Recruitment dates have been set, Panhellenic as (dreadfully) removed the skit round, and the hunt for next years PNM’s have begun. However, formal recruitment cannot be what it is if it weren’t for our Gamma Chi’s.
These are the sorority version of ladies in waiting – and you, potential new member, are their princess. It sounds cheesy; but believe me when I say that it is 100% true. These women have completely disaffiliated from the place they call home for a year – in order to help you find your home. It is safe to say that every sorority woman has endured Recruitment (and probably never wants to relive it), and if you haven’t, then you will love Recruiting PNMs in the coming years. However, there are a select few that become Gamma Chis. This isn’t a guaranteed experience for every sorority woman – so what do they do? What is about this role is so important, amazing, and life-changing? Why do people women become Gamma Chis? So many questions that one person can think of when thinking of the sanctity and mysteriousness of a Gamma Chi. Pali Demuth, a former Gamma Chi from the Fall 2015 Formal Recruitment sat down to answer some of my our questions about what it is truly like to be a Gamma Chi.
1. What inspired you to become a Gamma Chi?
I had known I wanted to be a Gamma Chi before I even received my bid to my sorority. The three women who served as my Gamma Chi’s were my first older college friends, and in my mind they were the coolest women I had ever met. I looked up to them and trusted their guidance throughout a week that wasn’t the easiest for me. I in turn wanted to have the opportunity to be a familiar face on campus and someone these PNM’s could trust as a friend. Coming to college is an exciting time, but it is also scary. You leave behind everything that you once called normal to start a new adventure with a thousand people who are at best acquaintances. It was my hope to be a friend and confidant to these PNMs as they transition into the best 4 years of their lives.
2. What's the application process like?
The application process starts out with a formal application asking basic questions such as why you wish to be a gamma chi and what does panhellenic spirit mean to you? The second round of the application asks you to first complete a color personality test in which the personalities are divvied up into Blues, Greens, Golds, and Oranges. You are asked to bring your results to a group interview. You are then placed at a table with women from different chapters you more than likely don’t know, presented with a problem, and given a certain amount of time to come up with a solution. During this time the panhellenic recruitment team walks around and observes how you interact with others. The third round of the application is an individual interview in which you are asked questions such as what qualities do you possess that would make you a good Gamma Chi and what would be the hardest part of disaffiliation for you.
3. When did you find out that you had been selected to be a Gamma Chi? How did you react?
I found out I had been selected as a Gamma Chi towards the end of November via email. I was with another one of my pledge sisters when I found out and I was ecstatic! I remember calling all of my close friends and fake crying telling them “I was so sorry…” and then finished with “BECAUSE I WON’T BE AT RECRUITMENT WITH YOU IM A GAMMA CHI!!!”
4. How did you find out who the other Gamma Chi’s in your group were?
We were given the chance to pref for who we would like to have as our co recruitment counselors. On the last meeting of the semester we were divided into two groups. One group stayed in the room we were in and the other group went out in the hall. Once we were all in our respective places we were told to find a pair of socks lying on the floor that had our name on them. Once I found my socks I immediately found two of my co’s because they had socks that matched mine. Next a big black sheet was put up between the group in the hall and the group that had stayed in the room. The girls who had stayed in the room were asked to come to the hall and find the socks that matched theirs. Without seeing their faces I could see that I had two more co’s awaiting a hug behind the sheet. On the count of three our coordinator, Amy, dropped the sheet and we were able to see our co group in its entirety! It was like a Big-Little reveal all over again-lots of squealing, hugging, and picture taking.
5. What are some things that Gamma Chi’s have to do in order to prepare for the arrival for the PNM’s? Training seminars, meetings, etc.
Gamma Chi’s begin training in February by having a meeting once a week until the end of the semester. We get basically a “trial run” by leading the PNM’s around on Greek Discovery Day (GDD). GDD is a practice round for everyone, PNM’s, Gamma Chi’s, and the chapters. It was nice to have the experience from GDD to help prepare for recruitment. Gamma Chi’s have a work week just like all the chapters do, but we get lucky and don’t have to come as early as the chapters do. We arrived in Stillwater on July 30 and from there we were with our Co’s 24/7. During this time there is a strict no contact rule enforced between the chapters and Gamma Chi’s. This is to ensure the recruitment process is fair for every PNM regardless of if she knows anyone in a certain chapter or not. Once we began work week we would have daily meetings and sometimes even multiple in one day. In these meeting we would talk about a variety of topics such as rule enforcement, how to work the computers for preffing, and how to be a good recruitment counselor. We would also get a ton of free time! My co’s and I went to Hasting’s, the Colvin pool, and even made name tags and posters for all of our PNM’s we were anxiously awaiting
6. What was it like first seeing the new PNM’s?
The day the PNM’s arrived I was fortunate enough to get to sit in the lobby of Booker Hall and greet them and their parents as they checked in. My co’s and I were so excited that we probably seemed a little overbearing for the starry-eyed freshmen taking in their new home for the next nine months. Later in the day we went around to all the rooms and introduced ourselves and made the first attempts at learning names. We had been training for so long for this moment and we were so pumped to finally have them here with us!
7. What advice would you give to future PNMs? Future Rushees? Future Gamma Chis?
The advice I would give to future PNM’s is to come in with an open mind. I have found from my own experience and from talking with others that the women who come in with an open mind end their week generally happier than those who were fixated on one house.
To future rushees I say trust your system. Every chapter is made up of fantastic women who have gone before you and can attest to the fact that the system will always work itself out. Also, even if your “rush crush” doesn’t go your house doesn’t mean you can’t still be friends with her!
Last but not least to future Gamma Chis – soak up every moment of it because it goes by so quickly. What seems like years on the chapter side only felt like hours on the Gamma Chi side. It was by far my favorite experience in Greek life and I would encourage any woman who is considering applying to do so. I made 61 new friendships in a total of six days…totally worth it!
8. Describe the disaffiliation process. What was it like not being able to associate yourself with this house you call home?
The difficulty of disaffiliation for me came in waves. At times it was easy because I had so many other things to be preoccupied with that I didn’t have a chance to miss my friends. The difficult times came when I would have to keep a straight face outside of my chapter house and not smile back at my pledge sisters who would smile and sing the door song while making eye contact with me. As the week progressed it became harder for me to not tell the PNMs my affiliation just because I had begun a friendship with them and I wanted them to know as much about me as possible. Not only could I not reveal my chapter affiliation, but I could not say my hometown or last name. Bid day made it all worth it though when I was finally able to reveal my entire identity.
10. What was it like seeing all of the PNMs in their sorority shirts on Bid Day?
Seeing all my PNMs in their sorority shirts on Bid Day was like Christmas day after all the presents are unwrapped. I was so excited for every woman who found her home that day. To see the joy on each of their faces as they realized they had pledge sisters in their group and to watch them take pride in their letters for the first time is a memory I will carry with me forever.
11. Describe what is was like getting to run home to your house on Bid Day this year?
Getting to run home to my chapter was so rewarding. I was able to talk to
everyone again and my pledge sisters greeted me with hugs and pictures and my little made me a welcome home sign. My favorite part of running home, however, was running hand-in-hand with my biological sister who will now forever be my sorority sister. Being a Gamma Chi made me fall in love with the Greek system as a whole, but also with my own chapter all over again. Running home for the last time felt a lot like running home for the first time as I felt the same joy and exhilaration for the chapter I am able to call my own.
