​QUEEN OF HEARTS MIXER💗👑❤️🃏🖤🏹
We had such a blast at our first social event of the semester!!🤍

Our chapter had such a wonderful time preparing for recruitment through work week! Our themes were Battle of the Bump Groups, On Cloud Nine with Gamma Phi, Heart Eyes for Gamma Phi, and Color Wars. WE CAN'T WAIT TO MEET YOU PC '23! 

Hi besties! My name is Elizabeth Umina, and I am the New Member Educator, or “Pledge Mom,” of Gamma Phi Beta! As Pledge Mom, it’s my job to take our new members under my wing as soon as they get their bid on bid day and walk them all the way through the new member process until they are initiated – in other words, we’re gonna be besties! I teach you the ins and outs of Gamma Phi and get you ready to be an initiated sister. We have weekly new member meetings and during this time I also walk you through the big/little matching process (yay!), and am here to help you with anything you need! I just finished up working with our Spring ‘23 Pledge Class, and let me tell you, we had so, so much fun! I am so excited for this coming semester with our Fall PC ‘23! 

I can say for certain that I will come to know my sweet girls in PC ‘23 quite well, but I will introduce myself a little bit right now! I will be a junior Business Management major this fall, and I'm originally from Boston, Massachusetts! I love fashion, shopping, and the color pink, I teach spin classes here at Clemson, and I am a people-person to the core! I just got back from a month studying abroad in Paris and I’m ready to be back in Clemson! I love being with my friends and family 24/7, and everyday I strive to live by my favorite motto, “have courage & be kind.” 

When I first came to Clemson, I truthfully did not know much at all about the rush process, and I really had no idea the absolute best surprise I was in for! I quickly fell head over heels for Gamma Phi, and now I cannot not imagine my life without this sisterhood. I lived on our Hall on the Greek Quad this past year, and it was easily the best year of my life! I feel like I say that after every year at Clemson, but the Hall was truly a special experience for me and my friends. I got to be with my besties all of the time, and we went everywhere and did everything together. As soon as I came back from class, I went right to the chapter room to hang out with my sisters, and we had a lot of late nights spent down there laughing and making sweet, sweet memories. 

Gamma Phi is such a fun sisterhood filled with girls who always support each other in their goals & dreams. We have sisters involved in an array of things across campus, such as on the cheerleading teams, Clemson Miracle, Volunteers4Life, and lots of other groups and intramural teams, just to name a few! Within Gphi we also have leadership positions, committees, intramural teams, volunteer opportunities, study groups, and so many more ways to get together with other sisters. We have sisterhood events we do together, and we have a lot of fun at our functions, such as semi, Valentine’s cocktail, our country themed function called Boondocks, formal, and so many more throughout the year! 

I know going through recruitment feels exciting, confusing, fun and overwhelming all at the same time! If I could go back and give myself a piece of advice, I would tell myself to enjoy the moment, have fun with it, and try to focus on where you feel loved, supported and comfortable. How you feel during recruitment is how you’ll feel once you join a chapter, so focus on what feels like home! My job for our new members is to be here for you no matter what you need. We work together so that your transition into sorority life is seamless, and also fun! I can’t wait to teach our new mems all about this sisterhood that I love so, so much! 

I’m so excited to make more memories with you, Fall PC ‘23! 

XOXO! 
Elizabeth, PC ‘21 

I can confidently say joining Gamma Phi Beta is one of the best decisions I have made during my college career, and yes, I realize you may have heard every other member of Greek life say this. I rushed in 2020, which meant Zoom Recruitment. I was super skeptical of the recruitment process BEFORE covid so you can only imagine how I felt when Clemson Panhellenic announced rush would be virtual. I was so nervous! Everything had to be perfect, my hair, my outfit, my round one video, I was definitely feeling the pressure to find the right chapter for me. Every time I was dropped my heart broke a little, I didn't understand why I wasn't good enough. The best advice I could give you is to not have this mindset! The girls you are talking to are on your side; we are here to push you in the right direction, not to put you down. The support I have received and the friends I've gained from Gamma Phi Beta made all that heartbreak worth it. I'm currently writing this blog from my desk at my internship, an internship that my social media position in Gamma Phi Beta helped me pursue. These girls have taught me so much about myself and my worth, I deserve to feel real connection and be a part of a healthy sisterhood and so do you! Enjoy the journey :)

- Tommie Swink  

Just three short years ago, we were all standing in your shoes - so anxious and excited for what was about to come! It's crazy to think about how fast the time flew by now that we are entering into our final year at Clemson. We wanted to share with you some things we wish we knew as we started Recruitment.

"In rounds, talk about what makes you happy and what inspires you. Don't just talk about something because you think people want to hear that. We want to know what makes you so awesome!! Don't stray way from your true heart!" - Kayla

"Just be 100% authentic! We want to get to know the real you, and it's the best way to find your home in Panhellenic!" - Hannah

"Be open-minded and look for a place you feel genuinely comfortable in. Trust the process because you will end up exactly where you are supposed to be, whether you know it at the time or not!" - Emily

"Recruitment is a great way to meet new people who are going through the same thing as you, so be open to making connections with other PNMs. Even if you don't end up in the same sorority, they could end up being some of your best friends!" - Mary

"I know this process can be scary and overwhelming, but when you start to feel anxious or nervous, just take a deep breath! Everything will work out the way it's supposed to. Trust the process, and you got this!" - Arianna

These girls have made my experience at Clemson the wildest, most fun adventure of my life! When I look back at where I was 3 years ago, it's insane to see how much I've grown into the person I'm meant to be. But even still, I cannot thank my 18-year old self enough for choosing Gamma Phi and choosing these incredible women to be my sisters. My advice is to try to stop and look around - when you're in line, when you're sitting with your PiChi group, when you're in rounds. Take it all in because these could be the women who not only become your best friends, but also help you to grow into the best version of yourself.
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Four years doesn't sound like a long time, and it doesn't feel like it either. These four years will bring some of the toughest mountains to climb, but the views are incredible, so make sure you're bringing the best people along. You got this, and we cannot wait to get to know you so soon! 

-Jenna

“Why did you choose Clemson?” is one of the many questions you’ll be asked time and time again before you get to college, as an ice breaker in lectures, and even as an alumni. Maybe it’s because Clemson has your major, or you’re a legacy, wanted to go out of state or stay close to home. Clemson was such an easy choice for me as soon as I was accepted for three reasons

1. Clemson is in my home state, but far enough away from home that I could feel an independence I hadn’t felt before.
I’m from Columbia, South Carolina and it’s comforting knowing I can go home quickly if I need to, but while I’ve been here, I’ve found a sense of independence and learned how to live on my own.

2. Clemson has a large student body. I went to Blythewood High School, which had about 2,000 students in the whole student body. When I was looking for my perfect fit, I wanted somewhere where I could branch out and meet more people. I wanted a big school because I didn’t know anything other than a small town. And while Clemson is a “town,” you’re apart of a family there. Something bigger than yourself.

3. Clemson is a perfect college town. I knew I didn’t want to go to school in a big city, so Clemson stood out to me from the beginning. Clemson has a great student centered atmosphere that makes you feel safe and secure. There is nightlife, great places to eat, and sports shops lining the streets of downtown. There are also wonderful study spaces, diverse majors, fields of study, and students from all backgrounds who all have one thing in common, they chose Clemson. It’s a decision I haven’t regretted since I enrolled.

When I enrolled, everyone was talking about rushing a sorority. I had no idea what that was about. My mom wasn’t in one, but all my friends wanted to do this “rush” thing. I didn’t. So freshman year, I sat back and didn’t really involve myself in much because I wanted to focus on academics. I watched some of my friends form long lasting friendships with their sisters, go to functions, and get involved in their philanthropy. Freshman year is what made me want to rush, because seeing my friends involved made me want to be involved too. Freshman year also helped me learn to manage my time and know what I could handle academically and socially. As soon as I could submit my registration sophomore year, I did. Now I’m forming life long friendships in Gamma Phi, getting dressed up for functions, and loving being involved in our philanthropy (that I love so dearly, pls talk to me about it). Gamma Phi has given me a sense of self confidence, a group of leading women who build me up, study buddies, friends, and most importantly the sisters I never had.

​-Grace C.