By Kylie Noltemeyer–
U of L’s Greek community will be welcoming Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority to campus this fall.
“One of SGA’s goals for the 2020 plan is to have fraternity and sorority life membership make up 20 percent of the undergraduate population,” stated U of L’s Panhellenic President, Hanna Alcock. “As we continue to grow, it only makes sense to have more options for the potential woman interested in fraternity and sorority life.”
Kappa Alpha Theta will begin their official recruitment after formal fall recruitment this August. Their International Headquarters will select a group of founders to begin the new chapter.
Alcock explained how the National Panhellenic Conference has strict guidelines for Panhellenic Councils wishing to add new sororities.
U of L had to first collect data to prove that expansion was necessary before presenting their findings to a committee of Panhellenic members and chapter advisors. They unanimously voted to open U of L for extension.
After beginning the extension voting process last fall, U of L decided to invite the sorority on campus in February 2014. Representatives from Kappa Alpha Theta visited campus in the spring to learn more about U of L.
There are seven sorority chapters on campus, each with about 120 members. Every year, more people are getting involved in Greek life, making it difficult to find resources and meeting space to accommodate.
Kappa Alpha Theta was the first Greek-letter fraternity for women, founded in 1870 at what is now DePauw University.
“The Panhellenic Community is very excited to welcome this newest addition to the community,” said Alcock. “We feel like they will not only be an outstanding fit for the U of L campus but will also bring something new and exciting to our community.”
