Fraternity recruitment, United Greek Council, and NPHC

In this Issue: fraternity recruitment, United Greek Council, and NPHC

Fraternity recruiment

For parents/families of sons, I am frequently asked about what fraternity recruitment looks like for them. I am going to do my best. As always, I want to stipulate upfront that I am Switzerland in matters of Greek life, so every student should do what’s right for them. Also, these are my opinions, not Wake’s.

There is a huge difference in the men’s and women’s processes – the short version is that sorority recruitment is highly structured and fraternity recruitment is…not. 

Men’s recruitment runs from January 14-21 While sorority recruitment follows a prescribed process with daily events and particular milestones, fraternity recruitment is much more casual. Much of the process for the men may look more like men hanging out, or watching or playing sports, rather than being at a formal recruitment event.

Most chapters use the formal recruitment period to refine a list of men that they had been getting to know in the fall to make sure that there is a good fit between that man and the chapter. The various fraternities will host events that expose the current members to each prospective member in a variety of situations: these could include athletic activities, informal gatherings, and/or coat and tie events. Men would be wise to keep their options open and consider all groups, not just the fraternities they think they’d be a best fit for.

A lot of the recruitment process is done by distro lists (whether that is group text, group chat, emails, etc.). A man could be receiving invitations to events at a given fraternity for a time, and then suddenly stop getting invites. That is typically the sign that the man is no longer being considered for that fraternity. Sometimes a fraternity will actually contact the student to say they are moving on, other times their ‘notification’ they are no longer being considered is that they stop getting invites. This can vary from chapter to chapter. 

While sororities are required to extend a specific number of invitations to make a quota, the fraternities are free to extend as many – or as few – invitations as they wish. Though it is generally a good sign if your son is receiving invites to fraternity events up until Bid Day, that does not necessarily mean he will get a bid to join those groups.  

Bids will go out on January 21st. It is possible that your son could get no bid, one bid, or multiple bids (and then he has to choose which one to join). Just as with sororities, it can sting if you are not invited back to the group of choice, or at all. As with sororities, I deeply believe there are all types of men in all groups, so any group will have a range of personalities and behaviors and your sons would find commonality with some brothers and differences with others. There is no one perfect group. My Harry Potter sorting hat analogy works here too – for men who get a bid, they have tended to land in groups that suit them.

If your son is going to go through fraternity recruitment, I wish them all the best. And just as with the women, if the process does not go as they hoped, encourage them to seek support from our various resources (RAs, Counseling Center, 336-758-CARE, etc.).

United Greek Council

The United Greek Council (UGC) at Wake Forest serves as the governing body for the university’s multicultural and special-interest fraternities and sororities. Currently, 2 active chapters are part of this council.

Students who are interested in joining a UGC organization can participate through membership intake. This process allows interested students to learn more about the organizations and join when chapters are able to accept new members. Membership intake takes place at various times throughout the year and may differ by chapter.

For more information about the United Greek Council, students should contact:

Dr. Brittany Harris-Nelson
Assistant Director
harrisnb@wfu.edu

UGC President
ugc@wfu.edu

NPHC (National Pan-Hellenic Council)

The National Pan-Hellenic Council at Wake Forest serves as the governing body for the university’s historically African-American Greek-letter organizations. Currently, six active chapters are part of this council.

If your Deac is interested in joining an NPHC organization, the process is called membership intake. This is how students explore their options and become members of a fraternity or sorority. Intake happens at different times throughout the year, depending on when each chapter is able to welcome new members.

For more information about the National Pan-Hellenic Council, students should contact:

Office of Fraternity & Sorority Engagement
fse@wfu.edu

NPHC President
nphc@wfu.edu