How to Join
So YOU want to Go Greek?!
We are beyond excited at the prospective of you joining our amazing Greek-life community! Before embarking on your Greek journey, please read the following information for some tips and tricks as well as useful information.
Please be mindful that there are unrecognized fraternities and sororities around the Chico State community. The office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs does NOT have oversight of unrecognized fraternities and sororities. However, we are here to support YOU! Should you ever have any issues/concerns with any unrecognized fraternities/sororities, please reach out to the FSA staff.
When deciding which organization to join we highly encourage Chico State students to explore our Recognized Fraternities and Sororities and prioritize their events. For an up-to-date list of ALL recruitment “rush” events, check out the CatsConnect FSA Events Calendar.
*For a list of ALL unrecognized organizations, click on the “University “Recognized” vs “Unrecognized” Organizations” tab on the left side panel.
Step 1: Eligibility
Students who are interested in joining, “rushing” a fraternity or sorority are also known as, Potential New Members (PNMs). Prior to rushing any recognized social fraternity or sorority, PNMs MUST meet the following requirements*:
- Be currently matriculated and enrolled at Chico State**
- Have completed a minimum of 12 college credit units**
- Be in good academic standing
- Have a minimum 2.5 Chico State Cumulative GPA
- Attend Go Greek 101 Workshop
**First-time, first-year students are NOT eligible to participate in “rush” or go through recruitment in their first semester at Chico State. (Read below for further information)
**First-year transfer students are eligible to “rush” or go through recruitment during their first semester.
*Each Council and/or fraternity/sorority have additional requirements and we recommend to contact and connect with each individual organization for further recruitment requirements.
First-time, first-year students, more commonly known as “freshman” are NOT eligible to “rush” or go through recruitment their first semester for many reasons.
Academics:
- We want to ensure that first-year students get acclimated to college level academic courses prior to adding further social commitments.
- Joining a social fraternity/sorority can be time-consuming, working on your time management skills is crucial to be successful in your academics and social life.
- Every fraternity/sorority has a cost that is associated with their specific recruitment requirement and membership educational process, being financially prepared to join a social fraternity/sorority is a good rule of thumb.
- The office of FSA is NOT held responsible for any financial discrepancies associated with new member processes, recruitment process, national dues, chapter dues, etc.
- Be mindful and ask financial questions to each organization prior to making your decision.
Step 2: Exploration
Interfraternity Council
The Interfraternity Council (IFC) at Chico State is a collegiate chapter of the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC). The IFC is student lead and student ran by executive board members compromised of student leaders that represent the recognized social fraternities on campus. IFC oversees all recognized social fraternities with an exception of multicultural fraternities. To assist incoming students to find the best fraternity for them, we encourage them to utilize CatsConnect and learn each chapter’s recruitment process or Check their council page to learn some quick fun facts of each chapter.
IFC Recruitment “Rush” Timeline:
“Rush” is traditionally scheduled on the fourth (4th) week of each semester.
- Follow the IFC Instagram for specific dates and times @chicostateifc
- Check out the FSA CatsConnect page for ALL recruitment events!
Day 1: Sunday (prior to Rush Week)
- Attend “Go Greek 101 Workshop: IFC Chapters”
- PNMs are required to attend the workshop prior to participating in any scheduled rush events
Day 2/3: Monday/Tuesday
- IFC Tabling
- Check out ALL chapters to find the one that fits best with your core values.
- Do not join an organization, because you like their colors/mascot/letters! Dig deeper, ask questions about their mission, pillars, values, philanthropy, just to name a few!
Day 4: Wednesday
- IFC Takeover: Éstom Jámani Plaza
- *Occurs in the Spring semester
- Each fraternity has their own specific scheduled event.
- During the Fall and Spring semesters, IFC chapters host their own unique events traditionally hosted at their chapter house.
Day 5: Thursday
- Invite Only events*
- Each fraternity will invite specific PNMs to these social events.
Day 6: Friday
- Morning:
- Attend “Go Greek 101 Workshop: IFC Chapters” pt. 2
- Afternoon:
- Bid Day: PNMs will be notified if they have received a bid and will be communicated where to pick up their bid.
- PNMs who receive more than 1 bid MUST accept ONLY 1 bid. PNMs can NOT accept more than 1.
As a reminder, each fraternity has different costs and membership processes. FSA does NOT have oversight over any financial discrepancies in respect to organizational dues.
Multicultural Greek Council
The Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) is the governing body that oversees ALL multicultural Greek-lettered social organizations. The governing body is composed of members representing the multicultural organizations that fall under MGC. The recruitment process varies from chapter-to-chapter. Each chapter holds their own individual events that interests are encouraged to attend. Check their council page to learn about their recruitment schedule.
MGC Recruitment Timeline:
Recruitment is traditionally scheduled for two weeks ( 2nd and 3rd week or 3rd week and 4th week of the start of each semester).
- Follow the MGC Instagram for specific dates and times @chicostatemgc
- Check out the FSA CatsConnect page for ALL recruitment events!
Week 1:
Day 1 - 4: Monday – Thursday
- Attend “Go Greek 101 Workshop: MGC Chapters”
- PNMs are required to attend the workshop prior to participating in any scheduled rush events.
- MGC Tabling
- Check out ALL chapters to find the one that fits best with your core values.
- Do not join an organization, because you like their colors/mascot/letters! Dig deeper, ask questions about their mission, pillars, values, philanthropy, just to name a few.
Day 5: Friday
- MGC Showout
- Anyone interested in joining a multicultural fraternity or sorority is welcomed to participate at the MGC Showout.
- Each organization will showcase their general information along with unique performances.
- You do NOT want to miss out!
Week 2:
Day 1 - 4: Monday – Thursday
- Attend “Go Greek 101 Workshop: MGC Chapters”
- PNMs are required to attend the workshop prior to participating in any scheduled rush events
- MGC Tabling
- Check out ALL chapters to find the one that fits best with your core values.
- Do not join an organization, because you like their colors/mascot/letters! Dig deeper, ask questions about their mission, pillars, values, philanthropy, just to name a few
Day 5: Friday
- All students interested in joining a multicultural fraternity or sorority MUST submit their Grade Release Form through CatsConnect to determine eligibility.
As a reminder, each fraternity/sorority has different costs and membership processes. FSA does NOT have oversight over any financial discrepancies in respect to organizational dues.
College Panhellenic Council
The College Panhellenic Council (CPC) is a member of the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) which oversees all social sororities, with exception of multicultural sororities. CPC is the governing body of all recognized social sororities and is composed of student leader members from recognized sorority chapters.
The College Panhellenic Council (CPC) hosts an informal recruitment process known as, Continuous Open Bidding (COB) during the Fall semester. This process is not organized by the university and is more casual than Formal Recruitment.
CPC holds formal recruitment the week prior to the start of the Spring semester. Formal Recruitment is a five-day process in which you explore all chapters, with the exception of our associate chapter, Sigma Alpha. This is the best way for women to join a Panhellenic sorority as all chapters will be participating to take new members. The sign-up link for CPC Spring Formal Recruitment will activate in November. To stay current on what is happening with Formal Recruitment, visit their council page.
- Follow the CPC Instagram for specific dates and times @chicostatepanhellenic
- Check out the FSA CatsConnect page for ALL recruitment events!
Day 1: Sisterhood Rounds
- Attend “Go Greek 101 Workshop: CPC Chapters”
- PNMs are required to attend the workshop prior to participating in any scheduled rush events
- More information will be shared by CPC once Formal Recruitment begins.
Day 1: Sisterhood Round
- More information will be shared by CPC once Formal Recruitment begins.
Day 2: Philanthropy Day
- More information will be shared by CPC once Formal Recruitment begins.
Day 3: Preference Day
- Invite Only events*
- More information will be shared by CPC once Formal Recruitment begins.
Day 4: Bid Day Best Day
- More information will be shared by CPC once Formal Recruitment begins.
PNMs who receive more than 1 bid MUST accept ONLY 1 bid. PNMs can NOT accept more than 1.
As a reminder, each sorority has different costs and membership processes. FSA does NOT have oversight over any financial discrepancies in respect to organizational dues.
Step 3: Joining an Organization
We highly encourage to ask all the questions before deciding which organization is the right fit for you! As a reminder, FSA is here to support you every step of the way. Do not hesitate to contact the staff for advise, support, and any concerns that you may have. Joining a social fraternity or sorority allows you to gain leadership skills, communication skills, team player, diversity, and so much more!
From the office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, Welcome to Chico State and Welcome to Greek LIFE!