Sorority members can now talk to men during recruitment

The Panhellenic Council will no longer restrict who prospective and current sorority members can talk to during the 10-day recruitment period.

The change happened after the Council’s annual reconsideration of each of its recruitment policies.

“Every year, we look at our recruitment policies and update them to reflect changes in our community,” said Julia Mullendore, president of the UNC Panhellenic Council.

Previously, sorority members could not talk to male students until recruitment ended.

“If you walked on campus from the Pit to class, you weren’t supposed to talk to any guys,” Mullendore said.

All 10 Panhellenic member sororities governed by the council voted on the change once it was proposed.

“We felt like it was finally time to give our women empowerment in making these decisions,” Mullendore said.

Recruitment week for UNC’s sororities includes a mandatory substance-free period, which Mullendore said is a policy echoed by Panhellenic councils across the nation.

Fall recruitment runs from Aug. 23 to September 2.

Mullendore said the change has generated positive feedback. The Interfraternity Council, run by President Peter Diaz, shares Mullendore’s optimism.

“I think it’s a great rule for both sides,” Diaz said.

“Recruitment can be a daunting, stressful experience for both sides. I think that removing this makes recruitment more enjoyable and less of a stressful time.”

Diaz said in order for the Greek system to function, fraternities and sororities should be able to communicate.

“(Fraternity members) can talk to girls; they can meet girls,” Diaz said.

“If they have girlfriends who are rushing, they can hang out with their girlfriends.”

Diaz hasn’t noticed any other changes in fall recruitment. Both his organization and Mullendore’s enforce substance-free periods during recruitment.

“It feels like business as usual,” he said. “This is a great step for both councils.”

The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and Community Involvement, led by Director Aaron Bachenheimer, advises and supports the University’s Greek organizations.

“The organizations themselves make the policies that govern the organizations,” Bachenheimer said. “We work with them and encourage them to review their policies every year.”

The change in Panhellenic Council policy, Bachenheimer said, has been brought up in the past.

“It’s one of those things we’ve talked about for a number of years,” Bachenheimer said. “But it wasn’t a talking point in that we sat down and talked about this one thing.”

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