It’s that time of year again—recruitment. Every Greek organization on Gannon University’s campus is buzzing with the possibility of new members joining their prospective chapters.
However, with the excitement and eagerness to meet new young women and men also comes nervousness.
It may be overwhelming and intimidating for students who are interested in joining Greek life to waltz into an event full of close-knit people and just start chatting them up. This is both understandable and expected.
What these potential new members are not always keenly aware of is the fact that we Greeks are also just as overwhelmed and intimidated by them.
To most, this fact may seem utterly ludicrous. I, as a Greek, can assure you that it’s incontrovertibly true.
From my personal experience, I was thoroughly intimidated by recruitment events. Between announcing my name, hometown and major and introducing icebreaker-type games to play, I was a nervous wreck. The same is true for most girls – and possibly guys too.
Nerve-racking thoughts such as, “What if they don’t like me?” or “Maybe I should have worn a different outfit,” or even sillier concerns like not fitting in because of my hometown or major severely plagued my mind.
The key to overcoming these impractical fears occurs with realizing that the sisters or brothers of the particular organization may just have similar qualms.
Specifically speaking, some of my sisters in Alpha Sigma Alpha openly admit to being nervous before recruitment events.
“Talking to strangers has never been my strong suit,” Erika Greco, a junior communications major and member of ASA said.
“The girls coming to our events may feel like we are judging them, but, at the same time, I feel like they can just as easily judge us.
“I can’t speak for everybody, but when it comes to recruiting, I literally just want to get to know the girls. I am not making snap judgments about their character or personality simply by their appearance and a few words exchanged,” Greco said.
Overall, we just want to impress our potential new members. As a person that’s been there, I will be the first to admit that recruitment events are tough.
Potentials are nervous because they want to make a good impression, and they are often seeking ways to stand out amongst a sea of other interesting, likeable girls.
As Marissa Tesauro, vice president of public relations and recruitment of Alpha Sigma Alpha, said, “Let’s face it, sometimes making conversation with complete strangers can be difficult. Also, we want to impress them and for them to like us.”
“I guess what I’m trying to say is that we are all the same age, going through the same things in life, and we often just want everyone to like us,” Tesauro said. “That’s why many girls from both sides of the spectrum get nervous when it comes to recruitment.”
