Alpha Phi sorority will come to Dartmouth as the campus's seventh all-female Greek house, the College announced Friday afternoon. Alpha Phi's introduction makes it the first new Greek organization to start up at the College since the Board of Trustees lifted its 1999 moratorium on new Greek organizations last June. The announcement came after College President James Wright approved a student interest group's decision and Alpha Phi officially accepted Dartmouth's request to form a chapter.
Alpha Phi emerged as the winner among the three sororities that visited campus last month because of strong alumnae support in the area, its commitment to its women's heart disease philanthropy and its impressive emphasis on sisterhood development and personal growth, according to Megan Johnson, the group's advisor and the assistant director of coed, fraternity and sorority administration.
"It was a difficult decision but it was a unique and fun process," Johnson said. She added that Alpha Phi was "inches above the rest."
The final decision was a combination of evaluations filled out by students who attended the presentations, the opinions of the interest group and the opinions of campus administrators, Johnson said.
In sessions that were open to the entire campus, the interest group of six sophomore women heard presentations from three national sororities -- Delta Zeta sorority, Kappa Delta sorority and Alpha Phi -- before ultimately choosing Alpha Phi as their organization.
At the beginning of Spring term, a consultant from the Alpha Phi headquarters will travel to Dartmouth and will remain in Hanover during both the Spring and Summer terms; Alpha Phi will keep a representative on campus through the end of the 2006-2007 school year.
Dartmouth's chapter of Alpha Phi will attain colony status once the women in the interest group return from spring break and partake in the sorority's new member ceremony with Alpha Phi's consultant and local alumnae. Once Spring term begins, Alpha Phi representatives will actively recruit unaffiliated sophomore and junior women using marketing tools they have outlined for the interest group.
Although the six sophomore women in the interest group will have a say in who is admitted to their organization, the recruitment process lies largely in the hands of Alpha Phi. Alpha Phi representatives will conduct interviews with potential new members and then compile a list of women they would like to admit. The interest group will also compile a list and the '08 women will be able to reject Alpha Phi's suggestions.
"They have a say but we also have a say; we know what's right for our campus," Cece Zhang '08, a member of the interest group, said. "Alphi Phi is new [at Dartmouth] and they're still learning."
Lauren Orr '08 pointed out that although Alpha Phi plays a large role in who will become members, the sorority grants more control to the interest group than the other two sororities would have.
Alpha Phi will remain a colony until it is initiated as a full chapter, but the timeline is still unclear, according to Megan Bouch, associate director of marketing and extension for Alpha Phi. Bouch, who acts as the sorority headquarters representative for Dartmouth's colony, said initiation could be as early as Spring term, but may happen in the early fall or after fall recruitment. Bouch recognizes that working with Dartmouth is different than working with other schools because of the Dartmouth Plan. Bouch will work with the D-Plan to see how many new members Alpha Phi recruits as time passes.
"We want to work with our Dartmouth Alpha Phis to figure out the best plan," Bouch said.
Dean of Residential Life Martin Redman is working with the interest group to secure housing for Summer and Fall terms, though he does not think the size of the group will warrant a full residential hall by Fall term.
"At this point we are offering space together on a floor in a residence hall," Redman said.
Alpha Phi has a three-step plan that prepares them to purchase houses for individual chapters. The national sorority plans to buy a plant for the Dartmouth chapter once property in the area becomes available.
"We want to work with College administrators to be prepared for when that time comes," Bouch said of the plan to purchase a house.
Although the women in the interest group would like to have a house to themselves, they are pleased that Redman is making an effort to help them instead of ignoring their new presence on campus.
"I think it's great that we have a short-term solution," Ying Xu '08 said. "And I think it's great that the College is willing to provide some temporary housing until we get an actual house."
Zhang stressed that the purpose of a sorority is not to have a physical plant.
"Either way, we're going to have a stronger bond with each other, no matter where we are," she said.
Johnson said that the new Alpha Phi colony will be invited to participate in campus-wide Greek events as early as Spring term. She cited CFS meetings and an April 1 Greek leadership retreat as examples. In addition, Johnson expects Alpha Phi to participate in fall rush with the other six sororities, at which time they will receive a comparable number of new members.
The process of selecting a seventh sorority began last spring when Christina Jimenez '06, a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority, noticed that sororities had too many members to become "tight-knit."
"I thought about how much more connected my sisters would feel to our house if we had a smaller group of women," she said in an earlier interview with The Dartmouth. After last fall's rush, when a record number of women did not receive bids, it became clear that there was a need for another sorority on campus.
The six women in the interest group said they are excited and nervous at the same time.
"Certainly it's an uncertain future, but we're going to do everything we can to get the best girls into Alpha Phi," Orr said.
The women said they were impressed by the Alpha Phis who came to visit because the alumnae gave them the impression that the organization is still a huge part of their lives, years after graduating.
"I could see myself in 20 years being an Alpha Phi and still contributing to the organization; it's not just a collegiate experience," Xu said.