By 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, more than 300 women packed into the lobby and hallways of Carman Hall for the Sorority Recruitment Ice Cream Social with more trickling in by the minute. The sounds of excited chatter and laughter filled first floor.

“If you have already registered and paid, A through J on the right, L through Z on the left!” blue shirted Gamma Chi members shouted as they directed the swarm of Greek hopefuls crowed into the Carman Hall lobby Tuesday night.

Women from all majors and years of study filed in through the lobby and down the hallway past the registration table to pay their recruitment fee and register if they hadn’t previously done so.

For those women who had already signed up and paid, the line took them farther into Carman down the dining center hallway to a second table where they were assigned their recruitment group for the week. Each recruit was given a number corresponding to a table in the next room.

After receiving their table assignment each recruit searched the room of tables and bright neon number cards for her table. A Gamma Chi sat at each of the long dining center tables surrounded by recruits who had already been through the labyrinth. Once at her table, each recruit met her Gamma Chi leader and was given information about RUSH week like what to wear on each day of recruitment and a schedule of events for the next week. Each of the 30-some tables expected 10 to 12 women to join them by the end of the night.

The Gamma Chi members are women who have disassociated from their own sorority since April of last year. The women worked during the spring semester to learn how to counsel recruits this fall and will help lead the recruits through recruitment week and the bidding process, giving them tips on everything from what to wear during recruitment events, what the colors and Greek letters mean and how to find the houses during tours over the weekend.

For Dawn Thomas, a senior elementary education major, being a Gamma Chi at the Ice Cream Social was something she always wanted to do. She said even though the disassociation from her sorority during the spring was difficult sometimes, she wanted to be a Gamma Chi and help the recruits the way her Gamma Chi helped her.

“I loved my Gamma Chi,” she said.

Catie Pankow, Vice President of Recruitment and Retention for the Pan Hellenic Council said by the night of the Ice Cream Social, most of the women who will go through recruitment have already the signed up earlier in the week at booths in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union or online.

For most of the recruits, this is their first recruitment experience.

Christen Patinella, a first-year transfer student and sophomore elementary education major, said she did not know what to expect form the night but was excited to learn more. She said Greek life appeals to her because they women always have something to do.

For Cristin Prince, a sophomore communication studies major, going Greek represents an opportunity to get involved in philanthropy.

“I think it’s neat the way each sorority has their own charity or organization they help out with,” she said.

Bob Duldolski, Director of Greek Life, said the event is meant to be an informal way for recruits to meet their Gamma Chi recruitment leaders and meet the other women rushing.

“Tonight they can get to know some of the women in their small groups and so they build some friendships before they actually go through all the chapter houses later this week,” Duldolski said. “Tonight is just about relationship building, making friends and learning a little bit about the process before they jump into it so if they have any questions they can answer those tonight.”

The deadline for recruitment is noon Thursday. Women interested can still apply online here.

Gamma Chi Laura Duckett, a senior psychology, laughs with members of her recruitment group as they go through their recruitment information packets during Tuesday evening’s Sorority Recruitment Ice Cream Social in the Carman Hall dining center.

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