Tradition in the snow: Fraternity and Sorority life holds spring run out
Brooks Circle was teeming with members of Allegheny College Sorority and Fraternity Life as the organizations’ active members introduced their newest ones for the annual Bid Day Run Out event on Sunday, Jan. 19.
Run Out is an event that happens each semester following recruitment to recognize and welcome the new members. New members participate in Bid Day as a celebration of accepting a bid, or invitation, into one of the 12 fraternity and sorority chapters on campus. .
The Panhellenic Council is the governing body for sororities on campus and works frequently with the chapters.
Erin Hartwiger, ’21, is Allegheny’s Panhellenic Council president for the 2020-21 school year The Panhellenic Council, in collaboration with sororities, helps to create a new community at Allegheny, according to Hartwiger.
“I think in general the Panhellenic community is really great because sororities in general are groups focused on uplifting and supporting other women, and (the Panhellenic Council) just brings all those communities together to create an even bigger one,” Hartwiger said.
While Bid Day celebrates new members of Fraternity and Sorority Life, the event also allows the chapters’ current members to dress up and chant their organization’s anthems.
For some students, this was their last Bid Day. Jillian Stiver, ’20, has been in Kappa Alpha Theta since 2017.
“It was sad because it was my last one, and that was the last time I’ll ever get to deck myself out in glitter and run in Brooks Circle and chant and sing with some of my best friends,” Stiver said.
Stiver added that she is excited to welcome her new sisters.
“It was exciting to get new members because I sit on the recruitment committee for my sorority and it was exciting to see all of our hard work pay off and to get really awesome girls who were super excited to join our organization and just see how they grow within the organization,” Stiver said.
Members of fraternities at Allegheny were also excited to get new members. David Roach ’21 has been in Delta Tau Delta since 2017.
“This Bid Day was the most fun I’ve had at Run Out since my freshman year. There was a really big sense of sorority and fraternity community life there. It just felt like everyone was just there to have a really good time, everyone was cheering on everyone,” Roach said.
Roach surprised himself by joining a fraternity his freshman year, and has not been disappointed with his choice.
“I came to Allegheny not really thinking that I was going to join a fraternity at all. I just think that sorority and fraternity life at Allegheny is so different than anywhere else because you aren’t just defined by your organization, you make so many other connections between other organizations,” Roach said.
