Recruitment week at Ole Miss is unlike any other week of the year. The Panhellenic Greek community includes 11 Panhellenic sororities that all share common goals and values. Composed of thousands of members, Ole Miss has taken major strides to ensure a fair, diverse, and inclusive recruitment experiences to all. In order to make this possible, there are many components that all play a vital part in this process. One of these elements is a collection of hand-selected Greek women called Recruitment Counselors. These women are chosen from all 11 Panhellenic sororities and help aid the Potential New Members, or more commonly referred to as PNM’s, throughout their recruitment experience.

The PNM’s are assigned in to small groups and are given a Recruitment Counselor. The role of these Recruitment Counselor varies based on each PNM’s needs, but the primary purpose is to be a support system and model figure of the values a Panhellenic woman should uphold. Ashley Bryd, a previous Recruitment Counselor said, “I wanted to be a Recruitment Counselor because of how amazing mine was when I was a PNM. She made my recruitment experience really fun and easy, and I wanted to do the same for other girls going through this process.”

Recruitment Counselors begin their experience in the early spring where they undergo hours of training to gain better insight on the Panhellenic recruitment process. These dedicated Greek women are required to temporarily disaffiliate from their chapter in order to better assist in an unbiased experience. Kate Wigod, a Junior here at Ole Miss, served as a Recruitment Counselor for the 2018-2019 school year. Wigod said that disaffiliation was hard at times because she felt like she was missing bonding time with her sisters in her own chapter, however the sacrifices she made were completely worth it in the end.

Wigod believes that her Recruitment Counselor experience has shaped her view of Greek Life at Ole Miss. “I learned the true importance of Panhellenic love. We are all strong, independent, intelligent women who will go on to do amazing things after graduation. It is so important that we all support and empower one another for the success of the Greek community,” says Wigod. The now affiliated counselor stated that the relationships she personally built with other counselors would not have been possible if it were not for this experience.

While the bulk of their responsibilities take place during recruitment week, the counselors met with their PNM’s during the weeks leading up to recruitment. These meetings helped calm the nerves for all, and allow the girls to start building friendships with other women going through the same experience. The relationships PNM’s build prior to, and after the recruitment process help strengthens the importance of Panhellenic love. Byrd states, “becoming a Recruitment Counselor opened my eyes to a bigger picture. I now encourage Greek life and Panhellenic as a whole because it really is a great community here at Ole Miss.”

To all PNM’s or women considering going through the Panhellenic recruitment process, it is important to stay true to yourself and go in with an open mind. The active members of each chapter want to know the genuine qualities you can bring to their house. While the experience might be intimidating and scary at first, every woman will end up where they are truly supposed to be in the Greek community.