Freshmen taking part in sorority rush at colleges across the U.S. are facing growing pressure to stand out, with some going to extraordinary lengths to improve their chances of landing a bid from their top-choice house.
That anxiety has fueled a booming consulting niche aimed at prospective new members, or PNMs, offering guidance through a recruitment system long known for its intensity, secrecy and unwritten rules.
But insiders told Our News Outlet that even when students get the answer they want on bid day, acceptance into Greek life does not always mean the stress is over.
The Rush Guide Co, a consultancy that coaches young women through the many selection events they must navigate before becoming pledges, charges as much as $2,949 for its services.
According to the company, its consultants have seen more than 40 recruitments unfold from behind the scenes and say one of the most important groups involved is the so-called “basement” girls. These members track PNMs throughout rush, monitor where they stand with the chapter and review their social media profiles.
The “basement” is often simply a backroom, though in some cases it may be an actual basement, and is typically staffed by three to 15 women, The Rush Guide Co said. The group can include current undergraduate chapter members as well as several alumni advisers.
Their influence is significant: they help manage the “keep-or-release list,” the internal ranking system that decides which PNMs advance to the next round and which ones are cut.
After recruitment parties end, chapter members reconvene to discuss each potential new member. The Rush Guide Co said those who avoid causing drama are more likely to remain in contention for the houses they hope to join.
A lucrative industry that has popped up to advise the most eager potential new members is helping to lift the lid on the brutal and notoriously secretive processes. (Stock picture of bid day at the University of Alabama in 2025)
For those who receive a ‘bid’ from the coveted mansions what comes next can be even more shocking. (Stock picture from the University of Colorado)
‘We are the puppeteers of rush week,’ a woman who only identified herself as C, and who owns The Rush Guide Co, told the New York Post.
‘You got to know everything that was going on: What every conversation was about, who was talking to which [girl], the results of the voting,’ Olivia Bourgeois, a former basement girl at the University of South Alabama, told the outlet.
‘You can say that “basement girls are like the CIA of sororities,”‘ Bella Lee, a former sorority girl, told the outlet.
‘We know everyone coming and going from the rush rounds, even though they’ll never meet us. We know where you went to high school, what sport you played, what your major might be.’
A former insider at a prominent sorority in the Midwest told Our News Outlet that during the exhausting process sorority members would use secret hand signals to rate PNMs behind their backs in real time.
And for those who receive a ‘bid’ from the coveted mansions, what comes next can be even more shocking.
Those who get in may face a sometimes grueling process known as ‘pomping,’ where sorority and fraternity members spend endless hours making homecoming floats out of paper – and a whole lot of spit.
One former student, who attended Zeta Tau Alpha at the University of Missouri, told Our News Outlet some sororities participate in a bizarre ritual called ‘pomping’.
After getting in some pledges participate in making ‘pomps’ for homecoming, which are made of thousands of pieces of rolled up tissue paper. (Stock picture)
The gorgeous artwork takes hours, which can take a toll on students during some of the earliest days of their college career. (Stock picture)
‘You literally spend hours after class in fraternity basements spitting onto pieces of tissue paper to create a gigantic float for the homecoming parade,’ the source said.
‘There were individuals called “Pomp Nazis” who came around and would crush your work if you didn’t do a good enough job’.
The final designs sometimes amount to beautiful artworks, but the process is so long it interferes with some students’ school work.
‘I have only had about six required hours a week, until this week, where I have 23 since homecoming is so close,’ Helen Yeater, also a student at the University of Missouri, told The Maneater, the school’s student paper, in 2016.
‘I think it is a waste of time. I could be studying for my three tests I have next week instead.’
Members have to roll tissue paper around a circular object, like a pencil, use spit to seal the paper to itself, before dipping it in glue and then on the foundation of the float.
Each house has different requirements for how long members have to put in weekly to finish the project on time.
The long hours allow sororities and fraternities to get to know each other and bond over the laborious project.
If they make it through rush and pomping, the new recruits only have that small matter of getting a college degree left to worry about.
