ADPiUCF's Retro-Recruitment

[adpiucf]

My Retro Recruitment Thread

I have to admit when these started popping up, I thought they were a little silly. But now, of course… here I am, jumping on the bandwagon and reading everyone else’s!

*The Players*

When I rushed in 1997, there were 7 sororities at the University of Central Florida in Orlando :

Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Xi Delta*
Delta Delta Delta
Delta Gamma
Kappa Delta
Pi Beta Phi
Zeta Tau Alpha

*In 1997, Alpha Xi was the only unhoused chapter on campus and held their recruitment out of the ATO house. The chapter chartered in 1995, I believe.

Since I rushed, Chi O, Kappa, Theta and AEPhi have made a home at UCF, as well. DG has since closed. Alpha Xi now occupies the former DG house.

*The Schedule*

Round 1: Ice Water (attend events at all 7 sororities)
Round 2: Diversity Day (attend events at all 7 sororities)
Round 3: Skit Night (attend up to 4 parties)
Preferentials: Attend up to 2 parties
Bid Day

Recruitment at UCF takes place during the last week in August, when Orlando is prone to obscene heat and afternoon thunderstorms. Suffice to say that before day’s end all of your make-up has melted off, your hair is a complete frizz-ball (hair straighteners have yet to be invented) and you have been rained on. And your feet hurt. A lot.

*Disclaimer*

Keep in mind these are the observations of an 18-year old sophomore in 1997, and that the reputations expressed are a decade old and no longer apply to the 28 year old I am now, nor do the impressions in 1997 of myself or any PNM or sister accurately reflect the UCF chapters 10 years later!

[adpiucf]

*Round 1 & 2*

It’s our first day at recruitment! 10 years later, recruitment attire is very casual at UCF, but in 1997, we wore dresses everyday. The evening prior to Round 1, we met our Recruitment Counselor and our PX groups. Within my PX group, I have befriended two other PNMs named Kelli and Melissa.

I’m a sophomore majoring in Advertising, and I’m coming into recruitment with a ton of pre-conceived notions about the chapters. I also have an idea of the chapters I think I would like to join.

Today is Ice Water Day. All of the sororities are serving water. Most of them are wearing letters today. The first stop for our PX group is a classroom near Greek Park . We learn the Greek Alphabet and a song for each sorority that we will sing before we enter each of the houses. First stop is Delta Gamma!

I’m paired with a sister upon entering the house. I’m excited to meet the DG’s, as there were a few in one of my Physical Geography course last year. They were really nice girls. The DG’s play a getting-to-know you game in small groups. We’re sitting on the floor and I’m trying my best not to flash everyone in my dress.

A few additional recollections from the day…
At Tri-Delta, I spend the entire party talking to one sister. I don’t think this is going well… At KD, I meet a very energetic girl named Gina and we have a great talk. Still not meeting many other sisters. At Pi Phi, I’m surprised at how many familiar faces I see within the chapter. Wow, is their chapter room loud! Echo!
At ZTA, I’m a little hesitant. I know one of the chapter officers from another club I’m in, but the ZTA’s have a reputation for being beautiful party girls. Their house is a little dark, but once my eyes adjust indoors, yep—beautiful, beautiful girls. I have a great rusher that I absolutely click with, and all of my preconceived notions fly out the window! Who would’ve thought?!

ADPi. I am so nervous to be attending my last party of the day. My best friend Lisa is a member of this sorority. I really love these girls! My rusher is a junior named Tami, and she is awesome. She has to double-rush me and another girl. I’m usually very talkative, but this other PNM is stealing all of my questions. Mental note: must try harder at ADPi! Love the girls and feel very at home. Loved their paw print name tags and door song!

At the end of the day, we reconvene in the classroom. We’ll be attending events at all 7 houses again tomorrow.

Fast Forward to Round 2: Diversity Day. This is a day where all of the sororities get to show us how diverse their sisterhood is. Through skits. Amazingly, everyone’s skits are about different kinds of dancing. The moral? Whether you’re a line dancer, booty shaker or ballerina, despite your diversity, you can be a member of XYZ Sorority!

Memories of the Day: KD wins for originality. Instead of diverse “dances,” they do a bunch of short skits about sisterhood. Very cute. Kelli and I attended this party together and were double-rushed by a very cute Asian girl wearing army fatigues (she was in one of the skits). We are sure to tell her, “We LOVE KD!”

Better time at Tri-Delta today. I’m a little self-conscious about my dress, which feels like too big on me. At ZTA, I get to chat with the chapter president! I feel very special! We’re also doing house tours on this day at ZTA. My rusher at ZTA is very cool—she and her roommate have decorated their room in the house all in white—so pretty! I don’t remember what happened at DG, but my friend Kelli absolutely loves them!

Pi Phi has some phenomenal dancers. At Alpha Xi, I am excited to see my Orientation Team leader—she’s an Alpha Xi, too!

At ADPi, I am rushed by a girl named Michelle. I mention that I’m an advertising major and she looks around frantically for a girl named Sarah who is an upperclassman in that major, too. Eventually, I get to chat with Sarah, and she tells me there are a few ADPi’s in the program. I get to see my friend in the sorority, and she gives me a big hug. Mental note: I really need to make more of an effort at ADPi. I don’t feel like I’m trying hard enough, but I really like these girls!

At one of the sororities, all of the girls who rushed me have tongue rings and I am totally turned off by this. Tongue rings were big in 97, but it freaked me out.

At the end of the day, we meet with our PX and are given a ScanTron. We have to rank the 7 sororities as 4 “Number 1 choices,” one “Number 2,” one “Number 3,” and one “Number 4.” We can visit up to 4 houses tomorrow and Panhellenic is going to match up our choices with the sororities’ lists...

[FSUZeta]

yea, for adpiucf's recruitment thread!!

it is good to get to read the perspective of a non-freshman. isn't it amazing that the ucf sorority system has grown so in just 10 years?

[MaggieXi]

Keep in mind these are the observations of an 18-year old sophomore in 1997, and that the reputations expressed are a decade old and no longer apply to the 28 year old I am now, nor do the impressions in 1997 of myself or any PNM or sister accurately reflect the UCF chapters 10 years later!
[/QUOTE]

I heart your disclaimer!

[Faith4Keep]

This is so fun hearing about recruitment at my school before my chapter was even there!!

[NutBrnHair]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

isn't it amazing that the ucf sorority system has grown so in just 10 years?

Seems like I remember hearing several years ago that UCF was the fastest growing university in the country. Is that still true today?

[adpiucf]

*Skit Night*

Note from the Present Day: UCF eventually did away with Skit Night and Diversity Day, replacing them with Video Day and Philanthropy Night, by the way!

Onto the skits...

We assemble in the classroom for the start of Round 3 and get our invite lists back. I am returning to Pi Phi, ZTA, ADPi and Alpha Xi. Kelli and I are a little bummed to have been dropped by KD, but very excited that we have both been asked back to ADPi together. Our other friend Melissa has not, but the three of us will be visiting Pi Phi together.

Alpha Xi’s skit is a take-off of the Back to the Future, and it’s really funny, especially because the girl playing Doc Brown is amazing in the role and there are jokes about having to pump up Marty's hightops! Pi Phi does a take-off of Gilligan Island . These girls are fabulous performers and one of the singers gives me chills. Off to ZTA where they do a take-off of MTV called ZTV. These girls are so nice; I can’t believe I was intimidated at the thought of ever entering their home before recruitment! Pi Phi has some amazing rooms—unlike the other housed chapters where the girls sleep 2 to a room, Pi Phi rooms are triples and they are positively enormous.

At ADPi, I meet a girl named Amy. Love her! ADPi’s skit is a take-off of the musical Annie. At the end, a sister sings a take-off of “Tomorrow.” She’s a classically trained opera singer and the current Miss UCF. Wow! As I’m leaving, Tami, my rusher from the first day runs up to say hi to me again. I can’t believe she actually remembered me! I am starting to realize that my worries throughout the week about “trying harder at ADPi” are silly— I am starting to see how comfortable I have been at this sorority all week and that I’ve truly been myself the entire time!

Off to rank the chapters… this time we can rank up to 2 “Number 1” choices, and one “Number 2,” and one “Number 3,” Prefs is tomorrow night!

Funny side note: After one of the sororities's skits, their mix tape kept playing, and that old song that goes "How Bizarre, How Bizarre" in the chorus started playing (Ok, it was a new song at the time. I get it, I'm old). The weirder part was that the whole chapter started singing it!!! I walked out of there thinking How Bizarre... It wasn't the act of singing, it was the song itself... not really something you'd think of as a sisterhood song! LOL.

[adpiucf]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

Seems like I remember hearing several years ago that UCF was the fastest growing university in the country. Is that still true today?

One of the fastest-growing! It is now #6 or 7th largest in the nation by enrollment.

[adpiucf]

*Prefs*

We get our prefs invites the next morning. Melissa has been invited back to Pi Phi and Alpha Xi. Kelli and I look at our invites. Yay! I got my two top choices: ADPi and ZTA!
Kelli looks at her invites. She has not been invited back to ADPi, but she’s very excited to be going to Tri-Delta and Pi Phi. Kelli is very sure she wants to be a Tri-Delta at this point.

ADPi is my first prefs ceremony. Amy, my rusher from the day before, greets me again. We have a chat in her room in the house and she tells me about her experience with the sorority, and she tells me how honored she would be to have me as a sister. We head into the chapter room for a ceremony, and I’m in tears. I just love, love, love ADPi!

Next, at ZTA, my rusher from the day before greets me. She isn’t a house resident, so we’re sitting at a table and talking about prefs-type talk. The ZTA’s are wearing beautiful white dresses with turquoise sashes. I really like these girls a lot. Their ceremony is lovely. Can I see myself as a sister here, though?

There’s a break between prefs and bid card signing. Kelli and I decide to grab Subway at the Student Union. She’s 100% decided to rank Tri-Delta first, but I’m still sorting things through. I love ADPi, but the ZTA's have made me feel really at home, too. In the end, I rank ADPi first and ZTA second.

*Bid Day*

On Bid Day, I eagerly open my envelope to read….
The sisters of Zeta……

WHAT?!

(to be continued...)

[ZTAngel]

Originally Posted by adpiucf

On Bid Day, I eagerly open my envelope to read….
The sisters of Zeta……

WHAT?!

(to be continued...)

LOL. I have a story about that when you're done telling the rest of your story.

btw, I'm so glad you used the real chapter names rather than like, "Today, I went to visit the Dandelion house! I really like the Dandelions...."

[FuzzieAlum]

Seems like I remember hearing several years ago that UCF was the fastest growing university in the country. Is that still true today?

I was wondering how they managed to get three chapters larger in the last decade. That would totally make sense.

[NutBrnHair]

Originally Posted by adpiucf

On Bid Day, I eagerly open my envelope to read….
The sisters of Zeta……Omega Chapter of Alpha Delta Pi...

Sorry...the suspense was killing me!!

[adpiucf]

LOL.... ok, I'll finish my story!

As I was saying....On Bid Day, I eagerly open my envelope to read….
The sisters of Zeta……Omega Chapter of Alpha Delta Pi at the University of Central Florida cordially invite you to join their sisterhood.

YAY! And the rest, as they say, is history…


(For the record, Kelli got her bid to Tri-Delta and Melissa got her first choice at Pi Phi! We are friends to this day, and since I rushed, I got all of my best friends to rush—and I count a KD, DDD and Chi-O among my “sisters” as well as all of the ADPi’s!)

* Epilogue *

ADPi has been an amazing experience for me, and my membership has helped me to grow in so many new ways. I have been blessed with so many wonderful opportunities and friendships as a sister of this incredible organization. This fall, I will celebrate 10 years as a member!

[NutBrnHair]

The End (well, not really -- you're a sister for life, right!?!)

:::::::applause:::::::::::

[jwright25]

Loved your story! Incidentally, I was living in Orlando during Fall 1997 and came an ace of asking if Zeta Omega needed any assistance as an Advisor or for rush or anything. I wound up not contacting them as I was freshly graduated and figured they would think me too young to help in that capacity. We wound up moving back to Tennessee in 1998, so I guess it was better that I didn't get involved and have to leave.