Fraternity and Sorority Life
Fraternity and Sorority Life / Fraternity/Sorority Recruitment

Fraternity/Sorority Recruitment

Willamette University utilizes informal recruitment as a lower stress way to get to know chapters. The process, often referred to as Continuous Open Bidding or COB involves meetings or “coffee dates” with 1-2 current members getting to know members and attending fun events designed to help strengthen meaningful connections.

Our recruitment chairs for their respective chapters: 

Alpha Phi: Kate McKellan 
Alpha Chi Omega: Olivia Thomas 
Panhellenic (all sororities): Hannah Beadle
Kappa Sigma: Lucas Cardenas
Sigma Chi: Lukas Hews 

Stay up to date with chapter’s upcoming events through their social media pages! 

Alpha Phi
Alpha Chi Omega
Kappa Sigma
Sigma Chi 

Recruitment FAQs

Continuous open bidding (COB)/Continuous Recruitment (CR): A recruitment process that involves meetings or “coffee dates” with 1-2 current members getting to know members and attending fun events designed to help strengthen meaningful connections.

PNM: Potential New Member. Any individual who is eligible to participate in recruitment.

Bid: An invitation to join a sorority or fraternity.

Membership recruitment acceptance binding agreement (MRABA): The binding agreement signed by a potential new sorority member (PNM). The COB MRABA is used for continuous open bidding/continuous recruitment and new chapter establishment bids.

Bid Day: The celebratory event where new members are honored for accepting bids of membership to a sorority chapter.

Chapter: A membership unit of an inter/national sorority.

Initiation: A ritual ceremony that brings new members into full membership of a sorority including its lifelong benefits. Once an individual is initiated into a sorority or fraternity, they are ineligible for membership in any other sorority or fraternity.

New Member: An individual who accepted a bid from a sorority or fraternity but is not yet an active member of the chapter. As a new member, they receive education about the organization’s values and history to prepare them for initiation.

Fraternity: A Greek-letter organization whose members consist of men. Some sororities may be formally named as fraternities, but are referred to as sororities.

Sorority: A Greek-letter organization with women and non-male identifying members, sometimes referred to as a sisterhood.

FSL: Fraternity and Sorority Life.

IFC: Interfraternity Council.

PHC: Panhellenic Council.

Letters: The Greek letters that stand for the abbreviation of each chapter’s full name. The term “Letters” may also refer to a piece of clothing that has these Greek letters on them, which varies by chapter.