At Gustavus, “Going Greek” means joining a social fraternity or sorority of students who want to make a difference on campus in a variety of different ways. For generations, the Greek system has been a staple in the Gustavus community. Today, there are 14 Greek organizations recognized by the Gustavus campus. Six sororities and eight fraternities.

As the bid matching process began to come to a close, multiple people found themselves not matching up with their “dream sorority/fraternity.” Those who still wanted to experience Greek life at Gustavus were given a second chance. On Friday, Sept. 30, 2016 the first ever Snap Bidding took place.

The snap bidding process is an option available to chapters which did not fill the quota (the number of potential members to which each chapter can offer bids during recruitment). The chapters who do not fill the quota, with snap bidding, may offer bids to potential new members whose preferences are not matched. Meaning that those interested will no longer be able to be given a bid by chapters they listed on their preference rankings after the preference round.

The chapters provide the bids after this process takes place, and potential new members will then receive a phone call or other contact by a sorority or fraternity offering him or her a snap bid. If he or she chooses to accept the snap bid, the new member will participate in normal New Member Period activities.

“Snap bidding is a great way to meet others and bid again. People without a chapter sign in at the table, hang out with us and then receive a bid card as they leave and can bid again and hopefully be able to join,” Junior Zeta Chi Phi  Co-President, Kacie Baltes said.

The Zetas ate Kit Kats while playing “Cards Against Humanity” and you could hear their laughter from down the hallway. In the Delta Phi Omega’s room girls filled just about all of the desks.

“Snap bidding is a great way to get to know each other. People just come into the room and sign in and then it is all social from there. They talk about their commitments and hobbies and all about themselves,” said Senior Delta Phi Omega member, Annika Walter.

The fraternities were located on the floor above the sororities, and the process was identical.

With this process being very new it was not everyone felt entirely prepared for it and didn’t know what to expect.

“The process of snap bidding is a great opportunity for people but the execution of it could be better. It definitely could be improved,” Senior Omega Kappa members, Chris Johnson and Mark Meier said.

Almost every room had absolutely no idea how many people were going to show up. It was more of a wait-and-see-what-happens event. One room would have a ton of people in it but the room next door would have no one.

Snap bidding had many positive reactions from the current members of the chapters.

“I think the process is great. It is definitely a great way to bond,”  Junior Zeta Chi Phi member Jess Backes said.

The Zetas particularly enjoyed the chance to chat and bond with each other.

“I like this new process a lot better than the methods in the past. I feel like it is more inclusive and allows us to look at other women that we might not have had a chance to in the past. It gives you a different light,” Walter said.

Not only did the sororities feel that snap bidding had a positive impact on their chapter, but the fraternities up the stairs were also finding that they felt the same way.

“Snap bidding is an excellent opportunity for their fraternity and for those who want to be involved. Greek life has been a bit too exclusive and having this opportunity, I think, is going to grow and strengthen Greek life itself,” Senior Sigma Alpha Epsilon member, Chase Adelsman said.

The fraternities also felt that this process was doing more for the chapters than just getting more people involved.

“This new process is a great way to start getting rid of the solo bidding which happens a lot. It gets people to focus on the other fraternities that they may not have in the first place,”  Senior Sigma Alpha Epsilon member, Will Riihiluoma said.

Throughout the night, a few people were able to find a fraternity or sorority that will work for them and were given that second chance. Hopefully, with the positive reactions to the event, it will happen next year and even more people will be given the opportunity to join Greek Life at Gustavus.