If you’re a student at NU, it’s difficult to ignore the deluge of sweatshirts, flip-flops and Nalgene bottles emblazoned with the Greek letters of any of the 12 Panhellenic Council sororities.
What’s harder to notice is the group of 37 women wearing blue fleeces simply adorned with the words “Northwestern University Panhellenic Recruitment.”
These women are this year’s recruitment counselors, readying themselves to guide freshmen through Formal Recruitment.
“The recruitment counselors are really seen as an advocate for the (Greek community),” said Kyle Pendleton, director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. “(Potential new members) will be seeking the advice of that person.”
Being the backbone of recruitment also means counselors must disaffiliate from their sorority, or sever all public ties.
“You don’t publicly advertise your chapter,” said Paige Mackey, vice president of recruitment for Panhel.
This means each woman must put away her gear and edit her profile on facebook.com and AOL instant messenger.
A counselor can’t even unlock her front door if she lives in her chapter house because if a potential new member sees her, the counselor’s objectivity is compromised.
Of course, mum’s the word on chatting about chapter events with potential new members. Especially in the presence of eager and curious freshmen.
“It is really hard, residents (in my building) are trying to guess what sorority I’m in,” said Maggie Dumin, a recruitment counselor and a senior community assistant living in Chapin Hall.
Each woman is responsible for guiding a group of about 15 freshmen through the stressful six-day recruitment process in January. The counselors serve as impartial observers, women whom freshmen can turn to for guidance and knowledge.
Counselors go to bi-weekly meetings on a range of topics to learn the ins and outs of recruitment. This past Monday counselors listened to speakers discuss the emotional stress of recruitment and ethical violations.
Joining the counselors are the eight women of the Panhellenic Recruitment Team, which includes some members of Panhel’s executive board. These women oversee and design January’s elaborate affair. PRT members are held to the same standards of disaffiliation.
Counselors and PRT members still are active, voting members of their sororities. But they cannot attend any recruitment training events, Mackey said. They also can’t vote on admitting new members and must be careful about the social situations they find themselves in.
Dumin said she doesn’t visit her chapter house to avoid awkward situations.
Instead counselors embrace being a part of the entire Greek community, rather than belonging to a specific chapter. This experience can be relieving.
“When you’re in a particular chapter, obviously sometimes there are rivalries and animosities,” said Dumin, a Weinberg senior. “(Now) I feel like I’m not being judged so much.”
Counselors and PRT members can focus on promoting the common values all Greek chapters share and helping potential new members, Dumin said.
Mackey said the hassle is worthwhile for counselors because they can make a positive impact. Most of the women involved in recruitment, like Dumin and Mackey, remember good experiences with their recruitment counselors.
“It’s more rewarding than anything,” Mackey said. “You’re still able to have really great relationships with potential new members.”
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