The Panhellenic Council’s extension committee has narrowed down the list of sororities in the running to be added to campus next spring to five groups.
Though four out of the five applicants have a history on the Penn campus, Panhel leaders say that groups were not solely selected based on prior affiliation with the University.
The sororities — Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Omicron Pi, Delta Gamma, Delta Zeta and Zeta Tau Alpha — will each be invited to campus in October to give a presentation, according to Office of Student Affairs/Fraternity Sorority Life Associate Director for Programming Stacy Kraus. The presentations will be open to both sorority-affiliated and -unaffiliated members of the Penn community.
Kraus, who advises Panhel, told The Daily Pennsylvanian last week that preference will be given to groups that have been at Penn in the past, in accordance with National Panhellenic Conference protocol. However, she said, “Panhellenic’s aim is to select the group that best fits the needs of our community, regardless of their past affiliation with Penn.”
According to Panhel President and College senior Darby Nelson, the chapters were evaluated based on the following criteria: their ability to offer something new to Penn women and the Greek community at large, commitment to academic achievement and philanthropy, risk management programming, the success of other chartered colonies and commitment to the colonization process.
“The chapters selected hold similar values to those purported by the Penn Panhellenic council,” Nelson wrote in an e-mail, citing “philanthropy, sisterhood and academic excellence.”
Nelson also said applicants supporting philanthropic causes not currently supported by any other groups at Penn “stood out,” adding that each of the five selected applicants had the potential to “fill a niche at Penn” and ultimately “benefit the community as a whole.”
According to Nelson, given Penn’s reputation as a “selective and competitive” institution, groups with a strong emphasis on academic achievement were also highly regarded.
Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Omicron Pi (1918)
Delta Gamma (1946)
Delta Zeta (1928)
Zeta Tau Alpha (1918)
Note: Dates in parentheses indicate when a sorority was previously founded at Penn, if applicable.
In addition to the sorority that will be added to campus next spring, Kraus said the extension committee approved a “stacking process,” in which another of the five sororities will be asked to colonize the next time Penn is open for extension.
The selected sorority will be notified by Oct. 24, and will informally recruit members starting next spring.
Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Omicron Pi (1918)
Delta Gamma (1946)
Delta Zeta (1928)
Zeta Tau Alpha (1918)
Note: Dates in parentheses indicate when a sorority was previously founded at Penn, if applicable.
