Potential new members (PNMs) attend Alpha Tau Omega’s (ATO’s) Wiffle Ball event at Alumni Park on Sept. 11. Senior ATO social chair Foxx Felderstein DJed the event for attendees. Photo courtesy of Eduardo Cua
From cliff jumping to broomball, Pepperdine’s annual fraternity recruitment allows potential new members (PNMs) to form connections through interactive activities.
According to the Pepperdine Community website, the University is home to five fraternities affiliated with the North American Interfraternity Conference: Alpha Tau Omega (ATO), Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE), Psi Upsilon (Psi U), Sigma Chi (SigChi) and Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp).
From Sept. 7 to 13, PNMs attended recruitment events to learn about each chapter while active members considered which PNMs would be the best fit for their brotherhood.
“Anyone who’s even thinking about it should at least go through recruitment,” first-year Charlie Dumaplin said. “It’s college. You’ve got to make time for it. It’s worth it.”
Recruitment in Action
Fraternity recruitment differs from sorority recruitment, said junior ATO philanthropy chair Andrew Galannis. Fraternity recruitment follows a more casual process, where they let PNMs participate in activities to connect with the active members in each fraternity.
ATO began its recruitment week with dodgeball before holding its signature cliff jumping event at Malibu Creek State Park, Galannis said. The fraternity also hosted a taco night at Howdy’s and played Wiffle Ball at Alumni Park.
“We’re really looking to see if they’re a good guy,” Galannis said. “Would they be a good fit? Do they mesh well with the other guys?”
Other chapters use recruitment events in a similar way to gauge each PNM’s personality — something that conversation alone might not reveal.
Psi U’s activity schedule for recruitment included broomball, pickleball, golf and cliff jumping, said junior Psi U recruitment chair Wyatt Chabot.
PNMs cliff dive with active members during Psi U’s recruitment event at Malibu Creek State Park on Sept. 11. Junior Psi U recruitment chair Wyatt Chabot said attendees spent the afternoon swimming and socializing. Photo courtesy of Edward Yun
“We’re really just observing what kind of guys we like and how they interact,” Chabot said. “Once they’ve joined the fraternity, we’re going to be doing activities and that’s how we show them what we’re into and how we act in those settings.”
Chabot said the Psi U recruitment chairs also look for future members who embody the fraternity’s five foundational pillars: Lifelong Friendship, Moral Leadership, Intellectual Engagement, Responsible Social Conduct and Service to Society.
Getting to Know the Guys
Dumaplin said his older brother’s fraternity experience at Baylor University is what first sparked his interest in recruitment. After seeing the friendships his brother formed and the academic support he received, Dumaplin said he hoped to find a similar community at Pepperdine.
Throughout the week, Dumaplin attended events hosted by SigChi, Psi U, SigEp and ATO. He said each fraternity had its own atmosphere, making it difficult for him to decide which chapter felt best.
“I just really like how open the guys are,” Dumaplin said. “Immediately when I showed up they wanted to know everything about me.”
Dumaplin said his positive experiences with the fraternities challenged some of the stereotypes he had heard before beginning recruitment.
“I’d heard some fraternities only liked you if you were rich and only cared about money,” Dumaplin said. “But from what I’ve seen, they’re really deep guys who just want to have a good time and hang out with everyone. They’re not only surface level.”
Dumaplin said he advises future PNMs to enter recruitment with an open mind and not base their decisions on rumors or assumptions.
Brotherly Love
Fraternity members dedicate weeks to planning recruitment and building their brotherhood, Chabot said. With the help of junior Psi U co-recruitment chair Austin Zamora with the help of junior Austin Zamora, Psi U co-recruitment chair, Chabot said they spent weeks organizing events, reserving locations, designing merchandise and communicating with PNMs.
“For these two weeks, I’m pretty much thinking about recruitment 24 hours a day because there’s always a text coming into my phone or something going on,” Chabot said. “We want to get guys we really connect with and work hard to make sure they have a good rush.”
Chabot said he encourages PNMs to attend events hosted by several fraternities before committing to one chapter so they can determine where they feel most comfortable.
Galannis said investing time into recruitment can lead to lifelong friendships.
“Really, no matter what fraternity you join, you’re going to meet some of the greatest guys ever,” Galannis said. “I’ve met some of my best friends, people who are going to be in my wedding.”
Dumaplin said he hopes students curious about fraternity life will participate in recruitment, even if they decide to wait until after their first semester.
“Go Greek,” Dumaplin said.
This story was copy edited by Haylie Ross.
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Contact Triniti Gregg via email: triniti.gregg@pepperdine.edu