Resolution calls for two new sororities

The Alabama Panhellenic Association has passed a resolution that will begin the process of adding two more sororities to the campus' greek community.

The resolution, which was first presented Oct. 22, calls for the extension as a solution to the problems UA sororities are facing due to the growing campus population.

According to the resolution, the Panhellenic community at the University has doubled in size during the past 10 years and during this time has outpaced the growth of the University itself, which has a goal to reach 28,000 students by 2010.

Julia James, a senior majoring in psychology, is the outgoing Panhellenic Association president and a member of the UA extension committee. James said the growing student body has greatly contributed to increasingly large sorority chapter sizes. The largest sorority has 250 members.

The resolution states that current facilities are unable to accommodate large chapter sizes, which forces some chapters to hold chapter meetings outside of their houses and hold meal functions in rotating shifts. It also states that the University campus has limited parking available to accommodate all of the new growth. Finally, it said the large chapter sizes limit the intimate feel of a sisterhood and member development.

The resolution adds that 332 women were released or withdrew from fall 2007 recruitment, and the committee expects this number to grow as the number of women participating in recruitment grows.

To begin the expansion process, James said sorority chapters from around the country will be invited to come to an exploratory visit to the University to see if they are interested in planting a new chapter here.

Those interested will submit applications to the University, and the expansion committee will narrow it down to the four that appear to be the most prepared to start a chapter, James said.

These sororities will then be invited to do a presentation at the University and Panhellenic delegates from each sorority will vote to see which two sororities will be added. One sorority will be added in the fall of 2008 and another in the fall of 2010, she said.

The last extension done by the Alabama Panhellenic Association was in 1992 when Gamma Phi Beta sorority was added.

James said she was excited to finally meet the demand that the growing student body has posed.

"I feel that it is time for a new chapter on campus and that the current UA sororities will be welcoming and doing as much as they can to help the new chapters on campus thrive."

Alabama Panhellenic Association has begun the process of adding two new sororities.

The first sorority will be added in fall 2008, and the second in fall 2010.

The last expansion was in 1992, when Gamma Phi Beta was added.