A vote to determine whether a new sorority will join campus will be held by the end of this semester, according to Panhellenic Council Advisor Stacy Kraus.
Panhel is currently in the “exploratory phase,” College junior and Panhel President Darby Nelson said. A committee with a representative from each of Penn’s eight Panhel sororities has been created to review, research and encourage an open dialogue on the issue of extension.
Sorority presidents were asked to nominate “valuable and knowledgeable” individuals from their chapters who were interested in expansion, Kraus said. The committee has met twice this semester and will continue to meet “as needed.”
The question of inviting a new sorority on campus was first brought to the Council’s attention in April 2009, following a increase in sorority recruitment. However, the majority of presidents at Penn’s eight sororities voted against the extension last September.
“This time around, there is a lot more information on chapters,” College senior and former Panhel Recruitment Chair Tori Searl said. The expansion committee, of which Searl is the senior chairwoman, will ensure that chapters are provided with relevant statistics and information about recruitment.
“Every sorority on campus has its own niche,” Searl said, adding that a new sorority on campus might attract individuals who had never considered joining Greek life.
According to Kraus, concerns about recruitment and “the influence of national organizations” prevented an affirmative vote in September. Some chapters wanted to “experience the recruitment process this year” before committing to allowing a new sorority on campus, she said.
Sororities at Penn witnessed a record increase in recruitment this year. Panhel reported an eight-percent increase in registration for rush, and chapters saw an average increase of five women each per incoming pledge class.
According to College junior and junior chair of the expansion committee Melissa Rutman, the outcome of the vote might be different this semester as “the recruitment experience is fresh on everyone’s mind.”
According to the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, the last chapter to leave campus was Pi Beta Phi in 1997. The newest sorority, Sigma Kappa, joined in 2002.
