Over the last week, three of the five sororities in the Panhellenic Council’s extension process have made presentations before the extension committee. Wednesday night, Delta Gamma made its case before committee members, as well as other students, in hopes of being the next sorority chosen to join the Penn campus. Over the next two days, Zeta Tau Alpha and Alpha Delta Pi will also make their presentations.
During the event, DG representatives pushed the strengths of the organization, which included its ability to collaborate with other on-campus groups, scholarship opportunities, academic resources and programming and strong alumnae presence in the Philadelphia region.
According to Kelly Meierhofer, development consultant for DG, 21 collegiate chapters are located on campuses throughout the Philadelphia region, along with 22 alumnae groups.
Jordan Sale, College junior, Alpha Chi Omega sister and extension committee member, said that out of the many groups that originally sent application packets to the committee, DG has the largest alumnae population in the area.
Sale also said this strong alumnae presence — close to 1,000 women within a 15-mile radius — has the potential to facilitate a “strong infrastructure” for a chapter at Penn.
Sale added that DG is a good candidate for Penn because it is willing to “customize” the DG experience so that it is in line with Penn culture.
Mirroring similar claims from Alpha Omicron Pi representatives last week, Shaun Fisher Young, the vice president of membership at DG, emphasized the group’s willingness to adapt to the University. She said one of DG’s organizational strengths is collaboration. If selected, she said, DG is planning to join forces with Panhel and the Interfraternity Council.
“We have a reputation of being one of the most collaborative organizations in the Greek world,” she said.
Another point stressed during the presentation was DG’s commitment to the academic growth of its members. According to Chrissy Quisenberry, the sorority’s regional housing specialist, the extensive academic programming DG offers is structured to reward members and chapters who demonstrate academic excellence.
Sale also said DG places a lot of emphasis on academic excellence and has dealt with schools of the same “academic caliber” as Penn, which bodes well for the task of integrating the group into Penn’s Greek system.
College senior Alexis Williams, a Chi Omega sister and extension committee member, concurred by saying that DG’s experience at other selective schools would help in understanding the “balance” between academics and social life at Penn.
“I was very impressed,” she said, but added that it’s difficult to make a judgment call when there are still two groups left to present in the extension process.
The next Panhel extension event will be held in Houston Hall Thursday night at 7:30 p.m., when ZTA will present.
