As the start of the fall semester gets closer, schools everywhere are preparing. Most students are focused on back-to-school shopping or reuniting with friends. But students who partake in Greek Life are getting ready for something much bigger: Bid Day. This momentous occasion, and Greek Life itself, has been around for centuries, and is a time of joy and celebration for young adults across the nation. Bid Day marks the end of sorority recruitment, the day that thousands of women open their envelopes to see which sorority house (if they are accepted by one) has been chosen for them. Not everyone who rushes (that is, participates in the recruitment process) gets a bid, so Bid Day is full of heightened emotions and anticipation. Adding to that, Bid Day has become a massive social media production, although this wasn’t always the case.
Before the social media age, Bid Day consisted of much smaller-scale activities and did not extend far beyond the current and new members of each sorority. Nowadays, however, Bid Day, and the rush process itself, have become ostentatious displays of sisterhood and wealth, largely thanks to #RushTok. The hashtag typically shows up every August as women begin documenting their rush journeys, all culminating in Bid Day, which seems to get bigger every year. Sororities tend to be most popular in the South, with most of us separate from Greek Life familiar with The University of Alabama’s rush process. The magnanimity of Bama Rush even resulted in a documentary of the same name. This year, however, The University of Arkansas has taken the spotlight with their Lucky Charms Bid Day theme, which ended up in a collaboration with the popular sugary cereal.
Now, my college doesn’t have Greek Life, and even if it did, I probably wouldn’t join, but after hearing about this collab with one of my favorite cereals, I can’t blame my peers who jump into Greek Life headfirst. And in this case, with a spoon in hand.
The Kappa Delta Chapter at The University of Arkansas was sponsored by General Mills for Bid Day this past weekend, in a Lucky Charms takeover that included DIY charm bracelets, photo booths, and even merchandise for the sorority. The popular cereal has been a common Bid Day theme for several schools, and General Mills was all too happy to join in on Kappa Delta’s fun. You can see photos of the Kappa Delta house decked out in balloons made to look like the iconic marshmallows of the cereal, and they look good enough to eat. I’ve seen my fair share of Bid Day activities via #RushTok, but this one might just take the cake, or the cereal, in this case. Not only do the newest members of Kappa Delta have the day itself to look back on with fondness, but the charm bracelets, courtesy of Presley Paige, and the Lucky Charms of it all, will surely make this year’s University of Arkansas Bid Day one for the history books.