Pi Beta Phi sorority coming to campus

Pi Beta Phi will be the next sorority brought on campus, Panhellenic Council representatives announced last week. Anne McGowan, the chairperson of Panhel's Expansion Committee, said at last week's Panhel meeting that Pi Phi will have preference over Sigma Kappa, the other sorority scheduled to be added. The "consensus is that [we] do need to expand," McGowan told Panhel representatives. McGowan said she met with Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Tricia Phaup Wednesday but declined to comment on their meeting. Pi Phi will be brought on campus in the fall at the earliest, and possibly will have to wait until spring, she said. The College junior said throughout her report to Panhel that expansion should be slow because "everyone's got to think about what's best in the long term." McGowan added that Panhel, as a whole, will make the final decision when and if to expand. "We don't want to do anything that will upset, anger, perturb any national sorority we already have here," the Delta Delta Delta sister said. Assistant Director of OFSA Eric Newman said Pi Phi is "definitely" coming to the University as outlined in an expansion plan approved a few years ago. This plan allowed for the addition of five sororities to the system. The only two not yet at the University are Pi Phi and Sigma Kappa. Alpha Phi, Kappa Alpha Theta and Alpha Chi Omega have since been established at the University. The last of this group, Alpha Chi Omega, formed in 1989. Newman added that the committee and OFSA are "deciding on times [for expansion] now." Maureen Hernandez, Panhel president, said yesterday she believes expansion is needed, but at a careful pace. "We want to bring the chapters on with confidence when we are in a position to bring them on and to aid them in their transitional stages," said Hernandez. The College junior said the Panhel helps a new sorority's national representatives in several ways in forming a chapter, from finding hotel rooms, to dealing with the University.

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