Two new sororities will join Quinnipiac’s Greek life community, according to Assistant Director of the Student Center and Campus Life Courtney McKenna, and a fraternity is under review to potentially colonize.
Pi Beta Phi will colonize and begin recruitment for their founding sisters during the fall 2011 semester, former Panhellenic President Jessica Russo said. Kappa Delta will colonize during the fall 2012 semester.
“We opened for extension because we’ve seen that specifically in the past few years, Greek life has really exploded on campus,” said junior marketing major Megan De Vizio, former Panhellenic Delegate for Phi Sigma Sigma. “We’re seeing more and more women coming through recruitment each spring, resulting in the largest new member class sizes QU has ever seen.”
An advantage of having these additions, De Vizio said, will be more manageable chapter sizes.
McKenna said the smaller chapter sizes will allow for more positive interactions with the members and more spaces on campus for the sororities to meet.
“We want to provide everyone who goes through recruitment with a good match,” McKenna said.
The new additions were chosen based on the philanthropies and new contributions they can add to the Quinnipiac campus.
“Each of these sororities have unique philanthropies,” Russo said. “In addition, each have a multitude of leadership opportunities, programming and academic support that sets them aside from all of the other National Panhellenic Conference sororities. Their values match well with Quinnipiac’s, as well as the sororities’s and Greek life’s on campus.”
De Vizio described Pi Beta Phi as a sorority with a mission to promote friendship, develop women of intellect and integrity, cultivate leadership potential, and enrich lives through community service. Pi Beta Phi’s present members contribute to their philanthropy of literacy with their involvement in programs such as First Book, Champions Are Readers and Make Your Mark for Literacy. Once colonized, they will join the rest of the Quinnipiac Panhellenic community and participate in formal recruitment in the spring.
The Kappa Delta website states their purpose as one to promote friendship among college girls across the country. Their members contribute to their philanthropy by supporting Prevent Childhood Abuse America, while working closely with the Girl Scouts of America.
The fraternity pledging process is much more informal and brings in smaller new member groups. Still, McKenna said a new fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi, is currently being reviewed to potentially colonize at Quinnipiac during the fall 2011 semester.
