The sorority will also not accept a pledge class and may disband at the end of the semester. The Pi Beta Phi sorority has decided to give up its house and has chosen not to accept a pledge class this year -- and according to the chapter's national organization, the sorority may disband at the end of the semester due to low membership. Under sorority rules, the chapter must formally vote to disband at the end of the semester, explained Pi Phi National Vice President of Membership Kay Brock. And although the sisters have not officially made the decision, Brock said they have already notified the national office that this is the likely course of action. "They let us know after rush that they were not going to continue," Brock said. Still, Pi Phi's executive board issued a written statement yesterday reaffirming that the decision will not be formally made until the end of the semester. "It says in the Pi Beta Phi national constitution and statutes that, even if we desired to cease activities on this campus, we could [not] do so until we held an official vote -- at the close of the current semester," the Pi Phi statement said. Due to the uncertainty of Pi Phi's future, it has decided not to accept any pledges this semester, according to Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Scott Reikofski. He said the sisters did not feel it was fair to take in new members at this time. The chapter, which has about 35 sisters, has gotten progressively smaller over the last few years. Reikofski said this has affected its ability to attract new members. "Each year as they get smaller and smaller, it gets harder to compete with a 140-150 [member] house," Reikofski said. Pi Phi has held fall rush events for the past two years, in an attempt to gain more members. Reikofski emphasized that Pi Phi, which colonized at Penn in 1992, is not in danger of having its charter revoked by the national organization. "The national is not closing them down," he said. "The chapter has looked at the possibility of voluntarily doing that." The sisters also noted that they decided to move out of their current house, which they moved into in 1996, for financial reasons. "The house, at 4027 Walnut, is being given up because we could not afford the lease. Rent for in-house sisters was very expensive," the statement said. Pi Phi's executive board also maintained that Pi Phi's decision to give up the house was unrelated to the possibility that the sorority will disband. Panhellenic Council President and Sigma Delta Tau sister Jennifer Chanowitz agreed, saying that Pi Phi's decision to give up its house does not mean it plans to close down. "No official decisions regarding the future of the Pi Phi chapter at the University of Pennsylvania have been made," the College junior said in a written statement. "The fact that Pi Phi has given up their house is not indicative of the chapter's intention to close." The house at 4027 Walnut Street has already been rented out to students not affiliated with Pi Phi.
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