I chose to become a recruitment guide because of my first experience with recruitment. I was one of those "on-the-fence" girls, only chose to go through recruitment because my roommate talked me into it, and my parents had never really had any desire to be a part of the Greek community when they were in college, therefore I had never had any strong positive encouragement from them. I also never really was sure that joining a sorority was the right thing for me to do, because I wasn't sure if I would find a place where I would truly fit in and feel comfortable. Therefore, because I have been through the process and experienced these feelings, I wanted to become a Rho Gam. I want to help convince those "on-the-fence" girls that this is the right thing for them to do, because it is an irreplaceable opportunity, and also help them to realize the fact that they WILL find a place where they truly fit in and feel comfortable.
I think the purpose of a recruitment guide is to provide a friendly, trustworthy, and relatable figure for every single one of the girls that decides to go through recruitment. Almost all of us have been through the process of formal recruitment and know how stressful it can be at times. Also, I don't know many other events in life that are even remotely comparable to recruitment, therefore it is most likely a new experience for almost every girl. Because of these facts, I believe all of the girls are going to be looking for someone who knows exactly what is going on, can be a leader to them, but also someone they can easily talk to about any concerns they might have, and someone who will remind them that although the process may seem grueling and never-ending at times, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, full of amazing and endless opportunities. For all these reasons, recruitment guides have a major purpose in the recruitment process, and without them, there is no way recruitment would be as successful as it is.
Going along with the purpose of a recruitment guide, I feel that my responsibilities as a recruitment guide include a number of things. I should be very friendly because it is a very important time in the girls' lives, and also a time where they could possibly need that friendship even more so than normal. With friendship comes trust, and being a trustworthy person is a large responsibility we must take on, because our relationship with the girls can't be as good as possible if there is no trust. They have to be able to trust to the fact that we can be completely unbiased and answer any and all questions that they may have without letting our own opinions impact our answers. And finally, I think it is very important for us to be relatable and to know what is going on, because if we know what is going on and have confidence in the system, then the girls are going to feel more comfortable and hopefully not be as stressed and worried as they would be if they did not have a Rho Gam.
Recruitment guides are important to the Panhellenic and SFL communities because they provide the vital link between the system and the girls who want to enter the community. They promote the Greek community and all of the great things about it, while acting as positive role models and examples of what Greek women really are like. Recruitment guides spread the word about recruitment and how great it is, giving any and all information that any girl could possibly want to know, which is very important. They also stand as a constant reminder of that goal that all of the girls eventually want to reach, becoming a member of a Greek organization. And finally, recruitment guides are important because at those times when girls going through recruitment are thinking about dropping out or giving up, and they need some reinforcement, or a friend, the most, their recruitment guide is going to be there to help them out and get them through this very important time and chance for them to change their lives forever.
