Helpful Hints
Here are some suggestions that can help you ease your student’s transition when considering and joining the Panhellenic Community here at USF!
When Considering Sorority Life:
Be supportive and learn as much as you can about Sorority Life by asking questions.
Navigate through the different resources provided in order to be as informed as possible to support your student when considering joining a sorority.
Read through the USF Panhellenic website, Family Packet, Guidebook app, and Confirmation Packet with your student so you both have a similar understanding of Sorority Life.
Each sorority’s chapters are unique to every campus. It’s important to be open-minded and to ignore gossip or hearsay.
Encourage your daughter to attend programs sponsored by Panhellenic and Fraternity and Sorority Life. It’s a great way to meet women from different chapters.
Help your student figure out what they are looking for in a sorority.
Learn about the lifelong benefits of joining a sorority to help support your student.
Evaluate the time commitment and how that will play into your student’s academic and extracurricular schedule.
Have a conversation about the financial obligations that come with sorority membership.
Learn the proper terminology.
Ask for details about the financial aspects of membership prior to joining. Each chapter governs its finances individually. If you are paying, you deserve to know! Many one-time fees are paid in a new member’s first semester, so expect the first semester to be the most expensive.
When Your Student is Going through Recruitment:
Understand the Formal Recruitment schedule by learning the day-by-day breakdown of each day of Recruitment.
Learn about the Mutual Selection Process and Values-Based Recruitment.
Stay in contact with your student! Phone calls, e-mails, letters, and care packages are always appreciated.
Be aware of the different emotions your student can be feeling during the Recruitment process as it can be difficult evaluating which chapters they feel most connected to.
Remember that this is your student's choice, and they should choose the chapter that is right for them, regardless of legacies or family history!
If your student is a legacy, realize that she needs to find the right place for her so it’s important to be unbiased in your feedback.
Encourage your student to consider all chapters and to keep an open mind throughout the process.
Discuss each chapter’s Financial Transparency Forms with your student.
Advise your student to align their values to those of the chapter, and to find where they feel most comfortable.
Suggest note-taking!
Remind your student to stay true to themselves.
When Your Student Becomes a New Member:
Be happy and supportive of your student’s choice of sorority. It’s important for your student to follow their values and select the best choice for themselves.
Sorority Life begins with the New Member Process; allowing your student to participate in new experiences and new ways of Panhellenic life will help them feel supported.
Be involved and learn the names of the chapter president, chapter advisor, new member educator, and your student’s big sister.
Initiation is an important time for the new initiates- be supportive and respectful of this time for your student. Initiation dates are made public to the new members.
Attend USF Family Weekend and visit your student’s chapter and any events they may be hosting! This is a great way to see firsthand the impact a sorority will have on your student.
Attend philanthropy events held by your student’s chapter and witness the direct relationship between their chapter and their philanthropic cause.
Expect to see new t-shirts, photos, and other sorority paraphernalia.
If you have any further questions about Sorority Life, the Formal Recruitment process, or the Panhellenic community, reach out to Karley Holdbrook, our Vice President of New Member Relations. We want you to have the best information possible! Contact her at usfpanhellenic.vpnmr@gmail.com.