The sorority and fraternity community is a large part of student life at Iowa State. One out of six undergraduate Iowa State students is a member of a sorority or fraternity.

When asked why students should join, sorority and fraternity community ambassador President Ashtyn Perrin explained that sororities and fraternities are meant to support their members throughout their lives and provide valuable connections.

Currently, there are 60 organizations governed by four different councils: the Collegiate Panhellenic Council (CPC), the Interfraternity Council (IFC), the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) and the National Panhellenic Council (NPHC). Each council has multiple different recruitment processes.

CPC has two different recruitment processes for its sororities. The first is Primary Recruitment, which takes place each year on the week before classes start. Primary Recruitment is a value-based, mutual-selection process, meaning that the women going through the process and the organizations select who fits best based on personal values.

During this week, prospective members are assigned to touring groups based on where they live and visit each of the sororities to talk with various current members. Prospective members narrow down their top choices and are selected by an organization to receive a formal invitation to join at the end of the week. Registration for this event opens in April for all women who wish to join a CPC sorority. Students can register online at CPC’s webpage.

The second process CPC uses to recruit new members is called Continuous Open Bidding and Recruitment (COBR). This process takes place during the spring semester. The 2020 COBR Fair is from 7 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 11 in the Pioneer Room of the Memorial Union. Here, prospective members can meet women from the different organizations on campus and discuss why their sorority would be a good fit.

IFC has several different processes to recruit new members. The first is the IFC Experience Event, which takes place in the spring. During this event, prospective members can stay the night in a chapter facility. This year’s IFC Experience is taking place on March 27-28. This event kicks off the IFC 365 Recruitment, which is their year-long recruitment process. Prospective members can contact current members of fraternities about joining at any time during their collegiate experience.

There is also a summer IFC recruitment process, where prospective members can schedule meeting times with the recruitment chairs of each IFC fraternity before or after the regular orientation schedule. Lastly, IFC holds structured recruitment in the fall, which lasts an entire week. Registration and contact information for each event can be found on the IFC’s webpage.

MGC focuses on culture and identity, including Latinx, Asian/Pacific Islander and LGBTQIA+ identities. These organizations have certain requirements for prospective members, including an established Iowa State GPA and a certain number of credit hours completed at Iowa State.

MGC has two different processes: recruitment and intake. Recruitment is informal and meant for prospective members to learn about the organizations they are interested in. Intake is a more formal and private process. Representatives from each MGC organization will be at the Meet the Greeks showcase each semester. This semester’s showcase takes place at 6 p.m. Feb. 6 in the Campanile Room of the Memorial Union. For more information on recruitment and intake, visit MGC’s webpage.

NPHC, also known as the “Divine Nine,” are nine historically black and international organizations. These sororities and fraternities highly value sisterhood and brotherhood, high scholarship, leadership and service. Similar requirements as MGC need to be met in order to join, such as an established GPA.

NPHC also has recruitment and intake as their two recruitment processes. Prospective members can connect with chapter representatives at the Meet the Greeks showcase, NPHC 101 or Chillin’ with NPHC. NPHC 101 takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 13 and Chillin’ with NPHC is from 12 to 2 p.m. March 27. 

A great way to learn more about each council and its organizations is through their respective social media pages. All accounts and contact information are listed on each of their webpages, found on the Iowa State Sorority and Fraternity Engagement site.