New Sorority Holds First Recruitment

LIU Post’s newest sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, finished its first campus recruitment drive with a Bid Day on Friday, Oct. 12, welcoming 48 women into the organization.

Although Kappa members participated in the first night of formal recruitment on Sept. 24, Kappa withdrew from the remaining days in preparation for its recruitment week. The organization had its own week of recruitment the week after the other four sororities.

“The Monday after formal recruitment, we officially started our recruitment process. We continued tabling and met with each potential new members individually throughout the next two weeks,” Becca Stevenson, Kappa Kappa Gamma’s leadership consultant from nationals said. “In addition, we had mix and mingles so that the potential new members could meet one another, informational sessions and then finished our process with individual interviews.”

On Bid Day, new members were invited to a final party ceremony in Hillwood Commons, which Stevenson said was similar to the “preference round” of formal recruitment. After the ceremony, the new members had a celebration that included a photo booth, DJ, food and different games and icebreakers. When Bid Day ended, the new members joined the rest of the Panhellenic community for ice cream.

Kappa’s recruitment also differed from other recruitments in that potential members met with alumna from other Kappa chapters and national representatives, instead of sisters initiated on campus. The first pledge class of women will be the first group of Post students in Kappa Kappa Gamma.

As Kappa’s first pledge class, the 48 women will play a significant part in shaping the organization’s role on campus.

“One of Kappa’s three philanthropic efforts is a community engagement project,” Stevenson said. “These members will get to pick an organization to work with and sponsor here on Long Island. Since they are also building the chapter from the ground up, there are numerous ways to get involved in both leadership and decision-making,” she added.

Now that Kappa has taken its first class of women, the organization’s members and leadership are looking forward to their future on campus.

“Right now, we are focusing on our new member programming and educating our members,” Stevenson said. “Within the coming semester, we will be participating in various sisterhood and Panhellenic events. We will be having Panhellenic big sisters as well as founding families within Kappa,” she said.

The new chapter will receive their charter from nationals once they have become actively involved on campus. “Our executive board will be determined by the end of the semester and will be installed at the same time we receive our charter,” Stevenson said.

Taylor LaPorta, a junior childhood education major and new Kappa sister, said her recruitment experience with Kappa was different than in the past when she went through recruitment for the other four sororities on campus.

“I had gone through the formal recruitment process, as well, twice. This year I dropped the first night for Kappa,” LaPorta said. “[Recruitment] was very informal and a great experience. All of the women were so nice and wonderful to talk to. I really felt that I could be myself during the whole recruitment process,” she continued.

LaPorta is excited for the opportunities she will have in the new organization.

“I’m really excited to work with the other girls to establish our local philanthropy work. Kappa’s chapters all create their own local philanthropy in addition to Reading is Fundamental (Kappa’s national philanthropy project),” LaPorta said.