Penn's ninth, newest sorority anticipates colonization

Penn’s newest sorority launched its recruitment plans this week.

Following up from its fall marketing events, the Alpha Delta Pi colony has been reaching out to the Penn community to find new members for the sorority. ADPi’s move to campus is in line with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life’s aim to expand Greek life on campus, Director of OFSL Scott Reikofski said.

ADPi Leadership Consultant Katie Schaller explained that the sorority would give older students previously uninvolved in Greek life new chances to join, as ADPi will be recruiting from all class levels.

“A lot of times we draw women who have not considered joining a sorority in the past,” Schaller said.

ADPi has been contacting student organizations outside of the Greek community to arrange talks at their meetings. Schaller said the sorority is open to any women who “want to get involved and try something new.”

The sorority has also been working closely with the Greek community. Last week, ADPi sent out ice cream party starter packs to all sororities and, speaking at Tuesday night’s recruitment convocation in Irvine Auditorium, Schaller took care to emphasize that “we’re not trying to steal women.”

She told The Daily Pennsylvanian that ADPi wants “to be a friend to these women” as “all sororities are founded on similar principles.” After the colony becomes fully established, she hopes areas of joint sisterhood can be arranged, such as co-organized philanthropy events.

Jaclyn Rosenthal, the new president of the Panhellenic Council, has been working with Schaller and giving advice on how Penn interacts with Greek life. She said the council “couldn’t be happier to welcome ADPi.”

Related: Alpha Delta Pi launched marketing push last week

ADPi will not, however, be participating in the same routine of formal recruitment this week. In line with national Panhellenic standard procedures of colonization, they will start searching for new members after formal recruitment ends.

Their schedule will begin with an information session on Jan. 26, followed by “Tell Us About You” sessions and a philanthropy event that week. New members will be initiated after bid day on Jan. 31 and “install[ed],” or officially made members of the sorority, at the beginning of April.

Recruits would then work to build the infrastructure of the sorority, Schaller, outlined. ADPi does not yet have a house, but according to Schaller this is something it hopes to address after recruiting its members.

Wharton freshman Madison Moskowite, who is participating in formal recruitment this week, said after convocation on Tuesday that she thought it was “really great and exciting” that a new sorority was coming to Penn.

Related: Study looks at psychological impact of Penn sorority recruitment

Reikofski, who directs OFSL, estimated that ADPi’s uptake would be between 150 and 175 women this year. He added that the overall number of women looking to join sororities this semester has increased from last year.

ADPi expanded into four new universities last year, including the University of Mississippi, which saw the creation of a chapter with 300 members. Penn makes up one of the four into which the sorority is expanding this year.

ADPi is Penn’s ninth sorority, but Reikofski hopes that by bringing in a new sorority every two or three years, the total number can reach 15.

Penn’s sororities are “too big,” Reikofsky said, and he hopes that by increasing their number, their relative sizes will decrease. This will also address difficulties that arise in sorority life, he said, such as finding space for chapter meetings, among other issues.

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