Alpha Xi Delta, a new sorority, starts its first recruitment phase this year. Temple University Greek Association is in the middle of Rush Week, where Greek organizations seek to increase membership.
Alpha Xi Delta joined TUGA shortly after last year’s recruitment period. Leaders from the Greek Association said the number of female students who signed up for recent years’ recruitments warranted an additional sorority.
The sorority moved onto campus in November 2013 and started its colonization process before being officially welcomed into Temple’s Greek association on May 4.
Julia Blaeser, an Ohio University graduate and Alpha Xi Delta’s educational leadership counselor, advises the sorority and helps the members with their new responsibilities.
“They made amazing strides last year and I’m glad to help them continue to make an impact,” Blaeser said. “Temple is a great place for us. All of our members fit well together.”
Senior strategic communications major Kacey Beltz, president of Alpha Xi Delta’s Temple chapter, expressed excitement at the organization’s establishment.
“It’s really cool because we get to make our own traditions,” Beltz said. “We’re the new kids on the block, so we do things differently from everyone else.”
Sophomore psychology major Nadia Elshami, membership vice president and recruitment chair for Alpha Xi Delta, agreed with Beltz.
“We are like kids going to school for the first time,” Elshami said. “We get to create our own image.”
Alpha Xi Delta is Temple’s fifth sorority affiliated with the Panhellenic Association. The other sororities are Alpha Epsilon Phi, Delta Phi Epsilon, Delta Zeta and Phi Sigma Sigma.
Sorority recruitment is a two-night event held in the Student Center. Female students interested in joining filled out an online form and paid a $10 fee to participate in recruitment.
The process breaks the students into groups and each group learns about each sorority. Each participant then fills out which two sororities she is most interested in and if either sorority is interested in her too, she will become a potential new member.
“It’s not just picking which one you want, it’s a mutual selection,” Elshami explained. Sept. 27 is “bid day,” where each recruited student will find out which sorority she will join. The current members of the sorority all participate in selecting potential new members.
“It’s a group experience, and we are all a part of finding girls with the same values we have,” Elshami said.
Saturday night is “preference night,” where chosen new members receive an invitation to the sorority and a welcome party, followed by lessons about the history of the organization. Initiation is the final step of the process.
Beltz advises to anyone participating in recruitment to be genuine.
“Talk to as many people as you can and just think about what you want from a sorority and pick where you can see yourself,” Beltz said.
Elshami suggested to “keep an open mind, and when you feel like you have found where you belong, just go for it.”
“Do not second-guess yourself,” she said.
Alpha Xi Delta will host multiple events in its first year, Beltz said, including a sister-parent tailgate at the Homecoming football game.
Members of the sorority will also participate in a charity walk, Walk Now for Autism Speaks, in November.
“One thing we are really passionate about is our philanthropy,” Beltz said. “Every sorority has a cause that they raise money for. Ours is Autism Speaks.”
She said Alpha Xi Delta has raised more than $2 million for the charity.
Beltz said the members of sorority Delta Zeta, which has a Temple chapter, also helped in fundraising for autism.
“Everyone has been so welcoming, it feels like we are all just one big family,” Beltz said. “We really appreciate all of the other sororities’ help. We are all in this together, no matter where we pledge, to become better women and [to] better Temple and the world.”
Leah Murray can be reached at leah.murray0001@temple.edu
Be the first to comment