Friday the UMC Glenn Miller Ballroom filled with girls anxiously awaiting the results of Bid Day.
“I’m nervous, but excited,” said Danielle Craven, an 18-year-old freshman open-option major, as she anxiously waited to find out which group of sorority sisters she would soon belong to.
Two CU freshman rushees sit during a break and discuss their appointments and different house experiences. Friday in the UMC students received their bids from the sororities and fraternities. (CU Independent/Amanda Good)
After a week of intensive, yet thrilling recruitment, the girls were ready to find out which sororities would become their new homes.
Kaia Gaarud, a 19-year-old freshman finance major, said that she decided to rush for the sense of community that a sorority offers.
“I just want to be a part of something and know I have a family,” Gaarud said.
Recruitment is a week long process that began on Sept. 7. Those rushing visited different sororities every day excluding Sept. 9 to get a feel for which house would suit them best.
“My favorite night [of recruitment week] was skit night because you get to see the different personalities of the sororities,” Craven said.
Annie Vlosich, a 21-year-old senior integrative physiology major and the Membership Recruitment Coordinator, said she enjoys the recruitment process and inviting new sisters into the community.
“My favorite day is Bid Day because the girls go from not knowing anything about the houses to falling in love with them and being excited to be a part of that,” Vlosich said.
Bid Day is the last day of recruitment where the potential new members receive their invitation, or bid, to join a sorority.
The Rho Gammas, a group of counselors for the bidding girls during recruitment, stood in groups of two and called out their group number so the girls would know where to go.
Once the majority of the girls were gathered in the Glen Miller Ballroom Friday evening, they sat down around their Rho Gammas and the bidding process began.
The Panhellenic Executive Council took the stage with opening announcements to wish the girls luck with their bids and thank the Rho Gammas for all of their hard work throughout the week.
As soon as the announcements finished, the Rho Gammas retrieved the envelopes that held the bids determining which sorority each bidder would become part of.
As each girl received her bid, the excitement and nervousness could clearly be seen on their faces.
“I’m excited and glad that I’m about to have a bunch of new sisters,” Lauren Wood, an 18-year-old freshman marketing major, said.
The girls were then instructed to sit on the envelopes until the countdown began where they would all open their bids at once.
After distributing the envelopes, the Rho Gammas went to the front of the room and spread across the front of the stage in a single file line to begin a Bid Day tradition.
Rho Gammas do not reveal which house they themselves are a part of during the recruitment process so that bidders may have an unbiased perspective.
The Rho Gammas lined up and sang the chants from every house, taking off the same purple shirt they were wearing to reveal a shirt with the name of the house they represent and were greeted with cheers from bidders.
“3… 2… 1… Hit it!,” a PanHellenic Executive Council member called out, and the bidders hastily tore open their envelopes.
Some girls then proceeded to stand up and scream with excitement as they ran over to hug their new sisters.
Shock and disappointment filled the faces of a few bidders who did not receive the house of their first choice. Gaarud said that this is one of the lower points of Bid Day.
“It’s been sad seeing girls cry and get upset over houses,” Gaarud said.
Within a few minutes, the Glenn Miller Ballroom was emptied and the only remains of Bid Day were papers littered across the floor as the girls went to join their new sisters.
The rest of Bid Day’s festivities included visiting the sorority houses, having dinner with their new sisters and participating in fun activities.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Alexandria Aguerre at Alexandria.aguerre@colorado.edu.
