There are already many things changing in the Greek community at Maryland this school year. A new sorority has come to campus after much anticipation and with the new addition, the PanHellenic Association is taking measures to present a more unified Greek community.
Alpha Xi Delta is the newest sorority at Maryland and will be formally installed this coming December to become a fully accredited chapter of the national organization. They welcomed its colony class on September 23, 2012. With massive support from the rest of the sororities on campus, AXiD jumped right in to Greek life. The new colony kicked off their first semester by pulling out an impressive performance at Sigma Chi’s Derby Days, placing second out of all the sororities.
“I joined AXiD to get involved in Greek life in a way that was different than joining any other sorority. So far it has been an amazing experience, our colony girls are a great group of motivated and fun girls that want to make a great name for ourselves on campus and nationally,” said Alexa Olney, a sophomore marketing major at UMD.
With a new colony on campus, presenting a Greek community that supports each other is more important than ever. Though each sorority still has their own open houses on separate dates, PHA incorporated an all Greek open house on September 29. The event was four hours long and required all sororities to be open at the same time and recommend visiting other chapters as girls were leaving.
However, some girls thought that the way the open house was organized was counterproductive.
“It didn’t work…it was an excessive amount of time but we weren’t supposed to talk to the girls for long so I think it could have been better,” said Brittany Martin, a sophomore Chemistry major.
Though some sorority members may have felt the open house could have been better organized, the all Greek open house was perceived as an overall success.
“I thought it was great how every sorority was working together not to promote themselves but to promote Greek life as a whole,” said Rachel Ostrow, a sophomore psychology major.
Greek life is advancing in its goal to present a more unified front this year, especially with Alpha Xi Delta joining the community.
—
Photo Credit: Katie Secret