In the crowd of smiling, anxious, neatly made up and snappily dressed sorority women and sorority hopefuls is Megan.

She’s holding a bright pink sign high in the air, scanning the crowd for the women in her group of sorority recruits.

Megan’s clad in white flip-flops and cropped jeans. Her long, blonde hair frames her smiling, freckled face.

She matches nearly 40 other women in the room, wearing a bright blue T-shirt.

She’s a Gamma Chi.

Each Gamma Chi is assigned a group of 10 to 12 sorority recruits to guide and mentor during formal fall recruitment.

Megan hasn’t told her group her last name in order to keep these women from finding out which sorority house she’s in.

Nearly 400 women filed into the Grand Ballroom, lit with soft pink lighting, in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union for the open house.

‘It’s so much more.’

Megan already planned to join a sorority before her freshman year. Her aunt was in a sorority at the University of Illinois and had encouraged Megan to join.

Megan’s freshman year, she and five of her close friends from Glen Ellyn, her hometown, all joined the same sorority but all at different schools.

She expected sorority life to be close friends sitting around and eating pizza together, but it’s more than that.

Now that she’s a senior, she’s not only a Gamma Chi, but she also serves as the vice president for public relations for Panhellenic Council.

“It’s so much more than I thought it would be,” Megan said. “First you’re a part of an organization, then it becomes a part of you.”

Megan laughed and said she knows exactly how cheesy that sounds, but she claims it’s true.

Megan said she can see herself in some of the women in her group, especially the freshmen. Their nerves and excitement bring back memories of when she was in their shoes – whether they’re heels, flip-flops or tennis shoes.

The biggest thing she tells her group is to be themselves, especially during recruitment.

If a person isn’t true to herself, Megan said, there’s no point.

“You’ll be with these women for the rest of your college career,” she said.

Megan was immediately asked if it’s weird to go through recruitment as anything other than a freshman.

It’s not weird at all, Megan said. A sophomore or junior can sometimes even be better. Sometimes they already know the beliefs and values of each sorority, and they come ready to offer that much more to the sorority, she said.

Becoming a Gamma Chi

Women go through an application process to become a Gamma Chi. There isn’t a specific number needed from each house, but Bob Dudolski, director of Greek Life, asks for a minimum of eight applications from each sorority. This ensures a wide variety of houses represented.

This year, 36 Gamma Chis are in charge of nearly 400 women.

Each Gamma Chi has to learn everything about each sorority.

“She’s the first line of defense for any question about a sorority,” Dudolski said. So each woman has to be prepared.

Megan’s chapter’s executive board nominated her. She never applied but was elected to the Panhellenic Council. Because of this, she didn’t have to disassociate from her sorority until a month after most other Gamma Chis.

She said she knew if she wasn’t elected to PHC, she’d become more active in recruitment for her chapter.

“But the PHC sisterhood of all nine chapters is really important,” she said.

As part of the role, Megan and the other Gamma Chis will get to know the women in their group and help them make the best decisions narrowing down the nine sorority houses.

Dana Henrichsen is in Megan’s group. The freshman elementary education major said Megan is really into sorority life.

“She keeps asking us if we have any questions, which is encouraging,” Henrichsen said.

Through the weekend, each recruit will have to choose fives houses, and then narrow those down to their final three choices.

“Sometimes they need a little coaching,” Dudolski said.

Each Gamma Chi helps every person in their group make an informed decision.

“It’s quite a process,” Dudolski said. “It’s like the NFL draft.”

Disassociation

As a Gamma Chi, the woman has to disassociate from her sorority in April.

Gamma Chis have to step away from their close house bonds in order to be more objective during recruitment.

Disassociation happens early because of spring information meetings. Each Gamma Chi can’t wear anything with her Greek letters or name on it.

When it’s the norm for a sorority woman to wear a T-shirt, jacket, bag, flip-flops and necklace all bearing her house name or letters, it’s no easy task.

“I feel like I have no clothes!” Megan said.

She laughed and said she “has to do laundry every three days.”

Gamma Chis purchase extra T-shirts just because they have to replace their traditional wardrobe of sorority shirts, Dudolski said.

A lot of Gamma Chis just pack all their Greek wear away.

Megan actually lives in her chapter house, which had made it extra difficult to disassociate from her house.

“You really have to put yourself out there,” she said.

Luckily for the Gamma Chis, both PHC and fraternities offer T-shirts for the women to wear during disassociation.

And Megan said it’s worth it.

She said she doesn’t want women in her group to find out what house she’s from, and in turn have them feel uncomfortable if they don’t like her house.

She wants to really help each woman make the right choice and get in the house that’s the best fit.

It’s kind of a game for student to figure out which house their Gamma Chi is from, Dudolski said.

Potential sorority members have found out their Gamma Chis identity.

A few women in Megan’s group already have guesses on what house she may be in.

While it’s not the end of the world, knowing a Gamma Chis affiliation may sway a woman’s house decision.

“Each woman’s choice should be based on their experience, not their Gamma Chi’s experience,” Dudolski said. “This is just an unbiased way of doing it.”

On Saturday, Bid Day, each Gamma Chi reveals what sorority she belongs to.

Dudolski said that women are usually shocked to find out their leader isn’t from the sorority or stereotype they thought.

Dudolski said this just drives home an important point.

“It doesn’t matter what sorority you belong to as long as you’re happy.”

Megan agreed.

“Everyone really does end up where they’re suppose to be, I think,” she said.