Panhel to pick new sorority in October

A new sorority on campus means broader horizons for unaffiliated women at Penn.

Twelve sororities have submitted application packets for consideration to the Panhellenic Council’s extension committee.

According to Stacy Kraus, Panhel advisor and associate director for programming at the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, the selected organization will be notified by Oct. 24, and added to campus next spring. As Panhel student leaders wait for decisions to be made, they are hoping the new chapter will bring more diversity to Greek life on campus and make it easier for unaffiliated women to find their niche within the Penn community.

Eight of the 12 applicants have had chapters at Penn in the past, but “all of them have rich heritage,” Kraus wrote in an e-mail.

Kraus said consideration will be given to groups with a history of colonization at Penn, in keeping with National Panhellenic Conference protocol.

Ultimately, however, “Panhellenic’s aim is to select the group that best fits the needs of our community, regardless of their past affiliation with Penn,” Kraus wrote.

Kraus elaborated by saying that Panhel is looking for a national organization with good resources, a strong colonization process and a competent public relations staff for the fall. “There is no real niche we’re trying to fill,” she said.

Nursing senior Meredith Bress, the vice president of recruitment for Panhel, claimed that thus far in the selection process, there are no favorites amongst the applicants. “Everyone on Panhel is really excited about adding a new sorority to campus,” she wrote in an e-mail.

College senior Katie Penza, recruitment chairwoman for Chi Omega, was also enthusiastic about the new group being chartered at Penn, but said she was particularly interested in seeing a group that will offer something different to women on campus.

“Our chapter would like to see a sorority added that brings more diversity to Panhel and adds something new to the sorority community at large,” she wrote in an e-mail.

In the same vein, College senior and Panhel President Darby Nelson is expecting the new sorority to diversify the Panhel community and help make it easier for unaffiliated women to find what they are looking for. “Everyone should be able to find their niche,” she said.

Nursing senior Sarah Poirier, the president of Alpha Phi, also offered insight on extension.

“We have such a large campus and in reality not enough sororities to support the increasing amount of girls who rush,” she wrote in an e-mail. “I think extension is a great opportunity to begin solving this issue and hopefully more potential new members will have a successful rush experience.”

Between three and five groups will be selected to give presentations on campus, which are tentatively scheduled for Oct. 4, 14 and 15 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. They will be open to both sorority-affiliated and -unaffiliated members of the community.