BY Sophia Cirigliano
Staff Reporter
Did you find your home in a sorority this weekend?
“I found my home in a sorority this weekend, everyone was so welcoming and nice and I know I’m going to fit in so well. Everyone was just as goofy and friendly as me. I also clicked with many of the girls throughout the whole process,” said freshman Jenna Santoro.
On Sept. 13, Sacred Heart started its three-day sorority Panhellenic recruitment weekend. The weekend consisted of potential new members meeting each sorority and soon finding their home.
Sophomore Amanda Cangialosi explains that as a transfer student, she wanted to join a sorority because it is a way to get involved on campus.
“I rushed because I just transferred here and I wanted to find my people, get involved more, and have all different types of friends, which I did not get to experience at my last school,” said Cangialosi.
The Fall 2019 Panhellenic recruitment weekend had 590 potential new members signed up and 437 joined a sorority at the end of the weekend.
“I went into recruitment with an open mind, but my opinions for some of the sororities changed completely the second day. I really got to know the sororities a lot better the second day and as I was talking to each girl I felt connected to them, like I was in the right place,” said Cangialosi.
During the recruitment weekend, potential new members learn about each sorority’s philanthropy, community service involvements, sisterhood events, and more.
“Alpha Delta Pi’s philanthropy, the Ronald McDonald House, was a major reason why I found myself interested in their organization. Through ADPi, I will be able to give back and help families who are going through the toughest moments in their fight and let them know that they are not alone,” said freshman Caitlyn Bonnett.
Junior Daria DeMasi explains that she did not rush this semester because of her involvement with the Sacred Heart Dance Company and academics.
“I thought about going through recruitment a lot since freshman year, but all my closest friends are in one and I feel like I learned so much from them talking about it that I did not really need to be in one. Since I am a computer science major, I knew my classes and workload was going to be hard and I wanted to focus on my studies,” said DeMasi.
On the third day of the Panhellenic recruitment weekend, potential new members attend bid night and find out which organization they will join based on the organization name written on their extended bid.
“I felt my stomach turning because I was so excited and nervous at the same time. But when I opened it, I felt like I opened a new chapter in my life. I was so excited and happy to go run and meet my new Phi Sigma Sigma family,” said Santoro.
Director of Greek life, Nick Frias, explains that he was happy to be one of the first to welcome the 437 women to Greek life at SHU.
“After I counted down from three and told the students to open their envelopes the theater immediately filled with chaos; screams, cheers, hugging, whatever whirlwind of emotion you can think of was probably present for all of those women on Sunday night,” said Frias.
