Ready, Set, Ring Light

When the COVID-19 Pandemic began, if there was one thing our chapters and staff were equally as unsure about - it was recruitment. Recruiting new members for our organization is what keeps it going and for most of us those connections that we made in person sealed the deal. People join people, not Zoom rooms. Logistically, how would it work? Would potential new members even register for recruitment? How do preference round emotions play out on camera? Is it possible to have one on one conversations? And don’t even get us started on how in the world you would plan a virtual bid day!

The collegiate experience team leapt into action to provide our chapters with the tools they needed to succeed virtually. Not only was this a first for our undergraduate members and advisors, but it was a first for our staff! Thinking on their feet and moving quickly the department created a virtual recruitment guide, virtual COB guide, virtual preference guide and a virtual be DPhiE supplemental resource guide. They also hosted webinars and Q&A sessions for VPR teams and advisors.

Our Fall primary and continuous recruiting chapters conducted hours of virtual workshops, prepped their dorm rooms to have clean backgrounds, bought ring lights, matched their SHIRTS not their PANTS, and mastered the art of breakout rooms. Chapters practiced with other chapters across regions and advisors became IT experts. Collectively, we were embracing this new normal and anticipating what was coming next.

Nicolette Peccina (Alpha Alpha Chapter @ West Chester University) became Vice President of Recruitment three months prior to COVID, and she was soon thrown into a recruitment experience she didn’t ask for. “It was really scary going into it. This is new to everyone and no one knew what to expect. Luckily I received so much support from my advisors and sisters. They stuck with me the entire time and made the process worthwhile.”

The fear and uneasiness culminated as recruitment began. Something magical happened that shifted the energy of the experience- the realization that for decades Delta Phi Epsilon has recruited using a values based model, where conversations,

1. Delta Sigma,

Rider University 2. Epsilon Upsilon,

Humboldt University 3. Gamma Sigma,

Tarleton State University 4. Alpha Alpha, West

Chester University 5. Phi Psi, Keene State

College 6. Psi, University of Georgia

not clothes or decorations, are centered began, to take hold. The focus of inclusion, carried our chapters through! Across every college and university, regardless of chapter size or past recruitment experience, the collective need for belonging and community in a place that values you for who your are in this moment, rang true. Success!

Chapters exceeded expectations, had values based conversations and provided a valuable sorority experience. Charlotte Haston (VPR, Zeta Iota Chapter @ Northern Arizona University) reflected, “Virtual recruitment was not an easy task for our chapter, but with so many potential new members missing out on their proms, graduations and college orientations, we were eager to provide them with a sense of belonging.” It was true in 1917, and it is true today - at the end of the day we are all just searching for that sense of belonging and Delta Phi Epsilon can provide that - in person or on Zoom. Just make sure your wifi connection is strong!

This is my first year serving as an advisor, after graduating from the University of Georgia where I was a member of the Psi Laure Fitz Simons chapter. There were certainly Psi, Recruitment Advisor challenges that accompanied Gamma Omega Chapter, virtual recruitment and I think University of North Georgia the biggest of these was just the uncertainty of what recruitment would look like when it’s happening over a computer screen, which is something no one had experience with before the COVID-19 pandemic. Feeling uncertain is never comfortable and adding in the usual pressures of recruitment seemed like it could possibly be a recipe for disaster. This experience, however, turned out to be quite the opposite! The members of UNG’s chapter, led by their amazing VPR Gena and recruitment coordinators, put on a stellar virtual recruitment. They learned to embrace and convey their strengths and shining personalities through a computer screen. They ended up recruiting the largest new member class that the chapter has ever had, exceeding quota for the first time since the chapter was chartered. I am so proud of them and all the hard work they put in to make virtual recruitment a success. Learning alongside them how to advise a virtual recruitment process was a great way to really get to know the chapter women and something that I cherish as a first-time advisor. This whole experience served as a great reminder to do your best with what you’re given and that the possibilities are endless!

While recruitment is always something to look forward to, it does also come with its challenges. After receiving news that we would have to recruit

Marissa Farrell fully virtual, along with new sets Beta Beta Chapter, of rules from our school, my University of Sciences, Vice President of Recruitment team and I had a lot of things with which we would have to become creative. From pairing sisters based on strengths to make the best out of the breakout room feature on

Zoom, to reading through the Preference Ceremony with my roommate and chapter President Brittany McGlone at our dining room table, we surely made the best of our virtual situation. Through this virtual experience I learned about my fellow sisters and the roles they took on during recruitment and a lot about myself with my onthe-spot creativity with events. We all might have been a bit intimidated with this new take on recruitment, but no one let it show. The chapter as a whole rose up to these challenges and made the best out of a tough situation just like I know them to do. As a chapter, we worked as the amazing team I know us to be, and conquered this virtual challenge.