Recruitment is just around the corner! Here's a glimpse into what Sorority Life is like at Wichita State University! #FindYourLetters

Katelyn Doherty | Delta Gamma

Being from Kansas City, I did not know anyone coming to Wichita state as a Freshman. My mom was in a sorority when she was in college and loved her experience, so I decided to give it a try as a way to meet new people. From the very beginning of the process I loved every minute of my recruitment process. The girls I met in my recruitment groups I still have strong friendships with, even though we ended up in different chapters. I went Greek seeking friendships and a place to belong. What I got out of it extends far beyond that. I found lasting and meaningful friendships and a way to get and stay involved at Wichita State. The best decision I have made at Wichita State was going Greek! 

Katelyn Doherty

Allison Gettings | Rho Gamma

Hello! My name is Allison Gettings, and I am a senior majoring in Integrated Marketing Communications at Wichita State University. I also serve as the Public Relations Chair on Women’s Panhellenic Association. I’m very excited and honored to be a Rho Gamma this year to help potential new members (PNMs) find their letters.

I was very involved when I was in high school with Student Council, National Honors Society and keeping up with my studies. I was always on the go. My freshman year of college I decided to take a break from the madness and not join any organizations. Big mistake. Going from class to work to home grew boring and repetitive after a while (not to mention lonely!). My friend Nicole was the one who encouraged me to go Greek. She sat me down and said, “Allison, you need to go through recruitment. Trust me. You won’t regret it.” Boy, was I glad I took her advice even though I was almost too nervous to sign up.

I went through formal recruitment in fall 2011. The week was filled with so many emotions and memories, and it was one of the best times of my life. There were many times I had to sit down with my Rho Gamma – now one of my best friends – and talk about my experiences during the recruitment process. I had conversations with so many unique women, shared my story and joined the chapter I am proud to be a part of today. My sisters are always there for me and accept me for who I am; I wouldn’t have it any other way.

There are many events the Greek community puts on every year, but philanthropy events are by far my favorite. Watching people from all walks of life come together to support a cause is a really great thing to witness. From cancer charities to charities for the visually impaired, Wichita State University’s Greek community supports a variety of organizations.

My life has changed for the better since I went Greek. I’ve met so many interesting people, given back to the community and grown as an individual. Every year is a new journey, but I know I’ve always got my sisters behind me along the way. Being Greek gives me a sense of purpose in college; being a part of something bigger than myself is a very humbling experience.

Allison Gettings

Roni Tamir | Rho Gamma

Hey there! My name is Roni and I am a senior here at WSU. I am a sociology major and French minor. I graduated from Andover High School in May 2010. I am so excited to be a rho gamma AGAIN this year. Being a part of the recruitment team was such a great experience for me last year that I just had to do it again.

Wichita State University was my one and only choice for a college. I am very much a “mommy’s girl”, so I wanted to stay close to my parents. Going through formal recruitment in WSU was the best decision I’ve ever made, but it wasn’t an easy one. I was one of those girls that joined at the very last minute. It took a lot of convincing from one of my friends. I was very hesitant at first. I just did not see myself as a “sorority girl”. But then I decided to give it a try because of a few reasons: I was a freshman who still lived with her parents in Andover so I didn’t get to meet people from the dorms, most of my friends from high school went to different schools and I wanted to meet new people, and I wanted to get more involved on campus. Going Greek provided me with all those and way more. The friendships, memories, opportunities, and experiences that it provided is something that is truly special to me. 

I can’t wait for this formal recruitment in the fall. I can’t wait to meet the great ladies and help them find their home away from home.

Good Luck!

Love,
Roni Tamir

Taylor Lanterman | Delta Gamma

Going Greek was never something I imagined for myself while thinking about college. I always knew WSU was the right place for me because it was close to home. Although it was only a 20 minute drive to campus, very few of my close friends were coming to WSU with me. I was nervous about not knowing anyone and never making friends by choosing to live at home and not on campus. A few girls who went to my high school asked if I was going through recruitment. To be honest, I didn’t know ANYTHING about being Greek and neither did they. We all went through the process together and I’m glad we did. 

I made friends I never thought I would have during recruitment week. It was fun to see where we all ended up. That experience was one that I would recommend to any girl living at home while attending Wichita State. It was a great way to meet people who will end up in other chapters and also meet girls who will become your future sisters!

Taylor Lanterman

Kaitie Foley | Rho Gamma

Hi ladies! My name is Kaitie Foley. I am currently entering into my first senior year in college, which means I’ll be a super senior, hip hip hurray! I’ve loved every second of my college experience all thanks to Sorority Life at Wichita State University. I am honored to have been selected as a Rho Gamma for this Fall Recruitment and cannot wait to help some wonderful women find their letters!

I signed up for Formal Recruitment the summer before my Freshman year began at WSU, knowing from the very beginning that I wanted to find a home within the Greek system. As a double legacy (a legacy is a women who’s sister, mother, grandmother, etc... had been members of a sorority chapter), I had hoped my whole life to share the same bonds my mother and grandmother had developed in their collegiate years. But when the first day of Formal Recruitment came around, I was nervous beyond belief and thought for a split second that maybe I wasn’t cut out to join a chapter. Any reservation I had, however, vanished once I began conversing with the sorority women as WSU. I knew that I wanted to be one of them and gain a chapter full of sisters, something I never had, but always dreamed of as an only child. A few days later, I excitedly ripped open the envelope that held my bid card and the name of my new home. 

However, the journey to finding my home was not as easy as I had anticipated. On Preference Night, the final night of Formal Recruitment, I found myself torn between two chapters. One that I had fallen in love with on House Tours night, the other, I fell head over heels for on Pref Night. I walked back to the Rhatigan Student Center full of emotions: scared that I might choose the wrong chapter, nervous that I wouldn’t receive my top chapter, ecstatic that I was so close to finding my new home, and so many other feelings that it’s difficult to remember. 

Amidst my crisis of choosing my life long home, I did the only thing I could think to do. I spoke to my Rho Gamma. She was the calm in the storm for me. I presented my situation to her, asking for her guidance. She responded with a question of her own, one that has stuck with me ever since, “Where do you feel at home?” It’s a simple enough question, but one that forced me to search for an answer. The answer I found that night appeared on my bid card the next day and became my home.

As a Rho Gamma, I encourage all of the women going through Formal Recruitment to come to us with anything you’re feeling. We’ve been in your shoes before; nervous, excited, and every emotion in between. I want to help you find your home and sisters just as I found mine!

The experience of Formal Recruitment is unlike any other and I encourage every woman attending WSU to at least consider the possibility of joining a sorority. You might just be surprised at what you find!

~ Kaitie Foley

Amy Golay | Rho Gamma

They sure don't lie when they say your senior year will be here before you know it. Three years ago I made a very spur of the moment decision to sign up for Formal Recruitment at Wichita State and I honestly thought I was crazy. All through high school I was against it and have not really been the type to go out of my way to meet new people. I grew up in Garden City, KS and am the baby of three sisters so living 3.5 hours away from my parents for the first time was a bit of a reality check and quite the adjustment. 

After encouraging it all summer long, even though she was not Greek herself, my mother convinced me to at least give it a try. Well I made sure she knew that giving it a "try" was simply all I was going to do but I figured I didn't have my group of friends from high school to be around anymore so I needed to try something new. After the first night of Formal Recruitment I was a bit overwhelmed, I won't lie, and was tempted to walk away but I stuck it out for one more night. The second night we got to finally have conversations with the ladies in the houses and things seemed to go a bit smoother from there on out. They came across as real people, not the gitty sorority girls you see in movies. I found girls I could relate to and really clicked with; girls that reminded me of my friends back home which was a comforting feeling. Bid day came around and I never thought I'd be so anxious to find out what chapter I got into, but I could barely keep my concentration all day! That whole first semester in my new chapter was just a blur. There is a rush of exciting and scary and fun things to do that are thrown at you all at once you won't know what to quite think of it all, but I promise it will all settle down your second semester.

If I could give any piece of advice going through Formal Recruitment it would be to "keep an open mind". You will hear that a LOT when recruitment comes, trust me, but really take it to heart. After doing a little bit of research on the different chapters after attending an informational meeting, I had my mind set on one certain house for all the wrong reasons. Go into all of the houses with a clear, open mind and really listen to what all the ladies have to say. These chapters are homes to each and every one of these fine young women and these chapters hold such a dear place in our hearts for so many different reasons. Give them a chance to explain to you why being a part of that certain chapter means so much to them before you shut them down. It'll be the best thing you'll do that week! Follow your heart and have fun....your new home away from home is awaiting you!! #FindYourLetters #GoGreek #RhoGamLove

Amy Golay

24 days!

Potential New Members:

You are less than a month away from being apart of a new family and beginning a new chapter of your life. Are you ready for the best four years of your life?

If you haven't already, research each chapter's national and local website. This will give you an advantage when going through recruitment. 

Carson, the Rho Gammas and I are so excited to meet you! There are several events coming up that we will be in attendance.

Fairmount Move-In Day- August 17, 8:30 am-12 pm

Back to School Bash- August 17, 7-9 pm

Activity Fair- August 28 11am-2 pm

Walk-a-Mile in Her Shoes- August 27, 6-8 pm

Convocation- August 27, 11-1 pm

We also have several informational sessions about Sorority Life that I encourage everyone to attend! Each session is the same, so come to a session that works best for you!

August 18 @ 8 pm in Fairmount Towers Game Room

August 21 @ 5 pm in Hubbard Hall 231

August 27 @ 4 pm in Hubbard Hall 211

August 29 @ 7 pm in Hubbard Hall 231

Feel free to stop by and talk with us!!!

xoxo,

Bri

Recruitment Coordinator

Vaughn Crandell | Delta Delta Delta

Bienvenido! Hello! Guten Tag! 

My name is Vaughn Crandell and I'm a Senior at Wichita State and a Junior in the chapter Delta Delta Delta!  I am majoring in Secondary Education and going to finish up my doctorate with a degree in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science (Meteorology!)
 I was born and raised in Wichita then moved to Cheney for high school.  I'm a transfer student from Butler and I could not be happier here at WSU or being Greek!
Right now, I'm in Puebla, Mexico studying abroad and missing my sisters back home! Here's why....

I was involved in almost every sport and extra activity in high school and when I enrolled into Wichita State I needed something more out of my college. I chose to go Greek and it was the best decision of my LIFE. I knew no one going through recruitment (So don't feel alone!) and everything was foreign to me.  I learned about their passionate philanthropies, sisterly events, and everything great about being Greek. My step-sister is who told me to keep an open mind since she was Greek back in 1999. Well, I did, and I started to realize this was going to be my new home.

My formal recruitment was interesting to say the least but well worth it. Someone talked me out of going through the year before so do not let anyone talk you out of it! I heard horror stories from bigger universities and then attending Formal Recruitment here was a BLAST. It was nothing like I had heard from different outside sources and I needed to trust my Rho Gamma (who turned out to be my big in the house! So keep in mind, she could be your next sister!) and my recruitment coordinator was my second best resource. Never forget to trust your Rho Gamma, they are trained, prepared, and excited to help you find your second home, too! 

My time as a Tri Delta has been the best 2 years of my life so far and I'm looking forward to one before I graduate with my baccalaureate.  If I could stay the whole four years, I would, but each experience is different. Keep an open mind, clear your head of prejudices or hearsay, and smile! These women are excited to meet you and so am I. Welcome to Wichita State University and I look forward to meeting the potential new members on September 5th during House Tours!

Delta Love,
Vaughn Ninacska Crandell

Nicole Daemen | Rho Gamma

Hi! My name is Nicole Daemen.  I’m a senior here at Wichita State studying nursing.  I’m excited to say this is my first year as a rho gamma for formal recruitment!

I went to high school at Maize. I always knew I would end up at Wichita State since I knew they had the nursing program. I also loved that it was close to home.  The only downside to coming to Wichita State at first was that all of my close friends had chosen to go to schools farther away.

I had a friend that was already Greek at Wichita State who talked me into going to some Greek volleyball events the summer before my freshman year.  After meeting some of the women in the Greek system here, I knew I wanted to go through formal recruitment.

All of the women I talked to during formal recruitment broke the mold of the typical sorority.  I had completely fallen in love with Greek life by the end of my first night of recruitment.  I could not believe everything these chapters had to offer me.  There were so many fun activities, friendly women, and amazing philanthropies!

Going Greek at Wichita State is the best decision I have made during my college career.  It has given me countless leadership opportunities.  I currently hold a vice president position in my chapter as well as hold the position of Secretary and Scholarship on Women’s Panhellenic Association. I have tried things I never thought I would try, and I’ve become friends with women that I would not have otherwise met.  No matter who you are or where you come from, being Greek at Wichita State will have something wonderful to offer to you!

Best of luck,

Nicole Daemen

Paige Anderson | Rho Gamma

Hi ladies! My name is Paige Anderson, and I am so lucky to be one of the rho gammas during the Fall 2013 Formal Recruitment! I am a senior at Wichita State, and I am studying social work with a minor in psychology. I am originally from Topeka, Kansas so I didn’t know anyone other than my roommate in the dorms when I moved to Wichita. I was super involved in high school and had a lot of amazing friends, so it was a tough decision to move two hours away from everything I had ever known.

The first few weeks after I moved into the dorms were hard, I was really homesick and missing my family and all of my friends. One night, I was talking to the girl who lived across the hall from me and she mentioned that she had signed up to go through Formal Recruitment. I had never even thought about joining a sorority, but I knew that I had nothing to lose and everything to gain! That night, I went online and looked at all of the chapters local websites. This was something that I am VERY glad that I did, it really showed me a little bit about what the chapter members were up to before recruitment had even started!

I was super nervous on the first night of recruitment, I was afraid that I would say something wrong and none of the women would like me. After the first night of talking to all of the chapters, all of my nerves had gone away! I just had to remember that these girls were fun college students, just like myself! I was also very blessed to have such a supportive Rho Gamma! She told us that we could always come to her with anything, and she would be there to help us. She really made an effort to get to know the girls in our group, and that made it easier for us to confide in her. She also told our group something that is very important, and that is to keep an open mind when going through all of the chapters! Maybe you have heard something about one chapter, or maybe something about their “reputation”, but that doesn’t make it true at all. You are a smart woman, and you can make decisions for yourself! Give all of these women a chance, and listen to their stories. They have all been where you are sitting, and they have all made those same hard decisions!

I knew what chapter I belonged in on Philanthropy night. We were watching a video about the chapter’s philanthropy, and it was just so heartwarming that I started crying! When I looked over to the woman who was recruiting me (just to make sure she didn’t think I was crazy), she was crying too! I apologized for crying, but she just smiled and said “You should never have to apologize for being passionate about someone or something”. Those were the words that sealed my fate into that chapter, and it was in that moment that I knew I was home! The women that I had the privilege of speaking with those few nights, were the women that I aspired to be when I left this chapter and my college years behind me. As a senior, I can without a doubt say that by being a woman in my sorority I am a better person today.

Being Greek is so much more than I ever thought it could be. The women in my chapter have become my family, my life, and my best friends. They have shared with me in laughter, and in tears. I have had such a full life here in Wichita for the past 3 years, and it is all because I decided to sign up for Formal Recruitment in the Fall of 2010!

I am so happy to have been given the opportunity to help all of you beautiful women find your letters! My Rho Gamma had given me the most amazing gift, and it was the constant support and strength to find my home away from home. I’m super excited to meet all of you ladies! This is an amazing experience, and I am so glad that you are all here! Enjoy the rest of your summer, and I will see you all very soon!

Rho Gamma love,

Paige :)

Megan Davis | Rho Gamma

Hello Potential New Members!

My name is Megan Davis and I am currently a senior here at Wichita State. I am studying Chemistry for Pre-Medicine and I hope to become a plastic surgeon. This will be my first year as a recruitment counselor and I am so excited to meet you wonderful ladies! I can honestly say that going Greek has changed my life for the better. 

I decided to go Greek during the summer before my freshmen year because I wanted to meet new people. My decisions during recruitment week were for the most part pretty easy except the last night (Preference night). I was torn between two chapters and with the help of my rho gamma and another rho gamma in my color group, I ended up in the right place on bid day. My advice for you girls: Trust your rho gamma and other rho gammas in your color group, they will not steer you in the wrong direction. I believe that in the end, each woman will end up in the right chapters. 

Picking my chapter was the best decision of my life. I have made lifelong sisters and friends in the Greek community. My chapter has given me incredible leadership positions and I could not be happier. I am a strong believer in Greek unity and Wichita State has just that. 

My rho gamma was awesome and she really helped me along the way and that is how I want to be with my PNMs. The first night will be the most nerve racking because you will not know what to expect, but REMAIN CALM. Trust me, the women in every chapter are just as nervous as you! Follow your heart, pick the chapter that you feel the most comfortable with. An alumna of my chapter always said "Do not choose a chapter based on the woman you are today, choose a chapter based on the woman you want to become". 

Good luck Ladies!

Megan Davis

Service

Another major aspect of Greek Life at Wichita State University is service. Service is a combination of completing community service hours and supporting philanthropic organizations. Greeks love giving back to the community through different volunteer opportunities such as hosting philanthropy events, raising money and getting hands-on experiences with charitable organizations.

The Wichita State Greek community unites whenever a chapter is hosting a philanthropy event. It is not uncommon to see the majority of different chapters participating in another chapter’s event. Additionally, the Greek community hosts an All-Greek Neighborhood Cleanup every spring semester. Together they help paint houses, rake leaves and fulfill other household tasks for the Wichita community.

Every chapter requires a minimum number of community service hours to be completed each semester, but they always encourage women to complete more. However, community service is not limited to the organization associated with a sorority. Many of our women have passions outside of their chapter’s philanthropy such as volunteering for the Kansas Humane Society or Big Brothers Big Sisters. Completing community services hours not only boosts your mood, it boosts the mood of the community as well.

All of our chapters support one or more philanthropic organization or cause. For more information on these great organizations and causes, please visit the chapter websites.