Sonoma State University is in full gear to prepare for the upcoming recruitment process and Meet the Greeks, an event to make this process easier for the upcoming students who want to get involved, will be taking place on Thursday, Aug. 29 in the Seawolf Plaza from 11:00am to 1:00pm. Each sorority and fraternity will have a table with representatives to answer any questions someone with an interest in Greek life may have.
“Meet the Greeks gives students a chance to understand Greek life better and can see if it may be something they want to do throughout their college experience,’’ said Alpha Xi Delta sorority member Natalie Gomez.
It is put on to guide potential new members first-hand into this process of recruitment, by creating a way to interact with each organization in a fun and comfortable manner.
“Meet the Greeks shows an intro to our chapter on a get to know basis, to get a background on what the sisterhood and bond really entails,” says Membership Vice President Julia Bird of Gamma Phi Beta.
Meet the Greeks is open to all students who are interested in Greek life. All 21 chapters are planning to help potential new members by providing information and experience they share within their organization. This will be the first of many events that show Greek unity on our campus, and all organizations will be coming together to support each other. Greek life is a great way to get a sense of community here at Sonoma State. Each chapter is involved greatly with the Sonoma State campus, and they will also provide information about their involvement with our local community.
“Recruitment can be intimidating because there’s a lot of information about each chapter, this event is giving all organizations an easy platform to give information out,” says Membership Chair Elivet Juarez of Phi Sigma Sigma.
Representatives will be there to answer all questions, as well as provide detailed information about their chapter. There will be a plethora of tables placed for each different organization that will be filled with material to guide and give people an idea of what they are. The chapters are excited to tell interested students about all of their upcoming plans, especially what’s in store for their next philanthropy event.
“We are in the process of starting a new philanthropy about mental health awareness, and are so excited to share it with you all,” said Michael Neve, President of Alpha Sigma Phi.
Each fraternity and sorority at Sonoma State is dedicated to a philanthropy in which they raise money for their specific cause by throwing a fun and exciting event. A philanthropy event is a great way each chapter gets involved on campus, and share their passion for their specific organization.
Last year the Gamma Phi Beta sorority held their Moon Ball event to raise money for Girls on the Run and the Phi Delta Theta fraternity had a teeter totter event to help raise awareness for cystic fibrosis.
Activities like these are an important part of on campus Greek Life however, that isn’t the only type of event the fraterneties and sororities of Sonoma State engage in.
The chapters also incorporate many other events that include formals, brotherhoods, and sisterhoods to help build lifetime friendships.
“Being in a fraternity has given me the opportunity to meet and become friends with new people that I could have never imagined, and that bond is for a lifetime,” said Neve, “Building bonds and creating a new found home in Greek life can bring new opportunities during your college experience.”
This event gives students with interest some familiar faces to meet before the recruitment process starts, which can make finding a new home at the school easier. Joining Greek life can be an intimidating task but with an event like this, students will get a chance to ease into the whole process.
There is no pressure in this event, students can simply walk around and introduce themselves for what’s to come. It is a chance for students to explore their interests in a safe and informative space while also enjoying themselves.
“Meet the Greeks gives you a more open environment. You’re speaking to their representative and getting information about them which gives you a chance to put faces to certain chapters before heading into rush season,” said Gomez.
Ask questions, learn about opportunities, and easily get familiar with what Greek life has to offer. It is a great to get involved and gain support through others during college years, and Meet the Greeks will ease the way into the up and coming process. There will be several booths offering plenty of information in order to inform those attending what Greek life at Sonoma State is like and how it can be benificial.
Meet the Greeks will be a both fun and informative platform for students to find out more about the Sonoma State chapters.
“It’s an easy platform to get information from the sororities and fraternities themselves before formal recruitment, you can learn and enjoy,” says Juarez.