A guide to Geneseo Greek life

Photo courtesy of Maddie Sutherland

This past weekend was a big weekend for many Greek organizations on Geneseo campus, celebrating an occasion known as “crossing.” There are many terms within the Greek life community that can be very confusing or misunderstood, so as a member of Geneseo Greek life, here’s a guide to beginning to understand Greek life on campus. 

Each semester starts off with a very important week for Greek life. “Rush week” refers to the one- to two-week period during the first month of the semester where organizations will host events for potential “rushes” to come and meet the members of their respective organizations.

People who attend these events are often called PNMs, meaning “potential new members.” These events are open to any person who is eligible to rush. Rush eligibility can vary, but the baseline for many organizations is having completed one semester at Geneseo (with exceptions for transfer students) and maintaining a grade point average of at least 2.0. 

There are additional requirements for those hoping to join a sorority, including attendance at an event called “Round Robin.” This is where all of the sororities that are accepting a new member class will gather to share information about their organization with PNMs, such as their philanthropy and the organization’s values. 

PNMs spend these two weeks getting to know members and seeing which, if any, organization is the best fit for them. Sororities will often host an event during these rush weeks called “formal.” This event is invitation-only and provides a chance to get to know the members before Bid Day. 

“Bid Day” is famous across campus, mostly for its loud noise early in the morning, and is hated by many students not involved in Greek life. The loud noises are in celebration of organizations offering PNMs a “bid” to their organization. A bid is a formal invitation for this student to join the respective organization which must be accepted by the student the same day. 

This is followed by a night of celebration in each organization as they congratulate students on the new chapter. Afterwards, those who have received a bid are required to attend a new member education presentation that educates them on Geneseo’s zero tolerance policy on hazing, and the real life dangers of hazing incidents across different schools. This presentation also informs these students of how to recognize if hazing is occurring and how to report any incidents they see. 

Organizations spend the following weeks educating new members on their respective organizations, which is typically called “pledging” and carries a largely negative connotation. While there have been many instances where pledging has caused harm, SUNY Geneseo does not condone any hazing that can take place during pledging—or generally—and takes any report of such hazing very seriously. 

This all eventually leads to the celebration of crossing where new members are welcomed into their respective organizations and officially become a part of the Greek organization. Geneseo enforces each year that the new members must cross by a certain date, and organizations will face repercussions if their new members are found to still be pledging after this date. 

While Greek organizations often bear a negative reputation, there are many upsides to joining one. Personally, I have found a group of like-minded individuals who care about volunteering in the local community and have the same sense of humor as I do. Each experience is different, but if you have ever thought about joining a Greek organization, be on the lookout for social media posts as rush season begins in the spring 2026 semester.