Though there was no dancing or singing Friday afternoon, enthusiasm could still be seen in the hundreds of male students anticipating bids during spring recruitment.

Bid Day is the final step in the weeklong process organized by the Interfraternity Council that gives men the opportunity to join greek life at Syracuse University. With the addition of two new fraternities, Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Beta Rho, greek life at SU now includes 21 fraternities.

The process began Feb. 12, when the 430 male students partaking in spring recruitment visited each of the 21 chapters for 20 minutes, said Jeff Cucinell, vice president of IFC external affairs. After making their initial impressions, the students were given the opportunity to go back to the chapters of their choice during four-hour periods on both Tuesday and Wednesday.

The planning and organizing for these open houses takes a lot of time and effort, Cucinell said. Each chapter has a recruitment chair who overlooks the preparations, but unlike sorority recruitment, there is much less choreography.

‘It is very relaxed,’ Cucinell said. ‘The open houses are really meant for guys to meet and talk to the brothers.’

On Thursday, the chapters held invite-only events where male students had a final opportunity to talk and hang out with the brothers.

Henry Spalding said he was heavily involved in his first semester as vice president of IFC recruitment.

‘Greek life can get a bad rap. We’re trying to promote a good image,’ he said.

Spalding said IFC was very strict on the rules during recruitment this semester, from time limits to appropriate T-shirt designs.

There were no guaranteed bids in this recruitment, which was apparent as several students left the auditorium with disappointment marked across their faces. One student crumpled up his envelope and threw it in the trash.

However, signs of disappointment were met with whoops of joy and excitement from many students. The bonds of brotherhood were already being made as students who received the same bids embraced and chest bumped outside of the auditorium.

Unlike sorority Bid Day, male students can receive more than one bid, Cucinell said. This allows students to make the choice of which chapter they would like to join, he said.

Because choosing a chapter can be difficult, students were given a half-hour upon receiving their bids to make a final decision on which fraternity they wished to pledge. Afterward the students went to a specific classroom to meet their potential new brothers, Cucinell said.

‘The process was crazy,’ said Zach Goldberg, a freshman international relations and public policy major. ‘I had an idea of where I wanted to be, and Sunday confirmed that for me, so I spent all of my time the next few days at one house.’

Goldberg, who received a bid from Phi Delta Theta, said he knew the chapter was the best fit based on his conversations with the brothers throughout the week.

‘They’re all really chill and have the same kind of mindset as I do,’ Goldberg said.

Chris Meier, president of Alpha Tau Omega, said being a member of a chapter is like being part of a family.

‘Being in a house just maximizes your time in college,’ he said.

Pledges met at Hendricks Chapel at the culmination of Bid Day to listen to a presentation discouraging hazing. Cucinell said the presentation discussed the do’s and don’ts of the pledging process.

Ultimately, Cucinell said he was happy with the turnout for this year’s recruitment.

Said Cucinell: ‘I’m really excited about what each new member can bring to the table and the greek community.’

jbundy@syr.edu

Published on February 19, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Jen: jbundy@syr.edu