For the first time since 2010, a pair of new greek organizations will be establishing chapters at the University of Rochester this year. Beta Theta Pi Fraternity and Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority will both send representatives to campus this year to recruit founding members and to colonize the new chapters.
No new greek organizations have been established at Rochester since 2010, when the Chi Omega and Delta Phi Omega sororities established chapters here. The most recent fraternity to open at UR was Sigma Beta Rho, in 2002. Beta Theta Pi and Kappa Alpha Theta will join the Interfraternity Council (IFC) and Panhellenic Association, respectively.
The opportunity for new greek organizations to colonize at Rochester came about when Fraternity and Sorority Affairs (FSA) officials noted increasing greek membership at UR. Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs John DiSarro also said that over the past several years, only half of students who participated in fraternity or sorority rush ended up joining any organization. “I hope these new organizations provide more options to students who may be interested in fraternity or sorority life but haven’t found the right group yet,” DiSarro explained.
Beta Theta Pi approached UR in 2012, looking to open an new chapter on the campus. At the time, FSA officials felt that the group would be a good addition to Rochester’s greek community, but that the timing was wrong. DiSarro noted that Psi Upsilon and Alpha Delta Phi fraternities were scheduled to be reinstated in 2013, after having been disaffiliated from UR. Therefore, DiSarro said, “the decision was made to delay Beta Theta Pi’s colonization until the existing Rochester groups had stabilized.” Last year, he added, the IFC met with the national Beta Theta Pi organization and invited them to colonize a chapter at UR.
Colin Close, the Associate Director of Recruitment and Colony Development for Beta Theta Pi, will come to Rochester next month, and the fraternity will begin the colonization process in January. “During our colonization process, the Fraternity’s expansion team will recruit founding fathers who want to excel on campus […] while building a genuine fraternity experience that will last for generations,” Close said.
Kappa Alpha Theta has also begun their own colonization process. Educational Leadership Consultants Annie Hornung and Savannah Vogel will live in Rochester for the following year to recruit and train new members of the sorority. Hornung and Vogel will be tabling in Wilson Commons from Sept. 14-24 and will host information sessions during that time. On Sept. 25 and 26, they will meet with interested sophomores, juniors, and seniors, followed by a Bid Day for the charter members on Sept. 27. In January 2016, Kappa Alpha Theta will be able to participate in Panhellenic sorority rush to recruit their first pledge class. DiSarro said that the Panhellenic Association voted to open an eighth sorority on campus last year, and that Kappa Alpha Theta was chosen from among 10 applicants.
Both Beta Theta Pi and Kappa Alpha Theta will handle their own recruitment processes internally, with Close, Hornung, and Vogel working to interest undergraduates in their respective organizations. However, DiSarro said that FSA is closely involved with both organizations and will be coordinating room reservations, banners, and tabling schedules for them “on their behalf until they have undergraduate members to put these in directly.”
Passanisi is a member of
the class of 2017.
