Bid Day

[bgsugirlie]

Since recruitment time is almost here, I was wondering how you all are going to finish off recruitment week...


How do you celebrate bid day?

Bid Day is a huge event for the sororities at Michigan. Generally the actives wake up early to decorate the house and the cars that are going to be in the parade. The cars get decorated in crape (sp?)tape, balloon and that crayon you can use on cars, all in org colors. Sometimes you even see signs or letters taped to the car.
The girls have from 9-5pm to pick up their bid cards from the OGL. On the card it tells them a spot to be at (generallY around 7pm) for them to get picked up for the celebration at the house. At this spot the girls get to meet all their pledge sisters with/out actives being there. Spots vary over campus but our centered around the main buildings for everyone to see what's going on.
The caravan begins... The actives set out in the parade of cars from their house to get the girls. The only thing I find annoying is that we honk the horns from the time we leave to the time we return with the new girls. You smile whenever its done because its cute and all in spirit, but it is so annoying. You get the girls, take a longer route getting back to the house so you can parade them round campus (honking and sometimes having ppl throw stuff at you ). You get back to the house, where the actives who didn't go are doing final set ups and they greet the caravan outside singing songs and yelling at the top of their lungs (usually in competition also with the soror house next door or across the street). Then you take a few group pictures with the photographer. Hand out the bid-day shirts and bags and do whatever activties you have arraged. Also either during the early morning or when the girls are being picked up, some actives go the dorms/apts/houses the girls live at and put signs or cuts out on their doors with their names saying welcome to XYZ. We did traffic lights (our colors), DG hangs up anchors, Alpha Phi does bears, Theta does kites, etc. Theyre pretty cute and in some dorms on some floors, every door will have a different one. Actually one hall had about 6 of the same one year.
Fraternities....do you guys call it bid day too??? Whatever you call it, at Michigan its done in the dead or night or early in the am (like from 12am-3am). Some knock or just barg in to the new members room and grab them and get them dressed and start singing and shouting at the top of their lungs and take them to the house. I remember when I lived in the dorm my fresh year my roommate and I were laughing hysterically b/c ATO did their at about 2am and they were doing the shouting and singing outside on the front lawn of the dorm. All you heard were people telling them to shut up and people are trying to sleep from different windows. People can be pretty creative at 2am throwing out taunts. But, you also saw a lot of people watching from their windows too. Annoying, but again, fun to see.

[ROWDYsister]

For Bid Day, after the PNMs have the New Member Induction ceremony and the Rho Chis reveal their affiliations, all the PNMs, Rho Chis, and sisters meet at Norman Field, which is what it sounds like...a big field. All the sororities surround the field, holding balloons and Bid Day gifts, singing songs and chants. The PNMs stand in big circles with their Recruitment groups. Fraternity guys stand around the field and watch from the adjacent parking garage to see all the madness. Once the girls get their bid cards they're instructed to hold them over their heads so they can all open them at once. Then it's like Christmas morning...everyone rips open their envelopes, shrieks, and runs toward the group they've been invited to join. Some girls walk because they're not happy, but for the most part everyone's sprinting and screaming with happiness.
Then they go back to their respective houses, the new members and the sisters all pose for a big house photo, then pledge class photos (formal and crazy) and then there are the Bid Day activities. Most houses hang out in the house all evening with planned activities. For example Pi Phi has differently-themed rooms and all the new members go around learning about the sorority and Greek life and meeting all the sisters. (My roomies and I are hoping to have the Spring Break room).

This past spring I went to a few fraternity rush parties. The ones I saw hand out individual bids at any given time and when someone accepts a bid they ring a bell or call everyone's attention and then all the brothers bunch up and start hurling guys in the air. And I don't mean, "Whoopsy daisy, yay you're a new pledge," I mean serious throwing these guys in the air and singing the fraternity song. Loud business but fun.

[ksig600]

Originally posted by UMgirl
Fraternities....do you guys call it bid day too???

I've heard the end of fraternity rush called Bid Day, but here we call it Bid Night.

Our IFC rush is 5-8 weeks, and things start getting hectic around the last week. Each night is a smoker for each fraternity, and many have their last meetings to compile their bid list before Bid Night (always on a Saturday).
Bid Night is traditonally a shirt & tie event

The day begins with brothers getting the party venue ready.l The rush chair goes down to school earlier to turn in the bid cards to the OGL before 3:00. Then all of the guys that went through rush sit in an auditorium. They read out your name, and you walk up to get your bid card(s). Then you make the long walk to fraternity hall, and walk into the suite that you want to pledge. There are brothers there to welcome you (lots of yelling), give you a tee shirt, and teach you our cheer. Fraternity Hall is loud before the run out with everyone trying to out-yell each other.
All of the fraternities and sorority women are in a big courtyard, and wait for each fraternity to run out with their new guys (lots of yelling and pictures). When the pictures are over, everyone goes to their parties. We usually send the guys to dinner to get to know their pledge brothers before the party

[UNFSigmaChi]

Here at UNF we can't have any summer rush parties/events like other schools are allowed to do. Our rush begins monday morning and we can't hand out bids until midnight friday night(bid night). If people are caught handing out bids or serving alcohol then its a huge rush violation with possibly losing their rush privilages in the spring. IFC has members of other fraternities to go to other fraternities rush events and even if they smell alcohol on an actives breath its a rush violation. Pi Kappa Phi and Sigma Chi at UNF are the most competitive during so we each look for something the other does. 5 fraternities going after around 100-125 guys makes things pretty hairy all week for us. Usually though, by wed night the guys at your event will stick with youto see if you get a bid. Friday at midnight we have the bid ceremony and then a party afterwards. Sorority rush is the week following ours and is Wed-Fri nights.

[bgsugirlie]

Wow, everyone's bid day sounds like so much fun. Ours is kind of smaller, but still a lot of fun. Do you guys do anything special with your new members on bid day? We usually have a bonfire and just sit around, eat, and talk about sorority and our favorite memories and stuff like that. It's also a great way to get to know the new girls and teach them some of our songs.

[AGDPrincess70]

Bid day at EMU is a lot of fun. It's done in the evening of the day of pref, so that's a crazy, crazy day. I'm not sure how the girls go about getting their bid cards (I went through a COB), but after they do, they all go to this big park on campus, where all of the sororities are waiting for them. One by one, the girls say into a microphone "My name is so-and-so and I'm a proud new member of XYZ!" And then girls from that sorority run out and hug her and bring her back to their section. When all the new members are done, the Rho Chis introduce themselves in the same way as the new members did. They say something like "My name is so-and-so and I'm so happy to go home to my sisters of ABC!" And everybody cries and it's just an emotional moment. Then we take the new girls back to the house where we have a big celebration for them.

[dzsaigirl]

At my school, the rushees arrive in the lower level of the student center at a certain time. Then the rho chis go around and put the bid cards underneath them so that they are sitting on their card. Then the girls sort of sit there in agony while rho chi revealing happens, which is fun. While that is going on, the sororities are arriving with their bid day shirts on, noisemakers, posters, etc. and they gather around the inner balcony of the upper part of the student center (it is around an atrium area, so they can see the room where the rushees are, but the blinds are pulled shut, so they can't see in from up there). It gets REALLY loud, and there is chanting and singing and screaming. The guys come too and lots of times bring flowers to give the new members (basically, this is to scope out the cute new girls...some fraternities base who they will give mixer bids to on who has the cutest pledge class...). Anyway, then the girls open their cards and scream or cry or whatever and then they join their rho chi sister who has the box of shirts for her sorority. The girls change into their shirts, cry, and then each sorority is announced and the rho chis from their new sorority lead them running up the stairs and the sorority meets them at the top...more screaming, more crying, party pic guy takes pictures...LOTS LOTS LOTS of pictures. Then we get into cars and go to our bid day location. It has been Planet Hollywood, Hard Rock Cafe, Laser Tag, etc. Just a fun place where you can get a little loud, eat, give bid day bags, etc. Our bid day is on a school night (Sunday night), so we usually don't stay out all that late or anything.

Fraternity bid day is a few weeks later and it it all about parties. Usually the sororities do the rounds at each house.

[nauadpi]

At my school most of the bid day stuff starts around noon time...I am not sure if it is a little after or a little earlier...but mid day none the less. So the perspective members get their envelopes with their bids in them, and have to go to the bleachers of the soccer field and sit on them (I do mean literally sit on them). Well then up the hill from the soccer field is the all greek dorm. So as each sorority comes out the dorm they are in the bid day shirts, carrying bags and balloons and singing at the tops of their lungs. It really just comes down to who can get the loudest. Once we are down on the field, we sing some more and cheer. Then comes rho chi revealing. I know atleast last year, the rho chis were wearing layers upon layers of sorority shirts. The last one being their own sorority. So as a mix of songs are playing they take off a layer at a time. Well of course whenever a sorority sees their own letters they cheer even louder, even if it is actually a member of another sorority. So once all the rho chis are revealed, the persective members finally get to open their bids. The next thing you know they are running down to the field to join their sorority, where they get their bid day shirts, bags of other stuff and balloons. Well after singing some more, we head out and take group pictures (usually everyone, then by new member class). Well once all that is done, we head back up to the chapter room for food and games. Then finally if girls want to move into our hall in the all greek dorm, we move them in that afternoon. Then that night they go through our new member ceremony.


Sorry that got a little long, but bid day is so so much fun.

[KappaKittyCat]

Our FR's in the dead of winter and we're in the middle of Wisconsin, so there's no running 'round like crazies for us. Kinda wish there were... it sounds like fun. Our pref round is Thursday night and bid matching goes on all Friday. We have Friday Bid Night after the agony of silence period. The PNM's all know to be in their rooms between 4 and 6 that night. If they didn't match, our Greek Life advisor actually calls them herself to tell them that they're not going to receive a bid. It's kinda nice that way, 'cuz it doesn't put the RC's in that really awkward position, especially if the girl'd had her heart set on the RC's chapter. Between 4 and 6 the RC's go around in pairs and hand-deliver the bids. That way, if a girl is really disappointed or needs advice, the RC's are right there to counsel her. The girls are told that if they wish to accept their bid, they need to be in the lounge of the building in which we have our chapter rooms at 7 that night. Meanwhile, at about 4:30 the Membership Chair of each chapter gets a phone call from her advisor with the list of girls to whom her chapter has extended a bid. The chapters start rushing around at that point, decorating the rooms and making door decs and getting gifts together and such. In Kappa we assign big sisters right away, so we go out for dinner and argue over who gets whom. It's really cute to watch girls fight over their rush crushes. The RC's and Panhel officers are not allowed to be there, however, 'cuz they're not to know who their chapter's new members are 'til 7. (They're usually older chapter members, so they already have littles.) At 7 (though Panhel usually gives them 'til 7:15) all the girls who want to accept their bids show up in the lounge and we have a really pretty ceremony welcoming them to Greek life and revealing the RC's. The officers read the Panhellenic Creed and light a huge Panhel candle, which has the (fake) flowers of each sorority wound around its base. Each sorority has its own taper with its own flowers wrapped around its base. As the Panhel president calls the name of the sorority, the RC's from that group step up and light their sorority's candle from the Panhel candle. After that, the RC's gather up the NM's from their respective chapter and there are lots of hugs as the women who saw these girls through FR welcome them as sisters. Then everybody troops down the hall to their chapter room, where the NM's are MOBBED by their sisters.

I really like our system of RC's handing bids out individually, 'cuz that saves the women the embarassment of not getting their first choice and being disappointed in front of everybody. I also like the fact that our Greek Advisor is the one who lets women know if they didn't match. I can't imagine being an RC and having to do that.

[douthit]

Originally posted by UNFSigmaChi
Here at UNF we can't have any summer rush parties/events like other schools are allowed to do. Our rush begins monday morning and we can't hand out bids until midnight friday night(bid night). If people are caught handing out bids or serving alcohol then its a huge rush violation with possibly losing their rush privilages in the spring. IFC has members of other fraternities to go to other fraternities rush events and even if they smell alcohol on an actives breath its a rush violation. Pi Kappa Phi and Sigma Chi at UNF are the most competitive during so we each look for something the other does. 5 fraternities going after around 100-125 guys makes things pretty hairy all week for us. Usually though, by wed night the guys at your event will stick with youto see if you get a bid. Friday at midnight we have the bid ceremony and then a party afterwards. Sorority rush is the week following ours and is Wed-Fri nights.

Rush is pretty close to the same at Montana State University, except that sorority rush is held at the same time as fraternity rush. The same rules apply for handing out bids and being a dry week, but some houses still seem to skirt the rules. For instance, this past fall there was one fraternity (which shall remain nameless) that was holding a loud party at 8 a.m.! and sent their new pledges to school drunk off their ass, and one of their members was bragging to me about it at class that same day I think the reason that they got away with it was that the IFC rush chair that year was from that fraternity.

[aephi alum]

I'm kind of envious of you guys who have huge bid day events...

When I was in school, on bid day, each PNM met individually with her rho chi, who either handed her her bid card and said "Congratulations, you've received a bid from XYZ", or handed her a letter from Panhel and said "I'm sorry, you didn't receive a bid."

If a PNM did not receive a bid, her PX would try to console her and would explain COB rush to her. It sucked because the PNM would walk away, often in tears, in front of all the other PNM's who were waiting for their news.

If she received a bid, she could either accept, decline, or defer for up to 3 days to think about it, talk to her parents, etc. People often deferred if they didn't get their first choice and were disappointed.

If you accepted or deferred, you were sent to the rush room of the sorority that had bid you, for a bid day party; those who signed got the t-shirt and other goodies, while the sisters talked to those who hadn't signed and tried to convince them to accept their bids.

If you declined, your PX would try to talk you into at least deferring. If you still wanted to decline, she would remind you that you couldn't rush again for a year, and you went home.

PX's didn't reaffiliate with their sororities until the end of the 3-day deferment period, so that they could continue to counsel PNM's from their rush groups who had deferred their bids, and witness when the PNM's accepted or declined. So there was no big PX revealing event, and PNM's often only found out which PX's were in their new sorority when the PX's turned up at their new member ceremony.

[dzsaigirl]

When I was a Rho Chi we called the girls if they did not get invited back or if they did not get a bid. That way, they would not show up and be humiliated in front of other people. Of course, one of the girls in my group showed up anyway and tried to demand answers from us and the sorority she wanted...(see whichever rushees from hell or weird rush story thread I posted that one on...).

[CarolinaDG]

Here, if you get invited back to Pref night you're guaranteed a bid. It may not be your first choice (even though mine was!) but you're guaranteed a bid from one of your pref parties.

Also, just wanted to ask... is there any interesting sort of way that you hand out bids, or do you just go give them to the girls? (I know during formal rush most of us do the same little line-up and receive bids then run to the sorority thing)

[CarolinaDG]

sorry, y'all, I didn't read your posts before I posted my own to see that y'all were already talking about handing out bids. Anyway, just wanted to add how our rho chi's do revealing...
All of the rho chis do the cheers for each sorority, and when it gets to be your sorority, they take off the recruitment shirt that they've been wearing all week and reveal their letters...

... I know this is pretty standard, but the funny story about it is that the head rho chi was hanging out in one of my sisters' rooms a few months ago, and she taught us one of OUR cheers, that we hadn't heard before (the Delta Gamma born and bred one). Apparently that's what our rho chi's taught the other rho chi's for our cheer, but we had never heard it before. It was pretty funny that this girl from ABC sorority was teaching us our own cheers.