Winona State University’s Panhellenic Association gave women the opportunity to find a home in one of the national sororities at Winona State from Sept. 6 to 9.

All three national sororities—Alpha Sigma Tau, Delta Phi Epsilon and Sigma Sigma Sigma—at Winona State come together to form the Panhellenic Association—the governing body.

The Panhellenic Association has specific members, Rho Gammas, who take groups of women around to each of the sororities and make sure recruitment days go smoothly. Emily Johnson, the vice president of recruitment, shares why Rho Gammas are needed during recruitment week.

“It helps keep the bias out of the week. We want the girls to find their own place without pushing them into a sorority, their Rho Gamma is in because they liked them,” Johnson said.

Throughout all four days, the new members do not know which sorority each Rho Gamma is connected to, so they do not want to join a certain sorority because they prefer one of their Rho Gammas over the others.

Each group gets to spend an hour with the three different sororities so the women can get to know each of the sororities and the sororities have a chance to get to know them.

The first day of recruitment week starts off with orientation. On the second night, the women come back and get to know more about the philanthropies, or missions, of each sorority.

Alpha Sigma Tau has a philanthropy that focuses on the wellness of women and enriching the lives of others, while Sigma Sigma Sigma focuses on Sigma Serves Children and others.

Delta Phi Epsilon has three different philanthropies including The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, The Delta Phi Epsilon Education Foundation and The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Like all sororities, the Panhellenic Association also has a philanthropy that the group focuses on, according to Megan Kallmann, the director of programming and philanthropy for the Panhellenic Association.

“The Circle of Sisterhood [panhellenic philanthropy] works to remove barriers so women can have access to education in third world countries,” Kallmann said.

The third day of recruitment week is preference night. The women get invited back to one or two sororities this night. Then, because these sororities preferred them, the women go through their specific preference rituals.

The last day is bid day, however not everyone who came to recruitment week gets a bid for this last day.

On this day, the sororities have the chance to celebrate the new members while the new members have the chance to get to know their new sisters, Johnson said.

“This is when the Panhellenic Association members reveal which sorority they are a part of as well,” Johnson said.

Now that the potential new members have found their new ‘homes’, each new member will go through their specific new member programs.