Most students have a personal interest that places them deeply within the college community. Some students prefer to join athletics, while others stick to student clubs. However, many find that the winter semester is the perfect time to go Greek.

Calvin Snedeker, member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, said winter recruitment is approaching with the usual lower participation than the fall.

The winter semester specifically focuses on increasing the Greek community numbers at Grand Valley State University with a more relaxing environment than formal recruitment.

“Winter recruitment is different from fall because the fall recruitment is more known to Grand Valley students,” Snedeker said. “When coming to college, a lot of freshmen look to get involved in the community and one thing they look for are fraternities and sororities.”

Snedeker, who acted as the former alumni relations chairman and vice president of public relations for the Interfraternity Council, said recruitment in the fall semester is based on attracting large numbers of freshmen entering the university.

Ultimately, the competition can be difficult to surpass.

“Basically, freshmen go out and look to join a Greek organization when they arrive,” he said. “In the winter, recruitment is not as big. The amount of people who rush are greater in the fall than in the winter.”

Winter recruitment is more laid back and gives students the chance to decide whether they want to rush a Greek organization previously considered.

For those looking to join a sorority in the winter, Malayna Hasmanis, the Panhellenic president, said the event schedule varies based on the chapter. Also, unlike formal recruitment, the winter bid day is individually hosted by each chapter instead of by the Panhellenic Association.

In addition, traditional recruitment relies on each individual chapter’s attribution to reach the campus total. As a result, not every chapter participates in winter recruitment.

“Winter recruitment is different in that it is a lot more laid-back than formal recruitment,” Hasmanis said. “It allows for recruitment to be at a pace that is more relaxed than formal, which can be really appealing to those who may typically be intimidated by fall recruitment.

“It is a great opportunity for girls to really be given the opportunity to find their home too.”

Likewise, Snedeker said each fraternity individually organizes different types of events for winter recruitment. The brothers of the fraternity plan the events until the bid day, which is the same for all fraternities.

“The vice president of public relations posts each fraternity’s events schedule on social media,” he said. “Each fraternity will do the same. With my fraternity, we believe in 365 recruitment, which means we are out recruiting every day.

“We will usually start winter recruitment after our fall initiation. It lasts until winter bid day.”

The amount of bids is much less in the winter, Snedeker said the number accepted in fraternities typically equates to about five students per chapter.

“Typically sororities that are taking girls in the winter have their own different events, which allows for girls to see how original and unique each chapter is,” Hasmanis said. “These events usually surround their own philanthropy and their sisterhood. These really are the two main focal points of each chapter. It allows for you to see just how amazing each and every chapter is.”

For those interested in learning more about the chapters participating in winter recruitment events, Campus Life Night 2.0 takes place on Jan. 15 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Kirkhof Center.

Information about fraternity recruitment can be found at the Interfraternity Council website at www.gvsu.edu/greeklife/ifc or contact [email protected]. For sorority recruitment, visit the Panhellenic Association page at www.gvsu.edu/greeklife/pa or email [email protected].