As more than 200 young women, the newest members of the greek community, gather under the shade of the trees in front of Carver Hall, they discuss the gamut of emotions they’ve run through during the past week.

“You’re happy, then you’re sad, you’re happy, then you’re sad,” said Emily May, freshman in general studies.

May was describing sorority Recruitment Week, which began last Saturday with registration and ended Thursday, with what is known as “Bid Day.”

“It’s way overwhelming,” said Cassie Ellefson, freshman in art and design. Ellefson said one of her friends who had begun Recruitment Week had not been selected by any of the houses she had chosen.

Katie Mills, freshman in pre-professional health, agreed the week could be difficult.

“They told us it would be ‘the longest short week of your life,'” she said.

The week included multiple visits to the chapter houses for these women in order to determine which house each will belong to. The decision-making process involves both the current members and the new recruits determining where the recruits fit among the 13 chapter houses. For the women under the trees, today is Bid Day, the day the new members will be united with the sisters who make up the sorority they will call home.

Formal recruitment is held each fall the week before classes begin. Informal recruitment, which allows interested women to meet house members on a casual level, begins the Sunday following formal recruitment and continues until the chapter houses reach capacity.

The greek community at Iowa State has struggled with declining numbers in past years.

Last year, a marketing plan to increase recruitment numbers within the greek system was put into effect.

Kirsten Elton, vice president of recruitment and senior in advertising, said the numbers of women participating in formal recruitment this year stayed the same as last year at 272 women, indicating the new marketing plan may have had an effect in slowing the decline.

She said the marketing plan used included putting out a greek community magazine displaying the houses and the things they are involved in, putting a greek section onto a CD Rom distributed to students, sending mail to parents explaining what the greek community has to offer and making phone calls to incoming students and explaining the greek community.

Elton said a survey conducted last year showed the number one reason women cited for joining a chapter was sisterhood.

Elton admitted there are a range of emotions felt by everyone during the week. “[It can be] a really scary experience. You’re meeting tons of new people,” she said. “Everybody’s nervous on both sides of recruitment.”

As Bid Day continues, the women of the chapters perform cheers representing their houses. Clutching balloons and holding signs with their respective sorority letters, dressed in matching shirts, the women already in the houses form a circle around the new recruits, giving encouraging screams when anyone from their house is introduced.

Curious spectators gather to see what the noise is about. Then comes the moment the new women have been waiting for all week.

A woman on the microphone at the front of the circle announces the recruits can now join their sisters, and those women who have been separated from their houses to help the new recruits can also return.

Tears, screaming and embraces follow as Recruitment Week of 2003 comes to a close.