Tomorrow, the Dartmouth colony of Alpha Xi Delta sorority will become a full chapter of the national sorority in a ceremony whose rituals are kept secret even from the colony sisters.
The sisters do know one thing -- they are supposed to wear a white dress and shoes.
"We're excited to not know" about the ceremony, Programming Chair Emily Csatari '99 said.
The sisters have been preparing for the ceremony for the past two weeks.
The event's importance is highlighted by the fact that the National President Kim Serio as well as the National Extensions Vice President Barbara Blachford will be attending the ceremony, along with sisters from regional chapters.
During the colony period, traveling consultants visited the sisters often. Csatari compared the colony period to a pledge period. She said they learned what it is to be part of the organization, as well as house songs, how to run meetings and the overall sisterhood experience.
The sorority, previously the local Delta Pi Omega, decided to become nationally affiliated last summer. The founding members are all members of the Class of 1999 and wanted to oversee the sorority's transition to a national.
Alpha Xi President Jil Carey '99 spent the fall term on an internship in Washington, D.C., and got the chance to observe the establishment of an Alpha Xi chapter at George Mason University.
Carey said observing their chapter was helpful, but will not fully prepare her for Dartmouth's chapter's transition because George Mason's chapter started from scratch, while Dartmouth already had officers in place from Delta Pi. The officers of Delta Pi became officers in Alpha Xi.
"We were more independent because we knew how to be sorority at Dartmouth," Carey said about the house's origins as a local.
Nationally, Alpha Xi is growing. Carey said there are about 112 chapters nationwide, most of which are located in the Midwest. She said there were four new colonies formed this past year alone.
The size of Alpha Xi's pledge class last fall exceeded the sisters' expectations. The house membership tripled in size.
"We had our sights set on more like 15 to 20 girls -- we were excited that we took a pledge class equivalent to the six other houses," Carey said. The sorority gained 35 new members this fall and 2 members this winter.
Alpha Xi is currently leasing the former Beta Theta Pi fraternity house at 6 Webster Ave. But Alpha Xi's lease ends in the summer of 2000.
Carey said Alpha Xi was the sisters' top choice when they were choosing a national affiliation because "we didn't want rules from 1900s applying to woman of 1990s," and Alpha Xi fits that idea.
Regarding the sorority's development, Csatari said, "We have the same ideals, and we have the same relationship as a group of woman, but the structure has really changed, and resources have grown a whole lot."
The sorority was founded last May and was officially recognized as the seventh Panhellenic sorority by the College on Jan. 6, 1997.
