Three sororities will spend the next few weeks contending to be a part of the Emory Greek Life community starting fall 2015, according to Director of Sorority and Fraternity Life Megan Janasiewicz.
Pi Beta Phi, Chi Omega and Phi Mu sororities will each have a chance to present for an extension or the establishment of chapters onto Emory's campus, a highly-regulated process, according to Janasiewicz.
"The extension process is designed to be fair and equitable for all the sororities involved," Janasiewicz said.
The process began after Emory's seven National Panhellenic Council (NPC) sororities voted to open up for extension, which signaled a desire to expand sorority presence on campus.
According to Janasiewicz, Emory placed the call for extension over the summer to the 26 members of the council and received 11 applications.
From there, representatives of each of the 11 sororities took exploratory visits to campus with Janasiewicz and Assistant Director of Sorority & Fraternity Life Arthur Doctor to get a feel for the Emory campus.
The extension committee, comprised of NPC members, advisors and staff, then narrowed down the candidates from 11 to three.
Each of the selected sororities will have the opportunity to spend a day on campus meeting with members of Emory NPC, staff and administrators, followed by an hour-long presentation on why they are the best fit for Emory at the Miller-Ward Alumni House. Pi Beta Phi will present on Nov. 4, Chi Omega on Nov. 10 and Phi Mu on Nov. 12.
Janasiewicz said that after each sorority has made their presentation and the extension committee receives feedback, the committee will make a recommendation to the NPC sororities.
The final vote will take place before Thanksgiving break, after which the new sorority will observe the formal recruitment in the spring.
The earliest the new sorority can start recruiting upperclassmen is in the fall of 2015, according to Janasiewicz.
College junior Jordan Morell is excited to see an expanded sorority scene on campus.
"I think as more and more girls rush every year, Emory Greek Life should really be expanding to meet that influx of girls," Morell said. "Honestly, it's way overdue."
College sophomore Vivian Ong said that extensions will be better for existing sororities as well.
"Adding a new sorority allows pledge classes to be smaller and therefore sisterhood to be closer," Ong said. "It also allows girls to have more options to choose from."
Both Chi Omega and Phi Mu have had chapters on Emory's campus in the past, according to Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. Chi Omega was on campus from 1959-1991 and Phi Mu from 1959-1973.
– By Stephen Fowler, Asst. News Editor
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