Kappa Alpha Theta rejoined the College Panhellenic Association this semester after San Diego State removed the social sorority in spring of 2011.
When removed from campus, a part of the agreement was that the women’s fraternity would be offered first right of refusal any time CPA was preparing for expansion.
In 2013, the first time SDSU’s Panhellenic council prepared to expand, the organization’s headquarters declined the offer.
This past spring, Panhellenic developed an exploratory committee to determine if the council was ready to move forward with the expansion process again.
To do so, CPA would have to show it was fostering healthy chapters on campus, said Caryl Montero-Adams, the assistant director for Student Life and Leadership for Greek Life.
The expansionary committee determined the council was in need of another sorority. Kappa Alpha Theta applied for the position and was offered the extension to return to campus.
The organization was given a formal letter welcoming them back to campus and explaining what to expect when they return.
The letter outlines campus policies and procedures, their recruitment process, how to become a registered student organization and when the sorority will be allowed to move into their chapter house.
Student Life and Leadership, the greek council and the organization all express excitement for the reestablishment of the chapter on SDSU’s campus.
Robin Winzelberg, CPA president, said a new Panhellenic chapter was necessary on campus due to the amount of women participating in CPA’s recruitment.
This fall, about 1,100 women registered for the fall formal recruitment process. Panhellenic recruitment took place Sept. 8 to 12 with bid day on Friday, Sept. 16.
Bid day is where the new members for each sorority and fraternity chapter are revealed.
Kappa Alpha Theta, established in 1870 as the first female fraternity with Greek letters, is determined to pave the way for females with leadership capabilities and to foster academic excellence and friendship, according to the fraternity’s website.
Educational Leadership Consultants Kassie Dobbs and Sydney Rose have been on campus since school began to reintroduce the social sorority to campus.
Kappa Alpha Theta was able to participate in the first day of formal recruitment, however it will not be a part of the rest of the formal recruitment process.
Once recruitment has completed, the organization will have informational sessions and interviews to recruit its membership for this semester. Bid day will be in mid-October.
“Right now, our new member classes are so large and I think it’s a challenge to manage that large of a group within any of our chapters,” Montero-Adams said. “By providing, not just another sorority, but a sorority that has been on campus and has a strong foundation in the community, I think it will really lend itself to providing additional engagement opportunities for students who are interested in joining a Panhellenic sorority.”
Once the chapter has been chartered by its headquarters, the members will be able to move into the house Kappa Alpha Theta owns. Delta Gamma is currently in the house, located on Montezuma Road.
Dean of Students Randy Timm, Montero-Adams and representatives from both Delta Gamma’s House Corporation and the chapter president have met to determine where the sorority will reside after the lease for the house ends this upcoming summer.
