Students will soon know which of five finalists will become the eighth sorority in Penn’s Panhellenic Council.
Thursday, members of Panhel’s extension committee will cast their final votes, deciding which group will be asked to join Penn’s Greek system. According to Panhel President and College senior Darby Nelson, the selected group will be notified shortly after the vote, and the decision will be made public once the sorority accepts the extension offer.
In addition to selecting a sorority that will begin recruiting members in the spring semester, the committee will choose a second group to be added to campus the next time Penn is open for extension.
The previous round narrowed the applicants down to five finalists, each of whom have sent representatives to Penn’s campus to make presentations before Panhel officials, Interfraternity Council leaders and the student community.
Kraus said she was impressed by the applicants’ presentations and believes each group gave a clear picture of what it had to offer Penn.
“I think all of the presentations went wonderfully,” Kraus wrote in an e-mail. “Panhellenic picked a variety of organizations with different points of strength.”
Kraus also wrote that she was pleased with the high level of engagement among IFC leaders in the extension process and said that the Greek community as a whole is “committed to supporting the selected group and finding what will ultimately be the best fit for the University.”
IFC Vice President of Strategic Planning and College senior Dave Dobkin attended all five presentations. He said all the presentations were good, but some showed a “better understanding of Penn than others.”
“I think what will ultimately decide the new chapter’s success will be the quality of the women they recruit,” he wrote in an e-mail.
The prospect of recruitment for the new sorority is also on Panhel leaders’ minds.
“Penn is a very unique school,” Nelson wrote in an e-mail. “Its students are very smart and cannot necessarily be won over by gimmicks and sale pitches.”
“Women will join a chapter if they believe it is genuine in its presentation of values, philanthropic involvement, and activities,” she added.
“The questions that the women in attendance asked were fascinating,” Melissa Rutman, College senior and Panhel extension committee chairwoman, wrote in an e-mail. “It was evident that students are both eager and apprehensive about a new group.”
