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Congrats to our Sisters at Zeta Lambda Chapter on their quota class of 47 new members!

Here's an article from the campus newspaper:


Delta Zeta, other sororities build up their ranks
By Stephanie Bennett
News Editor

January 15, 2004


The campus sororities, including newcomer Delta Zeta, concluded their recruitment activities Jan. 12 with a new dry Bid Night event held in Benson University Center.

Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Pi Beta Phi sororities filled the 47-pledge quota set by the Panhellenic Council. Phi Mu and Delta Zeta failed to meet the quota.

The new Bid Night festivities held in the Benson were a mixed blessing for involved parties.

On the one hand, sorority leadership was very positive. “We had a ball,” Millie Pelletier, a senior in charge of Chi O recruitment, said. “It was a great way to get to know all of our new members.”

She added, “We all had a great time running around, getting facials and hand massages, as well as playing bingo and dancing the night away with a wonderful DJ.”

However, because all the pledge classes were in Benson together, it was “very awkward for girls to see other pledge classes to which they didn’t get accepted,” a concerned member of Tri-Delta said. “There were some wet eyes in the crowd.”

Robin Porter, coordinator of Greek affairs, agreed that there were “definitely a few kinks that we have to work out.”

“It’s so different from what all of the women are used to doing, but I think overall it was a great experience,” she said. “This year’s recruitment was extremely successful.”

“Eighty-five percent of the women were matched, meaning that they were offered a bid into a sorority,” Porter said, which is “right in line” with past years.

Both Porter and the new Panhellenic president, sophomore Erin Smith, were happy with Delta Zeta’s recruitment and success.

The new sorority, according to Porter, currently has a pledge class of about 40, though the current on-campus liaison from the national organization, Ashley Patton, said that DZ’s bids will not be finalized until Jan. 19.

Since Delta Zeta is still in the process of colonizing at the university, they “could accept women who did not go through the actual recruitment process, that focused just on Delta Zeta,” Porter said.

Some sophomores and juniors interested in helping start up the sorority did select to skip recruitment.

However, “the majority of their new member class came through the regular recruitment process,” Porter said.

In addition, Porter added, the group will have continuous open bidding throughout the fall semester, which allows for the possibility of another pledge class in the fall.

Panhellenic and the other sororities seem pleased with Delta Zeta’s success. “Having Delta Zeta here added a whole new level of excitement,” Porter said.

Porter believes that the national organization representatives did a lot of preparation in the fall semester to set up its success during Rush.

“They have done so much on campus to advertise, to really get a feel for what campus life is and how Greek life plays into that. Ashley really spent a tremendous amount of time talking with women, talking with even the fraternities, really getting a good understanding of how things work,” she said.

Smith agreed. “They really worked for it and got results,” she said.

Chi O’s Pelletier was also congratulatory. “We … are thrilled to have another sorority on campus.”

On the heels of DZ’s success, however, comes the news that Phi Mu did not fill its quota for the semester, with a pledge class of 28 at press time.

The women of Phi Mu sorority will also be able to have continuous open bidding, as Panhellenic allows “any chapter that doesn’t reach quota (to) continue to take women throughout the fall semester,” Porter said.

However, neither Porter nor Smith, a Phi Mu herself, finds this decrease to be a serious problem.

“They’re doing just as much as every other chapter to support each other and make sure that they are successful – everything from recruitment to making sure that their academics are good,” Porter said.

Smith was also positive about her sorority.

“They’re treating it as a challenge that they’re going to overcome. It is bringing the sisterhood together as we work toward this.”