By Megan Jicha
With a continuously changing campus culture, students are always looking to be a part of something, and Greek life offers something for almost everyone, said Assistant Director of Student Leadership Laura Parillo. And with Northeastern’s recent approval to add a new sorority, more female students will be able to experience the Greek way of life.
The addition of a new sorority to the university’s Greek community was finalized May 14 with the approval of the existing sorority chapters and Campus Activities, Parillo said. The new sorority will become the eighth Northeastern chapter.
“Involvement in Greek life has been growing over the past couple of years,” said Krystal Beaulieu, Panhellenic Council president. “We have had to turn away a number of girls fit for sororities simply because there is a cap on how big sororities are allowed to be. With 15,000 students, NU has the student support to have a bigger Greek life.”
An expansion committee – consisting of Beaulieu, Parillo, Chris McGill, director of student leadership and engagement, and representatives from each existing chapter – will now run a bidding process to decide which National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sorority will colonize at Northeastern, Beaulieu said.
The 21 remaining NPC sororities not currently existing at Northeastern may submit bids to be considered for the campus’s new sorority.
The expansion committee will then narrow options to three potential sororities. Those national organizations will then come to campus and make a presentation to the committee and Greek life. From there, the committee will vote on which sorority they feel is best fit for Northeastern, Beaulieu said.
The committee hopes to have it down to three choices by Thanksgiving, she said.
The committee will be looking for a sorority that “will thrive at NU,” Beaulieu said. “We want one experienced with urban community universities or one that is ready to take that jump. Greek life at urban schools is much different than at some big southern schools in the middle of nowhere.”
To ensure the selected sorority makes the transition to Northeastern successfully, the committee is also looking for “one that has the resources to send a national staff person to campus for the whole first semester,” Beaulieu said. “[This staff person] would interview interested women that meet the membership criteria” to choose the first group of members for the chapter.
Although the process is well on its way, it took about three years of work to gain the approval, Beaulieu said.
Each existing chapter at Northeastern had to consult their national organization and make sure they were OK with the university adding a sorority, Beaulieu said.
The chapters and the national organizations looked at their own numbers in terms of members, pledges and hours of service to determine if they would give approval for the university to add a new sorority, Beaulieu said.
“Why would a sorority want the school to add another sorority [chapter] if their own existing sorority was not doing well?” Beaulieu said.
After analyzing each existing chapter’s progress, the approval was put to a vote with the majority winning and approval being obtained.
“I think that adding another chapter is a large step in the right direction for our Greek community as a whole,” said Ashley Richardson, Sigma Delta Tau president.
The existing chapters are now awaiting the arrival of a new addition to the Greek community.
“[We are excited] about the upcoming process to add a new sorority to our existing five Panhellenic sororities,” said Emilie Bronson, Sigma Sigma Sigma Panhellenic delegate. “By adding another chapter, more girls will be able to participate in the Greek community.”
