New members bid on life-changing experience

By Jessica Demetriou

The decision to go Greek on any campus can be a scary one. It is for many an experience that will change the course of their college careers and create memories that will last far longer than college. For most of these people, these memories begin on Bid Day. This year’s event took place last Saturday.

When sophomore Luis McCarthy came to Rider, he didn’t expect to go Greek because his preliminary view of fraternity guys didn’t really fit him. However, after going out and meeting the brothers of Alpha Epsilon Pi, he said he couldn’t help but change the way he thought.

“I connected with the brothers and they seemed like the coolest out of all of them,” McCarthy said. “They really respected me.”

McCarthy admitted to being skeptical of Greek Life in the beginning, but now he said he looks forward to brotherhood and getting more involved in community service.

“Bid Day for me is just coming out to meet everyone that I’m going to be calling my
brothers and see who else is coming out for Greek Life,” McCarthy said. “No matter what, I’m going to stay true to myself.”

Bid Day is a celebration where new members make their Greek debut by running out onto the balcony of the Bart Luedeke Center (BLC), with their supporting chapter below cheering and clapping. But for new members, the experience begins before the balcony; it starts when they accept their bids of membership and gather in the BLC Theater with the rest of the new members of the Greek community.

Freshmen Danielle Weiss and Janeen Hovnanian went Greek through the formal rush process. During rush, females experience a week of events and are given the opportunity to choose the house that is right for them. Weiss and Hovnanian said that their choice to join Delta Phi Epsilon didn’t take much thinking; they just knew.

“It sounds cliché but we definitely just felt at home,” Hovnanian said.

Hovnanian, who rushed with six of her friends, didn’t plan on going Greek. She said it was a last-minute decision that she couldn’t be happier about.

“We sort of decided right before rush week and said, ‘Let’s just try it out,’” Hovnanian said. “Now our view of sorority life has changed completely.”

Freshman Dan Teixeira didn’t know what to expect when he entered the BLC Theater on Saturday afternoon. But the excitement in the room couldn’t be overlooked.

“I’m so pumped,” Teixeira said. “I’ve never been to anything like this before.”

Teixeira said that the brothers of Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) really stood out for him and went out of their way to answer any questions he had about fraternity life.

“They are all genuinely cool guys,” Teixeira said. “I hope I get the brotherhood of TKE out of this experience, as well as the alumni support that I hear so much about.”

Freshman LeAnne Petosa said that her decision to join Zeta Tau Alpha was an easy one and her view of sororities changed completely after meeting them.

“I’ve never been able to have a group of girls there for me and now to be able to have a whole houseful is just amazing,” Petosa said. “I felt part of it before I even got my bid.”

While the new members eagerly waited in the theater, they were given recruitment shirts, which bore the letters that would cross their chests for the next four years. When they were finally given the OK to make their way onto the balcony, they pushed forward, taking the first steps towards brotherhood and sisterhood.

“If nothing else, I’m going to develop such great friendships with all these girls and that’s awesome to have a whole house to call your sisters,” Petosa said. “I will love it just to have that bond that is lasting forever.”