The recruitment process took a turn this past weekend for Penn's potential new sorority sisters as they moved from conversations to crafts.
Current sorority members and potential recruits got to know each other at increasingly more intimate events over the Martin Luther King holiday.
In particular, the 'skit' and 'philanthropy' rounds held last Saturday and Monday, respectively, gave Penn women a chance to move beyond the brief conversations that mark the 'open house' round of last week.
During the traditional skit round, the sisters of each house wrote songs and choreographed dances for potential recruits.
The members of Alpha Chi Omega took popular songs and changed the words to emphasize "friendship, community, recruitment and being a part of that house" said College junior Drew Tye, a member of Alpha Chi Omega.
She added that this round is "a way to show every house's spirit and to get everyone excited."
Monday's big event was the 'philanthropy round,' where the potential recruits spent their day doing service projects for the charities that each sorority works with nationally.
The girls of Phi Sigma Sigma and their recruits made quilt patches for the National Kidney foundation, while members of Chi Omega put together picture frames for the children of the Make a Wish Foundation.
Tye said that for the new recruits, the philanthropy round "allows them to meet girls in a more relaxed environment and helps them feel a bit more comfortable in the house."
"Everyone is comfortable with the social component of being a member of a sorority. Philanthropy Round is a great opportunity for women to be exposed to the philanthropic parts of a sorority's national chapter."
College freshman Christina Andrews said it was "a good change of pace and made you get a better feel for the house. You found out more about the personalities of the girls," said Vice President of Recruitment for the Panhellenic Council and College senior Elizabeth Kern.
Andrews' sentiment was common among both current sorority members and potential recruits, who said that the 'open house' round, which took place last Wednesday and Thursday nights, was a little more stressful and fast-paced than the rest of the process.
College freshman Hannah Skop, agreed, describing the round as "very overwhelming" but added that "the girls were all very nice and it was a good experience."
