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Recruitment Information

Recruitment is the mutual selection process by which the prospective member (you) and the fraternities or sororities determine the best fit for membership. It is a mutual process where you have the opportunity to decide which chapter(s) would be a good fit for you and where each chapter determines who they would like invite to be a member.

During recruitment you will meet many members from each chapter and have the opportunity to gauge whether or not a particular chapter is a good place for you. While all chapters strive to create better men and women, each chapter is different and has a different personality. The goal of recruitment is to determine if Greek life is for you and where you find the best fit.

For more information about fraternity and sorority life, and to learn how to participate in recruitment, attend one the Greek Life 101 sessions on Monday, August 25 at 5 pm in the Union Capital Rooms, or Thursday, August 29 at 5 pm in the Union Capital Rooms. Look for more information in your orientation schedule.

Recruitment is different for Interfraternity Council, Multicultural Greek Council, and Panhellenic Council.

Thoughts on Being Greek

"Greek Life gave me my purpose and helped me understand that by helping others through service I can become a better person, but that's not half of what it has taught me. It has taught me to trust and become someone I never thought I could be... a leader."
- Council Officer

Interfraternity Council (IFC) Recruitment

The IFC recruitment period for Fall 2007 will be held from September 15 - 19, 2008. During that time, each chapter will host multiple recruitment events (also known as "interest parties") so that they can get to know you and you can get to know them.

During fall recruitment, IFC will be coordinating a special bus route that will pick up students across campus and transport them to, from, and between chapter houses. Look for more recruitment information once you arrive on campus.

During recruitment, the chapter will ask for your authorization to verify your academic eligibility for membership. Each organization has eligibility requirements for membership. While some specific organizations may have higher standards, the minimum standard requirement is a 2.25 WIU GPA or a 2.3 high school GPA for entering first year students. Students on OAS status are not eligible to participate in recruitment. At the conclusion of recruitment, chapters will issue bids, which are an invitation to join the organization. By accepting a bid, you are accepting membership in that particular fraternity. All IFC chapters are permitted to issue bids at any time, and many do so throughout the spring and fall semesters, not just during the traditional recruitment periods at the beginning of each semester. Greek Life is an incredible way to get involved around campus, meet an extraordinary amount of friends, and gain new experiences which will help guide your success in years to come. Don't listen to the stereotypes portrayed in movies or rumors spread throughout, participate in recruitment and discover fraternity life for yourself. IFC wishes you the best of wishes throughout your experiences in recruitment as well as an undergraduate at Western Illinois University.

For further information, please contact IFC Recruitment Chairman Ian Conner by e-mail at RI-Conner@wiu.edu.

Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) Intake

MGC chapters participate in Intake. Intake is the process of joining a MGC fraternity or sorority. The process differs for each group and each group typically enters the intake process at different times of the year. Intake usually involves the participation of the chapter and occurs with the oversight of local alumni volunteers. Intake may include interviews, group activities, and study of organizational values and history. While standards vary for each chapter, typically a student must achieve the following before beginning the intake process:

Attain a second semester first year student status (earn 12 - 15 credits)
Attain at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA
Other requirements potentially include community involvement and campus leadership

Panhellenic Council (Sorority) Recruitment

Sorority recruitment for fall 2008 will be September 2 - 14, 2008. To participate in sorority recruitment, you must have achieved a 2.5 cumulative GPA at WIU or be an entering first year student with a comparable high school GPA. First year students on OAS status are not eligible to participate in recruitment

During sorority recruitment, you will have the opportunity to learn about and visit each chapter multiple times before selecting the chapters where you want to become a member. Each potential member will be assigned a recruitment guide, who is a current sorority woman volunteering to assist with the entire recruitment process. Recruitment culminates with bid day on September 14 at which time participating women may receive a bid for membership.

The cost to register for recruitment is $25.00 and registration is online. The registration fee covers the cost of all food and drink you receive during recruitment, provides for buses to transport you to chapter houses, and gets you a Panhellenic t-shirt.

You can register for sorority recruitment here. Registration closes at 11:59 pm on September 10, 2008.

Recruitment Tips

Organize Your Daily Schedule - plan enough time for schoolwork, meals, personal time, and anything else you need to do. Also, allow yourself enough time for Recruitment events - you don't want to miss any of them!
Don't Adopt a New Personality - fraternities and sororities want to meet and get to know the real you. Sometimes problems can occur when a potential member pretends to be someone he or she is not, so the best bet is to just be yourself.
Don't Listen to Rumors! - if you really want to know something about a particular fraternity or sorority, just ask one of the members of that chapter. Information that you get from any other source can be inaccurate and not helpful to you at all.
Choose Which Chapter Is Right for You -just because a lot of people from your hometown are in a certain fraternity or sorority or you think your friends are going to pledge a certain chapter, it doesn't mean that chapter is right for you. Think about all the options you have, and join the fraternity/sorority with which you fit in the best and feel the most comfortable.
Learn as Much About the Fraternity/Sorority as You Possibly Can - by doing this, you can make a better decision on which fraternity/sorority you would like to join. Ask a lot of questions, and meet as many people as you can. After all, that is what recruitment is for - you need to keep in mind that these are the people with whom you will be spending the next few years and with whom you will share friendships for a lifetime.
Ask the Right Questions- you should try to learn the following things about each chapter:
- How much emphasis does your chapter place on scholarship, and are there any type of scholarship programs offered by your chapter?
- How involved is your chapter with IFC (Interfraternity Council), PHC (Panhellenic Council), MGC (Multicultural Greek Council ), student government, and other campus organizations?
- What type of community service programs does your chapter participate in?
- How much does it cost to be involved with the fraternity/sorority?
- What kind of time commitment is required in the new member education program of the fraternity/sorority?

What about Hazing?

Hazing is illegal in the State of Illinois. In addition to this, Western Illinois University, and the governing body of all organizations represented at WIU, including the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), National Pan-Hellenic Conference (NPHC), and the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO) stand firm in their conviction and refusal to tolerate hazing in any form.

Hazing is a recurrent blight that can attack any organization whenever a few persons attempt to substitute force for reason and expediency for understanding. Such persons seem to believe that subjecting members to a series or ordeals will make them fit in and that fear will somehow make them more disciplined and mature. Even though such methods may seem efficient in the short run, there can be no justification whatsoever for hazing. The principles and values of Western Illinois University as well as each and every fraternity and sorority at WIU are in stark contrast to any act of hazing and these values must be evident in the words and actions of all members. Therefore, the university retains the right to sanction organizations as well as individuals who are involved in or permit hazing.

Each fraternity and sorority and all of the three governing councils at Western Illinois University (IFC, MGC, and PHC) joins the university and the aforementioned organizations in their refusal to accept or tolerate hazing activities in any form, included practices by new members, active members, alumni, or any recognized university organization. Whatever form it takes, hazing subverts and corrupts the true fraternal experience. In its more extreme forms, hazing risks human lives, brutalizes everyone involved, and jeopardizes the very existence of the entire Greek community.

While each organization has its own hazing policy, the Western Illinois University hazing policy reads as follows:

Hazing is strictly prohibited. Hazing shall be defined as any action taken or situation created intentionally, whether on University property or not, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, ridicule.

For more information, please contact the Assistant Director for Greek Life Programs in the Office of Student Activities at 309-298-3232.