Rush week is hosted by the Panhellenic Council, one of the four Greek life councils at Wichita State University. Rush is a seven-day-long process where women at Wichita State who are interested in the Panhellenic Council can learn about the five organizations that make up the council and ultimately have the chance to become a member.
“I have never been more excited to find my home,” pledge Tumani Anderson said. “All of the houses were just so welcoming of me, and they all just showed me so much love and care. I’m so excited to go home to my people.”
As a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, this was my first time attending Bid Day. Any previous knowledge I had of Rush Week was either from what I saw online or my memory of when my freshman year roommate went through Rush Week.
I learned that Rush Week begins with a Tuesday orientation. Over the next five days, pledges visit sorority houses to learn more about each organization’s values, service and sisterhood.
On preference night, the sixth day of Rush Week, pledges narrow down which organizations they are most interested in joining and can spend additional time with the members and learn about the sororities’ history. At the end of preference night, pledges and current organization members submit bid cards.
“It was such a great experience and a great way to start my first week of college,” pledge Kathryn Welsh said.
A bid for the pledges is their final chance to let the recruitment chairs know which chapters they would most like to belong to. Most will select their top choice and their runner-up. Current organization members are also able to submit bid cards to let recruitment chairs know which pledges they would like to join their chapter.
“Primary recruitment is one of my favorite times of the year,” said Emma Radford, a current member of the Panhellenic Council. “Our main focus during recruitment is to learn more about each woman and see if they would be a good fit for our house. Work week and all the preparation we do for primary recruitment all comes down to (Bid Day). This is when we welcome our new sisters home, those who will be our friends for life.”
At the official start of Bid Day, pledges run onto the court of Koch Arena while chapter members surround them with signs and decorations, cheering in excitement.
Pledges are given their bid day cards to open, which say what chapter has selected them to join. Once they open the cards, and after a brief countdown, pledges get to run over to their new chapter, or as many of the participants call it, their new home.
After all the new pledges “run home” and take pictures with their new future sorority sisters, pledges and chapter members walk back to their sorority house together.
I can relate to the sentiment of having lifelong friendships, a place to call home and feeling like you are truly connected with a group of women and their values. I felt the same way when joining my organization in the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Although our form of “rush” is a private experience, it is still meant to get us more deeply connected with our organizations.
Gabriel Fonseca, the Panhellenic Council’s advisor, talked about how rewarding the process was for him.
“I think the overall vibe for the women has been positive over the week,” Fonseca said. “I think it’s been a long week, seven days to get through this process, but now they’re all heading home and get to start their journeys as new Greeks.”
After hearing from potential new members and current members of the Panhellenic Council about their experiences, it is my opinion that the Panhellenic Council is one of the best organizations for fostering camaraderie and the advancement of young women on Wichita State’s campus.
I was able to speak with young women from different backgrounds, who were part of various academic colleges with unique interests and hobbies. That is not something that every organization at Wichita State has to offer. Throughout my time with the girls, I was pleasantly surprised at how much joy surrounded the entire experience.
