Rushing at The University of Arizona
 

Edited

I don't want you to think that there aren't any UA alumnae on GreekChat - there are lots of us! And please know that there are members of the sororities and Panhellenic Council reading as well.

As a general rule, we don't comment on UA PNM threads. We stay neutral until recruitment is finished. That said, there are wonderful resources in the Sorority Recruitment Forum section of GreekChat. I am asking that other GCers please step up and point this PNM towards helpful threads.

Oh, yes... Bear Down!

I'd start with the thread labelled General Advice, also check to see if your school is on the list where you need recs to be successful. If it is, you better get them. Even if it isn't, it doesn't hurt to have them.
Also, have you looked at the university's Greek life page on the web? You may be able to find some information about how recruitment is structured there. Good luck and try to relax.

I'm not from UofA but from the good university up the road:D When you ask about the rush process do you mean the nuts and bolts? All recruitment's work generally the same way from university to university. There should be a schedule on UofA's greek life website. If you find it it will give you dates and times of the events. I think the stuff the greek life office puts out is top notch, btw.

Round 1 is usually has very short parties so speed dating probably is a good description of this round. I think that UofA has split this round into 2 days now which will make it better with the heat. If you are not from AZ the heat will be brutal. The other rounds are longer so you will spend a lot more time in the Chapters getting to know them.

Recruitment can be really fun. Think of it as getting to know new people and friends. Be yourself, wear comfortable clothing and shoes and know that you will sweat like it is nobodies business. Don't worry about saying something stupid and know that every body else is in the same boat as you (unless they have gone through recruitment before)

Good luck to you. I hope you post your story. We don't see many Pac 12 stories on here let alone Arizona ones.

From the UA recruitment page:

FORMAL MEMBERSHIP RECRUITMENT

Aug. 18 Early move-in to residence halls
Aug. 18 PNM Check-In/ Big PNM Meeting/ PNM-Recruitment Counselor Meetings
Aug. 19 Set I Day 1
Aug. 20 Set I Day 2
Aug. 21 Set II (Philanthropy Day)
Aug. 22 Set III (Theme Day)
Aug. 23 Day off (UofA Clicks Orientation)
Aug. 24 Set IV (Preference Day)
Aug. 25 Bid Day!
Aug. 26 FIRST DAY OF CLASSES!!



Early move-in to residence halls is on Sunday, August 18, 2013

You will be assigned a move-in time by Residence Life. You must arrive at your assigned move-in time. There is no reservation required - Residence Life will simply verify your registration with recruitment when you arrive to move in. An early arrival fee of $40 per day ($160 in total) will be charged to your Bursar’s account. Because of early Sunday evening, recruitment related events, if you are assigned a move-in time of 12:00 noon or later, you may move in at any time during the day instead of your assigned time.



Check-in, Potential New Member Meeting, and Parent Informational Meeting are on Sunday August 18, 2013 in the afternoon.



Set 1: Day 1 Monday, August 19, 2013 - 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Potential New Members will visit half of the 12 housed chapters.

This set consists of open houses in a relaxed environment. The sorority women will be wearing shorts and t-shirts, so feel free to wear casual, cool attire.



Set 1: Day 2 Tuesday, August 20, 2013 - 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Voting: 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Potential New Members will visit the second half of the 12 housed chapters.

This set consists of open houses in a relaxed environment. The sorority women will be wearing shorts and t-shirts, so feel free to wear casual, cool attire.



Set 2: Philanthropy Day Wednesday, August 21, 2013 - 7:30 a.m. - 7:15 p.m.

Voting: 4:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Potential New Members will visit up to 8 chapters.

This set consists of open houses in a relaxed environment. The sorority women will be wearing shorts and t-shirts, so feel free to wear casual, cool attire.



Set 3: Theme Day Thursday, August 22, 2013 - 7:00 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Voting: 5:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Potential New Members will visit up to 5 chapters.

This set is a bit more dressy yet still somewhat casual. A sundress, skirt or shorts are recommended.



Friday, August 23, 2012: Day off for UofA Clicks Orientation (mandatory)



Set 4: Preference Day Saturday, August 24, 2013 - 10:15 p.m. - 4:05 p.m.

Voting: 12:05 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Potential New Members will visit up to 2 chapters.

Preference is a serious, more formal day, and your clothing should reflect the atmosphere. Wear a cocktail or semiformal dress with either nice flats or heels. You will still be walking around campus to the chapter houses, so be sure to bring comfortable shoes to wear as you walk.



Bid Day: Sunday, August 25, 2013 - Bid Day Ceremony - 10:00 a.m.

Chapter Bid Day Events: 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.



First Day of Classes: Monday, August 26, 2013



Please make sure that you are wearing comfortable shoes throughout recruitment since you will be walking a great deal!


FYI- "voting" means when the PNM's go in and do their rankings.

And further FYI - when you rank you are not "cutting" chapters. You may have to go back to any or all of the chapters you ranked the lowest if the chapters you ranked the highest do not invite you back. In this way it is not like speed dating. :)

Does UA do "regret with interest" or is it the norm now that if the PNM doesn't have a full schedule but was invited to chapters she ranked low they are automatically put on her schedule?

Under RFM (which Arizona uses), a PNM will go to all of the chapters that she matches into their invite list. For example, if she matched to 10 and the most possible parties is 8, she would go to her top 8. If she only matched to 6 of her top 8, then she would go to the chapters she ranked lower. This is done so she has the opportunity to go to as many parties as possible.

Failure to do so can result in her being dropped from recruitment or ineligible for matching on BidDay as a Quota Addition.

Great! Thanks everyone. Very helpful. I know the schedule and what is recommended to wear but I didn't know what to expect once rush started. However, now that I know it's a party type of style that helps prepare me a little more for the atmosphere and everything. I am so excited to rush. I've lived here all my life so I'll be ready to battle the heat! I will post my rush story on here too! Thanks again :)

Actually, I have another question!! Do you have any suggestions for what kind of dresses would work for preference day?

If you haven't already, go to the Recruitment Stories section and start reading stories. That will give you an idea of what it is like for the PNMs.

(Unless reading stories will make you nervous. Personally, I like being as well-informed as possible before I go into a new situation so virtually nothing can surprise me.)

I wish I had kept a list of links to all my favorite stories. I need to start doing that so I can share when women ask this question. :)

Here is their what to wear page http://arizonagreek.orgsync.com/org/pan/whattowear

Nattie, as long as you can carry a basic conversation, you should be fine. I think that you will find the parties to be enjoyable. You will be greeted and made to feel welcome. A chapter member will pick you up and initiate a friendly conversation. After you have gotten to know her for a little bit, she may introduce you to one of her sisters. At an average party, you may talk with 1-4 or more chapter members. This will vary with the chapter and with how far along you are in the process. You don't have to worry about finding members to talk to. The sisters will take care of that for you.

A basic conversation will focus on questions such as where you are from, what you are majoring in, etc. It is best to try to move the conversation into personal interests such as favorite movies, TV shows, activities, restaurants, places to visit, etc. The more your rusher can get to know your unique personality (and vice versa,) the better.

Relax, keep it classy, and have fun with it. What you want to be looking for is a chapter that has a homey, comfortable feel to it, with girls who feel like they might become your friends.

Please also follow all the suggestions/advice given to you from Panhellenic in regards to what to wear and what to bring. It is bloody hot in Arizona during August. You are walking to all the houses. Thankfully all the houses are now on the south side of Speedway, but still they are spread out between Mountain and Campbell between 1st and 2nd streets. It's a walk. I didn't go through formal down there, but I wouldn't hold your breath that they have your schedule so that you are hitting all the houses on like 1st street first, then move onto second. With as many women who go through recruitment down there, you might be walking back of forth.

Also, I've heard through the rumor mill (so please don't quote me on this) that about 1000 women minimum go through recruitment. Not that rec's are a "must" like in the south, but they would probably help you stand out in the crowd. The chapter will be like "hey this alum recommended her, lets take a closer look".

I'm pretty sure that Alpha Chi Omega is also recolonizing this fall as well. They will present at the first round of recruitment then pull out. They will then hold their own recruitment after formal is completed.