Kappa Delta national sorority has accepted the College's invitation to become Dartmouth's eighth Panhellenic sorority, according to Dean of Residential Life Martin Redman. The Dartmouth Panhellenic Council voted on Monday to extend an invitation to Kappa Delta and offer a "stacked extension" to Delta Zeta sorority, meaning it will be given an invitation when the College next decides to expand the number of sororities on campus.
Delta Zeta had not responded to an official e-mail notifying it of Panhell's decision as of 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Redman said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
Panhell's decision was in line with the recommendation of its extension committee and passed by a large majority, Panhell public relations chair Ashley Cartagena '10 said in an e-mail to The Dartmouth.
"Panhell is thrilled to welcome Kappa Delta sorority," Cartagena said. "We feel as though they are a very strong organization and we are confident that they will be a positive addition to this campus and the Panhellenic community."
Kappa Delta will be referred to as "Kappa Delta" or "Kappa Delt," Jessica Lane '09, the extension committee chairperson and former president of Panhell, said in an e-mail to The Dartmouth.
"Kappa Delta is very willing to tailor a nickname so that [Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority] is comfortable," Lane said.
The extension committee made its decision together with a sorority interest group, comprised of 19 women who will become Kappa Delta's first class when it forms a colony on campus this summer, Lane said. The new class will have the opportunity to recruit members in the summer informally, and will participate in the formal rush process in the fall.
Panhell has alerted sorority representatives of Kappa Delta's decision to accept the offer to join the Dartmouth Greek system, but will hold off on speaking to campus until the Office of Residential Life makes an official announcement, Cartagena said.
Lane said the committee decided to offer the stacked extension to Delta Zeta because the two sororities were "both such strong contenders."
Lane said that both Kappa Delta and Delta Zeta had a strong understanding of Dartmouth's culture and have engaged in open, honest discussion with Dartmouth students about how the organizations could function on campus.
The extension committee was impressed by Kappa Delta's commitment to charity and philanthropy, as well as its strong alumni support, Lane said. Another major factor, she said, was that Panhell believes Kappa Delta can be established on campus in time for fall rush.
"They're clearly a very strong organization when it comes to colonizing and recruitment," Lane said. "We felt the plan they laid out for Dartmouth colonization was very strong."
The extension committee also liked Delta Zeta's flexibility and willingness to work with local Greek systems, as well as its style of management, which the committee believed would give more control to students, as opposed to the national organization, Lane said.
Panhell formally began extension the process of inviting a new sorority to campus on March 19.
The College currently has a moratorium on the creation of new local Greek organizations. Both Kappa Delta and Delta Zeta are national sororities.
Delta Delta Delta sorority President Joanne Schneider '10, Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority President Paula Sen '10, Epsilon Kappa Theta sorority President Kelley Weed '10 and Alpha Xi Delta sorority President Kassie Archambault '10 declined to comment for this story.
Panhell President Amaka Nneji '10, KDE President Zakieh Bigio '10, Alpha Phi sorority President Suzanne Spignesi '10, Sigma Delta sorority President Isabelle Schless '10 and members of the interest committee could not be reached for comment by press time.
