Of the 2,501 women who attended the first round of Open House events for Fall 2021 Primary Recruitment at the University of Alabama, 92 percent (2,307 women) received bids from the 17 Panhellenic sororities that participated in recruitment. (Ben Flanagan / AL.com)
You’re scrolling on TikTok and are suddenly overwhelmed by an influx of mostly white college-aged women, who either call themselves “PNMs” or “actives” and are talking about OOTDs, Rush Week and Bid Day.
#RushTok, a 2021 TikTok trend exploring the grueling process of Panhellenic sorority recruitment, has both captivated and confused. Recruits at the University of Alabama took over the platform last year with day-in-the-life videos that introduced users to notoriously complex dress codes, social customs and a host of new terms and definitions.
If you missed #BamaRushTok’s premiere last year, this glossary – courtesy of the Greek Chic Recruitment Guide and an independent #RushTok analysis – should have you covered for season two.
Potential New Members are hopeful Panhellenic recruits, who will be going through the rush process to find out whether they receive a bid, which is a formal invitation to join a sorority or fraternity.
Actives are initiated members of a fraternity or sorority who are in good standing with their chapter. During recruitment week, they’re usually tasked with setting up their houses, greeting PNMs and weighing in on the bidding process.
A PNM whose mother or sister is an alumna or active member of a particular sorority.
4. OOTD: Outfit of the Day
No explanation necessary. Expect a range of ‘fits throughout the week, aligned to each day of the recruitment process.
A survival kit for everything you’ll need during Rush Week, which is the weeklong recruitment process. Pack a first-aid kit, some electrolyte powder, a handheld fan and plenty of claw clips. And maybe a rain poncho or two.
6. Council Overviews: APA, IFC, NPHC, UGC
The University of Alabama is home to the nation’s largest Panhellenic community. At UA, APA (Alabama Panhellenic Association) sororities make up the majority of Campus Greek Life, with about 7,000 members and 19 different chapters, which are membership units of a fraternity or sorority.
Although Greek councils at UA are legally desegregated, they are largely divided by the racial makeup of their memberships. Panhellenic sororities at the University of Alabama, for example, were historically all-white and were not officially ordered to end race discrimination until 2013. Today, UA Panhellenic sororities are about 89% white – a slight drop from 96% a decade ago.
Panhellenic recruits are most of what you’ll be seeing on #RushTok at this point in the summer, since their recruitment starts earlier in the school year. But Panhellenic sororities aren’t the only form of Greek life on college campuses.
UA’s second-largest Greek organizations are IFC (Interfraternity Council) fraternities. Like the APA, UA’s IFC chapters are predominantly white. IFC recruitment for each of the campus’s 34 social chapters will begin on Aug.13 and run through Aug. 21.
The NPHC (National Pan-Hellenic Council) is composed of nine historically African American sororities and fraternities. NPHC chapters determine their own recruitment period which can change from year to year. UA’s NPHC fall interest meeting will be held on Sunday, Aug. 21.
The UGC (United Greek Council) is the governing body of multicultural and special-interest based sororities and fraternities, like Alpha Omega Epsilon, an engineering sorority, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a music fraternity. Interested students can learn more about these groups at student involvement fairs or other social events during the beginning of the school year.
This round lasts three days and follows the open house, which starts on Aug. 6. PNMs are given assigned T-shirts to match with dressy shorts or skirts. They’ll visit up to 12 chapters for 30 minutes each to learn about their service contributions.
This round also lasts three days. PNMs will attend a maximum of seven parties, which are about 40 minutes long, to chat with actives in each chapter.
On the last day before Bid Day, PNMs will sign a Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding Agreement, otherwise known as a “Preference Card” where they will rank their chosen sororities. Members agree to accept a bid from any of the sororities on their list.
If you’re into the OOTDs, you might want to tune in at this point. Pref Days require formal attire, though lots PNMs will probably be re-wearing their high school graduation dresses.
This is the last day of APA Primary Recruitment, when potential new members receive invitations (bids) to join a chapter. This year, Bid Day is on Sunday, Aug. 14.
Chapters are required to meet quotas of new members. But if they don’t reach that quota during primary recruitment, they can continue to offer invitations after Bid Day ends.
Sigma Rho Chis are Panhellenic recruitment counselors who are able to answer questions about the recruitment process.
You don’t want to have a run-in with them. This is a board of chapter members who handle any violations of expected behavior during recruitment week.
If you’ve read this far and are still confused, you might be one! GDI is a term for students who are not affiliated with any Greek organizations. They make up about two-thirds of the campus population at The University of Alabama.
The Machine is a not-so-secret society at the University of Alabama that has been known to elect Greek representatives to run for student government. While the Machine is not an officially-recognized University organization, you’ll hear about it, often in hushed whispers, pretty much everywhere you go. Non-Machine-affiliated student government candidates are often referred to as “Independents” (see: GDI).
If you’re a PNM or GDI in need of some additional reading, check out this Reckon podcast about the society’s dark past, or the student newspaper’s continued coverage of the organization’s influence on campus politics.
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