Bid day has become apart of Allegheny College’s Greek life tradition that brings excitement, and for this reason it should continue to be apart of the campus community. Bid day is one of the best days of Spring semester. I have had the privilege of celebrating four bid days, one of which was when I received my own bid.

I remember, as a freshman, being anxious all week for that early Saturday morning phone call from my Rho Chi. A Rho Chi is a woman who disaffiliate from her chapter for a semester so that she can help potential new members go through the recruitment process. I did not sleep the night before because I was so nervous.

All week I had spoken with so many women from all the sororities about why Greek life was so great, what it has given them, and how it has been their best experience at Allegheny. I remember thinking, “Well, it’s recruitment week, so they have to tell me that being in a sorority is amazing.” However, as a senior now, I found myself saying the same lines as spoken to me freshman year. But in addition, I would also speak to how awesome and fun bid day is.

Bid day consists of getting a phone call or knock on your door from your Rho Chi who informs you whether or not you received a bid. If you did, you spend the next hour or so pacing around your room, trying not to wake up your roommate, while waiting for the sorority to come pounding on your door with your bid.

When they do come, they are loud, overwhelming and quite obnoxious. But this is the best part. Those women who come to your door giving you a bid to a great organization are so thrilled to have you. They immediately accept you into their world and are willing to show you what makes that sorority so amazing.

After, you accept your bid, you put on your “bid day shirt,” or first pair of letters and storm through the dorm halls with your new sisters as you pick up your fellow new members. This is when you are exposed to all the sorority chants and new faces, which you will not remember an hour later because your mind is racing with excitement and trying to follow the crowd. After you pick up all the new members, you head to a meeting with Panhel, a council filled with members from sororities serving as an “umbrella” organization for Greek life and host recruitment.

After the meeting, you walk back to Brooks Hall’s fourth floor where every sorority holds a dance party before run out. The weirdness of this event is out of this world but, for some reason, you are OK with it. You realize that you now have more than 40 women who you can be weird with and be accepted for it! Next, you line up for run out.

Run out seems to be when the emotions really start setting in for everyone. For new members, it seems a dream becomes reality. For seniors, something that seemed would never come, graduating, becomes reality. This is your last run out, meeting new members, dancing and being silly in the suite with your best friends, and taking obnoxious pictures with your new member class (a tradition every bid day).

After graduation there are no more obligations to attend the things that sometimes seemed like a chore. No more philanthropy events, no more formals, no more weekly chapters. But as you realize what you are losing as you participate in your last bid day, you start realizing that those events will be something that you will miss.

The little events that you complained about in the past, skipped, or just did not want to attend ended up being important circumstances where you got to know another member better, met someone new or had fun with your best friends. They are also experiences where you met your best friends.

Part of the reason I think going Greek is so cool is because your best friends are also connected to you in a deeper way through the sisterhood of your sorority. Another experience I was lucky to have was my little sister joining Greek life. I have had the opportunity to celebrate two bid days with her. I am so proud to call her my sister (in both respects).  Greek life has given us an opportunity to grow as leaders.
The growth all starts on bid day when you open your door to a group of screaming women asking you to join their world. I consider myself lucky to have been a part of something that I have cherished over the past 3 ½ years.