Bid Day Fall 2023 | Photo by Arden Reimer | The Wright State Guardian
On Saturday, Sept. 23, Panhellenic sororities welcomed dozens of new members “running home” to their respective groups, continuing the Greek Life tradition of more than 50 years at Wright State University.
History and itinerary
Bid Day is, as Program Director for Fraternity and Sorority Life Gina Keucher said, a celebration.
“It is when the new members of our sororities are welcomed into their group. It is the moment that [College Panhellenic Council] and our chapters get to celebrate all the hard work they have done and just have a lot of fun,” Keucher said.
Bid Day is when new member education begins, preceding the initiation ritual taking place six weeks from now to christen the new recruits as full members.
Bid Day 2023 is Keucher’s 17th year participating in Panhellenic recruitment. This recruitment took place over the preceding week, with educational “rounds” that sororities hosted to see which group would best fit Potential New Members, or PNMs.
This all culminated in the electric Saturday night events, and when the clock struck 7 p.m., each new recruit individually “ran home” in a surprise rush from the Student Union Atrium to the patio to the cheers and screams of their chosen sorority.
However, there are a few misconceptions about this long-held tradition.
Keucher clarifies that students do not have to look a certain way to be in a sorority and often are pillars of academic excellence as students.
“In their day-to-day life, our members are nursing students, engineering students, education majors, the [Student Government Association] president, really any one of them are your friends from classes,” Keucher said.
Additionally, Bid Day is not the only time to join, with four out of five sororities continuing informal recruitment over the next few weeks. There are also more opportunities to join during the spring semester.
Experience
Bella Schenck, vice president of Kappa Delta, recounted her experience at her final Bid Day. Kappa Delta’s values are building confidence and inspiring action, as the sorority supports Girl Scouts of America and Prevent Child Abuse America.
“My favorite [thing] was seeing all our new members run home because I just feel like it was so special to me because it was my last one. Looking almost made me cry,” Schenck said.
Kappa Delta welcomed six new members that the sorority had fondly gotten to know through recruitment week. This brings their total membership to 26. Like many sororities, Kappa Delta will be pursuing philanthropic projects with their chosen organizations as well as social events.
Junior Morgan Trego is the membership vice president of Alpha Xi Delta, which promotes the values of courage, graciousness and peace and has been a staple of WSU’s campus for 51 years.
“[My favorite thing is] getting to see all the excited faces of new members and my sisters when they see the new members running home for the first time and also getting to see where all the new members run home to,” Trego said.
Alpha Xi Delta increased membership from 14 to 23 members this Bid Day.
New students interested in Greek Life should research potential sororities through their Engage pages and social media, or contact Gina Keucher in the Student Involvement and Leadership Center. The next official Bid Day will take place in fall 2024.
