Girls throughout campus have begun the pledging process after completing rush Sunday.

The three-day long formal process of the College Panhellenic Council (CPC) sorority rush allowed potential new members to tour the house and meet the girls behind the CPC recognized sororities.

“There are a lot of a negative connotations with sororities on college campuses,” said Hannah Marshall, freshman undecided major. She participated in the rush and is now a Sigma Sigma Sigma pledge. “I just think that girls need to get out there and try for themselves.”

Hundreds of interested girls showed up at the Duke Ellington Ballroom to begin the process Friday by visiting all seven CPC recognized sororities. The first day is spent meeting a member from each one of the houses to touch base and find out some basic information, said Christine Moore, sophomore marketing major. Moore took part in rush and is a Sigma Kappa pledge.

On the second day, the interested ladies pick five houses they’d like to visit again. After another meet and greet session, houses will call back potential new members to visit the house and meet the members in a more intimate setting, Moore said.

On the final day, called Preference Day, the potential new members pick their favorite two houses and have dinner with one choice and a formal dessert with the second choice. After the meals, it is announced what new members are accepted into the sororities.

The process of a formal rush was intimidating to a few participants.

“I was so scared when I started, I had no idea what I was getting myself into,” said Danielle Van Mater, freshman communications major.

Van Mater went through the entire rush process and was accepted as a Sigma Sigma Sigma pledge along with Marshall.

“I really look forward to meeting every single girl in the house, discovering my best friends and participating in the community events hosted by the house,” Van Mater said.

She wasn’t alone in feeling overwhelmed at the process of a formal rush.

“It was really stressful at first because you meet so many people in one day, and I didn’t really know what to expect,” said Katrina Lidik, sophomore psychology major.

Lidik participated in rush and is now a Delta Zeta pledge.

“You get to learn a lot about the house and the type of girls living there,” Lidik said about the rush event.

Each girl said they felt comfortable with their chosen house, and look forward to making memories with their new sisters.

“If I didn’t get into a sorority, it was still a good experience,” Marshall said. “I made a lot of friends just in the process of rushing.”