After a fall semester of record-high recruitment at sororities, Northeastern’s newest sorority, Delta Gamma, is set to begin its recruitment Jan. 22.
Northeastern Panhellenic announced Nov. 18 a Delta Gamma chapter would be coming to campus in the spring. The new chapter comes as demand to join Greek life at Northeastern soars; over 1,000 students rushed during fall 2024 formal recruitment, a two-week-long period when potential new members can check out each sorority and vice versa.
“Having another sorority is going to promote more inclusion, especially with the amount of potential new members,” said Maggie Hamilton, a third-year behavior neuroscience major. Hamilton is currently Chi Omega’s recruitment director. She added that “not every single person might find a [sorority] they love,” so Delta Gamma serves as an additional option for students to find a sorority that suits them.
The decision to bring a Delta Gamma chapter to campus was made after a nearly year-long deliberation in the Northeastern Panhellenic community. Zoe Cubanski, a fourth-year economics and business administration combined major and president of Sigma Kappa, served on the exploratory and extension committees that were tasked with the process of starting another sorority chapter at Northeastern.
“We are thrilled to be joining the Northeastern community and excited to begin building our chapter here! Delta Gamma is more than just a sorority; it’s a sisterhood rooted in values of leadership, service and personal growth,” Mallory Borino, director of marketing and communications for Delta Gamma, wrote in a Jan. 6 statement to The Huntington News. “We can’t wait to collaborate with other student organizations and contribute to the thriving campus culture at Northeastern.”
Cubanski aided in the extension process, which included drafting a 10-page report to send to the Northeastern panhellenic council that explained why having an additional sorority on campus would be beneficial for Northeastern.
Mia Cain, a second-year health science major and member of Sigma Sigma Sigma, also served on the Panellenic extension committee.
This fall, Cain said the committee met a total of four times and reviewed a dozen applications for potential sororities, inviting three sororities back: Zeta Tau Alpha, Alpha Delta Pi and Delta Gamma. The main categories evaluated were whether or not the sorority is co-op friendly, has Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives and focuses on academics. Additionally, they wanted to make sure that the sorority was financially accessible by having scholarships.
“All of us were looking for a sorority that had a lot of flexibility, especially surrounding co-op and abroad status because that’s not something [that’s] typical at most universities,” Cain said.
During the committee’s last meeting, which took place Nov. 18, members of Panhellenic sororities were invited to vote for a sorority that would best fit Northeastern.
According to the statement, Delta Gamma’s philanthropy, Service for Sight, focuses on supporting five schools around the nation that work to advocate and provide access for the visually impaired community.
Delta Gamma plans to work with local organizations and involve “the entire campus community in our annual Do Good Week” and host campus-wide events such as Anchor Splash or Anchor Games to fundraise, according to Borino’s statement.
“Delta Gamma seeks women who embody the values of creating a true sense of belonging. At Northeastern, the chapter is looking for members with a strong academic record that reflects dedication to personal growth, active involvement on campus and in the community, values that resonate with Delta Gamma, a passion for contributing to something greater than themselves and a desire to make a difference while building lasting connections,” Borino wrote.
This spring, recruitment for Delta Gamma will differ from other sororities. “Participants will only meet with Delta Gamma instead of visiting multiple chapters. This allows for a more casual and personalized process with more time to build relationships,” according to the statement.
The new sorority’s recruitment process began in January, when Delta Gamma consultants tabled around campus and hosted information sessions for interested students. Interested women can sign up for meetups with an established team member, followed by invitation-only preference events and bid day, according to Borino’s statement.
Next fall, Delta Gamma will participate in formal recruitment, which differs from spring recruitment in that all sororities participate. Panhellenic also sees a greater amount of potential new members in the fall.
When electing leaders, the sorority will form committees that will be guided by Delta Gamma consultants. After members are initiated, officers will be elected and receive support from consultants and committee members. Consultants are recent college graduates whose full time job is to support Delta Gamma chapters.
Cubanski said she is especially excited for Delta Gamma to come to campus. “My mom was actually a member of Delta Gamma, so it was a full circle moment when they were the sorority we ended up picking,” she said.
With this upcoming class taking on the role of the inaugural class of Northeastern’s chapter of Delta Gamma, Cubanski said more people can find their community within the larger campus. “We’re looking forward to having an additional space for members to take advantage of leadership opportunities, meeting new people at our school,” she said. “The Panhellenic community also provides an opportunity for members who are a part of the N.U.in community or other abroad opportunities to have a chance to find a smaller space.”
