Starting this fall, Kent State’s Panhellenic Council implemented changes to the sorority recruitment process, focusing even more on a values-based recruiting system. 

The length of this year’s fall recruitment has also changed from one week to two, providing more time for the values-based recruitment method originally used by the 2017 council to take form. 

“The goal of value-based recruitment is to help break down stereotypes new members might have about specific sororities,” Courtney Carpenter, the Vice President of Recruitment and Retention, said.

The Panhellenic Council emphasized values should be the topic of discussion between potential new members and active members, and all marketing videos and social media should showcase chapter values as well.

The change was proposed by Carpenter and Assistant Vice President of Recruitment and Retention, Ashleigh Shepard, in March 2018, and eventually voted on by sorority chapters in April. 

The change of dates was proposed so women may have more time to focus on academics while also going through the recruitment process, Shepard said.

This year, events will be broken down into two weekends.

Sept. 15 and Sept. 16 will kick off open house rounds in the Student Center, followed by sisterhood round Sept. 21 and preference round Sept. 22.

Recruitment will end with bid day on Sept. 23.

“If I could tell anyone considering going Greek anything, it would just be that I’m so much more confident in myself because of the opportunities I’ve had and people I’ve met,” Carpenter said. “Kent is the second-largest university in Ohio but I feel I’ve been able to find my purpose and a way to make an impact on campus. I always encourage people go through the process for all the experiences it comes with.”

According to Shepard and Carpenter, their goal is to get at least 600 women to sign up for recruitment this year. The bar was set at 596 last year.

Kent State currently has eight sororities on campus: Alpha Phi, Alpha Xi Delta, Chi Omega, Sigma Delta Tau, Phi Mu, Delta Gamma, Delta Zeta and Sigma Sigma Sigma.

“It’s super important to keep an open mind and have fun with it,” Shepard said. “It’s important to know not everyone’s experience is the same. You’ll end up where you’re meant to be.”

The link to sign up for formal recruitment closes Sept. 10. at 11:59 p.m. To register, go to kent.mycampusdirector2.com/

Hannah Kelley is the dean of students and greek life reporter. Contact her at [email protected].