn’t interested in and being cut from some of her favorites.
While some chose to drop out of formal recruitment because of the time commitment and disappointment over the houses they were invited back to, others coped with this situation by bending the rules.
Many girls decided to skip the parties at the houses they weren’t interested in, an action that is not allowed.
In an email sent out to every girl who is involved in the rush process, Isabel Ceniza, Vice President of Recruitment External, stated that “it is unacceptable for a PNM to miss a party solely because they do not feel like they fit in that chapter.” Ceniza continued by stating that this action “may result in immediate dismissal from the formal recruitment process.”
Between girls willingly dropping out of the rush process and others being removed as a result of their behavior, it is safe to say that as Bid Day approaches, fewer and fewer female students will be involved in formal recruitment.