After five years of inactivity, Dartmouth's chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., was officially re-established this fall by nine current Dartmouth students. The organization will not participate in the Panhellenic Council's rush process this term -- all AKA chapters must wait for authorization from the national sorority before recruiting new members, according to AKA's national web site.
Dartmouth's AKA chapter was active at the College from 1983 to 2003 but became inactive when the national organization placed a moratorium on recruitment for all chapters, Fouad Saleet, associate director of Dartmouth's Greek organizations and societies, said. The national AKA sorority still recognizes Dartmouth's AKA as a full-fledged chapter, but not a colony organization, Adkins said.
Dartmouth's AKA members will notify students two weeks before formal recruitment begins, president Leslie Adkins '09. She would not comment further on the organization's recruitment plans.
AKA is a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, an organization of nine historically black fraternities and sororities, and follows NPHC recruitment guidelines. NPHC's process is "more private," than Panhell recruitment, according to Saleet.
The national AKA web site states that potential new members must submit an official school transcript, two letters of reference and evidence of his or her involement on campus and in the community, along with other documents to the chapter's appropriate graduate advisor or membership chair.
Adkins said she thinks some students on campus may have an inaccurate perception of the organization.
"I just want to make it very clear that we are an organization that was founded by college-educated African American women, but that does not mean we are only an organization for African American women," she said.
The addition of an NPHC sorority will have a minimal effect on Panhell recruitment, according to Saleet. Rather than changing the distribution of women between organizations, Saleet added, AKA will likely attract women who previously may not have been interested in joining a Greek organization.
The women who are interested in joining AKA probably already know about the organization, said Miesha Smith '09. Smith is not an AKA member, but said she was excited about the sorority's return to Dartmouth.
"It really is a world-renowned group and has been in existence for a very long time and I think that a lot of people know [AKA members at Dartmouth] based simply upon their reputation," Smith said.
In accordance with regulations enforced by the national organization, AKA collaborates with a graduate chapter, Adkins said. Rho Epsilon Omega, an AKA graduate chapter based in Wellesley, Mass., is sponsoring the sorority's re-establishment at the College, according to a previous article in The Dartmouth. Rho Epsilon Omega sponsored Dartmouth's AKA chapter before it went inactive in 2003.
Although Adkins did not say how Dartmouth's AKA chapter coordinates with its affiliated graduate chapter, she said Dartmouth members have overcome many of the challenges inherent in the long-distance nature of the partnership.
"Despite logistics, we have a strong working and social relationship with our graduate chapter," she said.
Dartmouth's chapter will celebrate its 25th anniversary over Homecoming weekend this fall. To mark the occasion, AKA alumnae will return to campus, and several former members will speak in a panel discussion about career opportunities after graduation, according to Adkins.
AKA will also promote voter registration for the national election on Nov. 4. Voter registration is one of the organization's traditional areas of community involvement, Adkins said. Members of AKA will participate in Vote Clamantis activities on Oct. 8, and will help people fill out absentee ballots, she said.
AKA was founded at Howard University in 1908. There are currently over 950 chapters in the United States, the Caribbean, Japan, Korea and Germany.
-- Staff writer Victoria Boggiano contributed to the reporting of this article.
