Three new sororities are vying for the 10th spot in Duke's Panhellenic Association this week after national representatives from Kappa Delta, Sigma Kappa and Zeta Tau Alpha sororities tried to sell their sisterhoods. These sororities are entering the final phases of an expansion process that started last year, and one delegate from each current Duke chapter will vote on the new groups Wednesday.
As if coming back a week early for rush wasn’t enough, greek women will face one more major shift in the system this January.
Three new sororities are vying for the 10th spot in Duke’s Panhellenic Association this week after national representatives tried to sell their sisterhoods. Kappa Delta, Sigma Kappa and Zeta Tau Alpha sororities are entering the final phases of an expansion process that started last year, and one delegate from each current Duke chapter will vote on the new groups Wednesday, beginning an immediate but challenging future for the chosen greeks.
“It’s always been a good thing to bring another one on board because it gives girls more options,” said senior Carlee Hobbs, president of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. “When you start from the ground up, the girls who join a brand-new sorority like that have a lot of opportunity for leadership.”
This year will be a building process for either the KDs, the Sigma Kappas or the Zetas and will require plenty of help from their outside members as well as women already involved in greek life at Duke. The new sorority will probably come to the University in November and will begin by recruiting older women who are not already members of a sorority.
The chosen sorority will go through the first round of formal recruitment in January, which starts a week earlier than in previous years due to scheduling conflicts. It will then have a mini-recruitment after the other sororities have made their decisions.
Next year, the new chapter will go through the entire formal recruitment process, meaning freshman women will visit 10 sororities instead of nine in the first round of recruitment. The addition is seen as a negative by women who have already experienced the rush process. Senior Sarah Wong, a member of Delta Gamma sorority, said having 10 rounds of recruitment “sucks for freshmen” and that Duke didn’t need another sorority.
The expansion process started last year when Panhel put together an exploratory committee to discuss “extension,” or the addition of a new group—a different transition than Alpha Phi sorority went through after a one-year hiatus. Kappa Delta and Zeta Tau Alpha once had chapters at Duke as well, but their members and national committees decided to leave Duke while allowing for “the opportunity to return in the future,” said Todd Adams, assistant dean of students and director of fraternity and sorority life. Sigma Kappa would be a completely new addition if chosen.
After reviewing sorority life and discerning that a new group would be welcome, an extension committee was formed to review sororities interested in starting chapters at Duke and narrowed down the options to the remaining three.
Panhel President Jessica Chilson said there is “a huge opportunity to fill a niche that isn’t being filled right now.”
The addition of Wednesday’s winner will also decrease the number of women in each chapter in response to Panhel’s wish for pledge classes to be smaller. Lauren Rodman, a sophomore member of Delta Delta Delta sorority, said there are “enough great women to go around for the sororities.”
One concern with adding a new sorority voiced by Chilson is “making sure they’re successful,” which will include having a national committee that is dedicated to making it work—Kappa Delta and Zeta Tau Alpha are already very strong at colleges across the country. Chilson felt that the sorority picked must also have a strong alumnae and undergraduate network in the area who are excited to help the new members at Duke succeed.
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