The newly created Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority initiated 64 new members last week and held its first meeting Thursday night which included the house's lifeblood, 50 members of Class of 1996.
The '96 women informally committed to the new sorority last spring after the Panhellenic Council announced Xi Kappa Chi sorority would dissolve because of low membership and financial problems.
After a year of deliberation, Xi Kappa Chi members chose not to join a national sorority and, instead, brokered a deal with the College administration and the Panhell that would allow the creation of KDE, a new local sorority, KDE President Cheryl Pinkerton '94 said.
Last Wednesday night, KDE initiated the 14 former Xi Kappa Chi members who chose to join the new sorority. House members said the new sorority's goal is to unite women at the College.
"We want to initiate activity among all women on campus, both non-Greek and Greek women," said Aliza Waksal '96, a member of the house.
Representatives from Phi Mu, a national sorority, visited Dartmouth last April to examine Xi Kappa Chi and potentially offer to take over the house. But Xi Kappa Chi members decided that affiliation with a national sorority would have hindered experimentation and individual approach, Michelle Darter '94 said.
"Connection to a national sorority would be too limiting for our purposes. We want a new organization that will truly be a creation of its members," Darter said.
Waksal said the sorority has more power and fewer restrictions as a local chapter.
"The goals we have discussed ... are to be active socially in creating good things for the College community and the weaker surrounding communities and to add to the strength of women on campus," Waksal said.
The members will start from scratch and work as a group to structure new policies and create a new constitution, Pinkerton said.
"The only relation between the old and the new sorority is the physical plant. KDE is being built as a completely new sorority. Hopefully there will be no crossover," said Pinkerton, who was the president of Xi Kappa Chi.
As one of the new KDE residents at 9 Webster Avenue, and a former Xi Kappa Chi sister, Darter describes the beginning of the new sorority as a "rejuvenation of the house" and credits the new members with the revival.
"The '96 women represent a large range of interests. There are women who were considering rushing many other types of houses, from Alpha Theta to Kappa Kappa Gamma and Delta Gamma," Darter said.
Soon after Panhell representatives announced the decision to form a new house, women lined up to join it. Because of the new sorority's popularity among '96 women, KDE will not be holding formal rush this academic year.
The Panhell is still considering the possibility of extending open bids, according to Waksal.
The cancellation of KDE's rush spurred questions from '96 about the way potential new rushees were informed about the new sorority last spring and how the sorority handled new membership sign up.
Early last Spring term, the Panhellenic Council held a meeting introducing '96 women to the Greek system.
Waksal said women interested in forming the new sorority were invited to a second meeting specifically to talk about the new house. After this meeting, flyers were placed around the College announcing the formation of a new sorority and inviting any interested '96 women to join.
During a two-week period, approximately 45 women committed themselves to joining the new sorority, according to Waksal.
"Everyone who signed up by the final date was allowed to join the new sorority, and no limits were made by the Panhellenic council so as not to exclude anyone," Waksal said.
Waksal said the selection of KDE's letters symbolizes its effort to unite campus sororities.
"In our name there exists the presence of a new broader sisterhood, connecting each of the sororities on campus in a way that has not previously existed," Darter said.