During the first two weeks of fall quarter, hundreds of girls march around San Luis Obispo in sundresses and heels, armed with lip gloss and breath mints to meet with house after house and speak with their future sisters. This is known as formal rush.
Yet, a lesser-known variation of rush — Continuous Open Bidding (COB) — takes place in the winter and spring quarters, offering girls the opportunity to rush again.
COB is a period of informal recruitment hosted by certain sororities in the Panhellenic Association. Sororities with a set amount of open seats will host a week of events inviting potential new members to attend.
This winter, Kappa Alpha Theta, Chi Omega, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Epsilon Phi and Delta Gamma participated in COB.
COB lasts through the first few weeks of each quarter, varying in length depending on the sorority. Instead of going to every house in the Panhellenic Association, potential new members can selectively attend events for sororities they are interested in.
Events can include craft nights, trivia, games, and coffee dates with active members. This differs from the 10-hour days of formal recruitment, where potential new members learn in depth about philanthropies, sisterhoods, and listen to songs sung by the active members, according to the Panhellenic Recruitment Handbook.
Senior Allison Lee joined Chi Omega through informal recruitment during her freshman year.
“Being in COB not only allowed me time to adjust and talk about myself at ease, but I was able to listen to others without distractions and observe the active members to see if they’re the kind of people I see myself being friends with,” Lee said.
COB also offers potential new members, like sophomore Kiri Vogelsang, a more laid-back environment to meet future sisters, as she joined Kappa Kappa Gamma through COB last winter.
“Compared to formal rush, [the whole process] was a lot more relaxing, and you actually get to show off your personality to the sorority,” she said. “It’s not as strict, especially dress code wise. It’s not your stereotypical sorority experience.”
Despite the shifted timeline, new members who join through COB still get to participate in the same rituals that fall recruitment active members do.
Events like bid day, initiation and receiving a “big” are held for new members rushing COB. Actives, who are current members of the sorority, put special attention and energy towards making sure those who rush through COB don’t miss out on any of the same experiences.
On bid day, new members will get to “run home” in their chapter merch, take pictures and meet the rest of the girls in the sorority.
This year, Chi Omega hosted a “Camp Chi O” themed bid day.
“Joining a sorority was not something I planned on doing originally, [but] I’m glad I did, as everyone I met during COB was so friendly and welcoming, and wanted to get to know the real me,” Lee said.
COB is hosted in both winter and spring quarters. For more information, or to get involved, visit @calpolypanhellenic on Instagram.
