By: Hannah Owens
At 10 a.m. on Sept. 7 in the McMahon Centennial Complex Ballroom the Alpha Phi sorority concluded its annual Rush Week with a Bid Day celebration. The sorority welcomed 11 new members.
Rush Week, held at the beginning of the fall semester, is an event in Alpha Phi’s recruitment process. Throughout the week, potential new members (PNMs) participated in a series of events designed to introduce them to the sorority’s values, activities, and overall mission.
The events focused on specific aspects of the sorority, such as its sisterhood, philanthropic efforts, and leadership opportunities. Alpha Phi’s philanthropy round highlighted the sorority’s national commitment to women’s heart health through the Alpha Phi Foundation.
Sorority President Zoey Dean is passionate about the Foundation’s efforts.
“A lot of women die from heart disease when they don’t even know they have a heart issue until it’s too late,” Dean said. “Alpha Phi’s mission is to advance the research to where hopefully one day that does not happen.”
Bid Day took place at the end of the week, where PNMs who received bids from Alpha Phi were invited to officially join the chapter. The ballroom was decorated for the occasion, with balloons, a photo wall, and matching shirts for the sisters based around the “Candyland” theme.
New member Whitney Landrum is excited to build life-long relationships with her new sisters.
“I’m really looking forward to building a sisterhood and a positive environment that I can build off of and hopefully improve the education system because a lot of us are in education majors,” Landrum said. “So, I feel like if we can really build a sisterhood here, we can build a sisterhood and rely on each other out in the districts and hopefully improve Oklahoma’s education.”
Alpha Phi’s new members participated in a day of festivities that included music, opportunities to get to know their new sisters more intimately and ended at the bowling alley.
With a successful Rush Week now behind them, Alpha Phi members are looking forward to integrating their newest members into the chapter and continuing their work in service and leadership on campus.
Dean wants students to know Alpha Phi participates in continuous open bidding which allows them to accept members year-round.
For more information, contact Alpha Phi on Instagram at @cameronalphaphi.