Page 8 THE BATTALION TUESDAY. SEPTEMBER 12, 1978 JRSC U d Pr A - gs h five :he ime lildr ^len 3rei MPl DE 9:00 E3K re go entur cover ructio >lane i iter fl ).00 p )t’s Ik eepst ;essa essna HIT III How the Greeks have grown at A&M Sororities, fraternities— no small-time operation By MICHELLE SCUDDER Battalion Staff Sororities and fraternities, once looked upon as small time opera tions at Texas A&M University, are growing. Some students are finding they are a good way to get involved and meet people in a large univer sity. Panhellenic, the governing body for sororities, reports that about 700 girls are involved in sororities at Texas A&M. Sororities began organizing as groups at Texas A&M in 1974, and the Bryan-College Station Col legiate Panhellenic was organized in 1975. At that time about 150 girls were involved with sororities. The Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC), an organization composed of eight of 11 Texas A&M fraternities, estimates that about 250 men are involved in the 11 fraternities. The first organized fraternity rush was in 1975. All sororities affiliated with na tional groups that are Panhellenic members are required to be mem bers of Panhellenic. However, fraternities have no such requireent. Klelly Stephens, IFC president said that IFC exists to organize rush and to gain enough support among the fraternities to present a unified front for university recognition. Both Panhellenic and IFC are composed of representa tives from the sororities and frater nities, but they act in an advisory capacity, as each sorority and frater nity is regulated by its individual chapter bylaws. “Panhellenic’s duty is to plan rush and carry it out,” said Mrs. Jo-Ann Anthony, rush director of Bryan- College Station Collegiate Panhel lenic. Panhellenic regulates the maximum number of girls each sorority is allowed to pledge. “The pledge quota is derived by taking the total number of girls that accept their rush invitations and di viding it by nine, to come up with the maximum number that each sorority may pledge,” Anthony said. Stephens said that the IFC has no limitations or quotas on number of rushees or membership quota of the fraternities. Anthony estimates that the aver age monthly dues for sorority mem bers is between $20 to $30, although no cost sheet has been compiled yet for this year. “All the groups have bought land with plans to build houses, so dues have gone up from last year,” An thony said. Stephens said monthly fraternity dues run between $20 to $30, also depending on the fraternity, and what they need to support their houses and activities. Donna Danklefs, president of Chi Omega, said that her sorority initia tion fee is $150, and dues are $25 monthly. “Our dues go toward pay ing for chapter dinners, national dues, administrative costs and keep ing up the apartment,” Danklefs said. Danklefs said that Chi Omega usually has two social activities a month, such as mixers with a frater nity, Corps unit, or residence hall on campus, and sometimes weekend retreats for the sorority members. Cindy Wilcox, president of Phi Mu sorority said the initiation fee for her sorority is $60, and monthly dues are $25. Wilcox said the money is budgeted mostly for parties and rush. “The girls never have to sup ply anything at the parties and ac tivities; everything is paid for with the dues,” Wilcox said. “Money left over is put into a fund for housing.” “Some of the national sororities have a national philanthropy, and the collegiate chapters particiapte in that also,” Anthony said. The Greek letters of Sigma Phi Epsilon are proudly displayed on the floor of the Sig-Ep fraternity house located in Bryan. i a Sigma Phi Epsilon is one of 11 fraternities at Texas A&M,i n which an estimated 250 men are members. Greek Village Sorority housing planned 1C “Other sororities leave it up to the locals as to what kind of service project they want to participate in,” Anthony said. For example Chi Omega sorority does what they call a Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter kindness, in which they help locally where service is needed. By ANDY WILLIAMS Campus Editor Today the field contains oak trees, grass and the beginnings of a couple of roads. In about five years, if the plans of eight of Texas A&M University’s nine sororities are realized, it will be covered with their members’ houses. The groups bought land in a plan ned development called the Greek Village. College Station’s city coun cil approved its final plan last sum mer. The 12 acres of land are about a mile southeast of the campus. It lies between University Oaks Boulevard, Munson Drive, Dominik Drive and Stallings Drive. All nine sororities are now renting special-sized apartments in the Sausalito complex. But the steady increase in sorority membership has made continuing that practice un realistic, says Brenda Zieren, presi dent of the local Panhellenic Hous ing Board. The board is made up of a rep resentative of each sorority, and the decision to buy land in the de velopment was made through it. "Most of the apartments are much too small," Zieren said. She said the Recognition: pros and cons By MARILYN FAULKENBERRY Battalion Staff th< This fall the sororities at Texas A&M University completed their fourth formal rush, still an unrecog nized student organization here. But unlike the fraternities, the sororities are not pushing for Uni versity recognition. They have never appliea for recognition and are not sure they’re going to. Jo Ann Anthony, rush director for the sororities at Texas A&M, said there are pros and cons to official recognition. The major advantage is that with recognition, the sororities could use University facilities to hold their meetings and to post notices. The main disadvantage is that most soro- rites are financed through their re spective national organization and to be recognized would have to be fi nanced through the student finan cial office. John J. Koldus, vice president for student services, said that if the sororities were to ask for recognition they would be denied on the same basis Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity was denied last year. Sigma Phi Epsilon, the first Greek organization to ever apply for University recognition at Texas A&M, was denied recognition last fall. In a letter to the fraternity, Kol dus said he felt A&M has a unique approach to developing comraderie. For 100 years, he said traditions at this University have been success fully developed, and along with them strength and character. He said he thought all students are Ag gies, and that all Aggies are equals, and that any type of “social caste system would detract from the total character and strenth of this Univer sity.” Koldus said because all frater nities and sororites have a “black ball system of one type or another, recognition would be difficult. He said that while honorary organiza tions have criteria for membership such as grade point average, no stu dent can be kept out of a recognized organization simply because members don’t want him in. However, Koldus said Friday that he doesn’t know if the University would ever recognize the Greek or ganizations. “One never knows,” Koldus said. “Some day some com promise may be worked out one way or another.” Koldus said he was in a fraternity in college himself, and - can see a lot of positive friendships and activities that arise from the organizations. He said they can become negative if too much partying interferes with school, but that depends on the people, and not the organization, he said. Koldus said he didn’t think the Greek organizations had a place within the University system at this time. Bob Kamensky, corps comman der, said he didn’t think women “I realize now they (sororities) do fit at A&M. We don’t want to take over the University and advertise ourselves with T-shirts. We want to support the Aggies and the community.” —Carol McCurry, President of Kappa Kappa Gamma needed sororities to be a part of the University.. “The traditions are not so male oriented anymore,” he said. “Women in the corps are an exam ple; they had five rough years but they’re in stride with the men now.” Kamensky said there are five or ganizations on the University in which anyone can find a place: the Corps of Cadets, the MSG Council and Directorate, Student Govern ment, the Resident Hall Associa tion, and the Off-Campus Student Association, by far the largest group. He said nothing was organized for off-campus students for a long time, and that fraternities and sororities took a foothold and developed in stead . “If someone wants to be part of a group he can join any of the five, and there’s no need for a social or ganization to pop its head up on campus,” he said. “I see fraternities and sororities as a setback to A&M in general,” he said. For the women who join sororities, it is an easier way to make friends, especially as Texas A&M continues to grow. Shelley Kil- lingsworth, president of Delta Zeta, said when she came here in 1975 it was “easy to meet guys because the activities and traditions at this Uni versity are structured around males, but difficult to make close girl friends.” She said she could have made them without the sorority, but not as quickly. Carol McCurry, president of Kappa Kappa Gamma, a large soror ity, said the friendships she has made are worth the price. She said at first she didn’t want to join a sorority, because she had always heard the girls were “snotty,” and didn’t think they had a place at A&M. “I realize now they do fit at A&M. We don’t want to take over the Uni versity and advertise ourselves with our T-shirts,” McCurry said. “We want to support the Aggies and the community.” McCurry said she thought the sorority could more effecitvely serve the University and community if it could use its facilities and advertise its activities on campus. She said two years ago the Kappas were going to raise money for bonfire on campus, but couldn’t because they weren’t recognized. Ray Daniels, president of the MSG Council and Directorate, said there is already a shortage of meet ing room space and areas to post notices. He said priorities for this tht space are based on functions group has for the University. Cindy Wilcox, president of Phi Mu, said, "We don’t want to push our way in — we want them to ac cept us. It’s unfortunate they think we re strictly social. However, we are selective about who we want. “They say their emphasis isn’t social, but it is. I couldn’t talk to the girls because I didn’t feel com fortable with them—some of them are your friend strictly because they have to be.” sorority -Former member We want girls who show the interest in the sorority and the University. They must be enrolled in at least 12 hours. We want girls with generally the same goals and ideals.” “We want to make ourselves be better women,” she added. “We really do realize that college is first,” she said. “Usually the dean of women at other universities will look out for sororities. It would be nice to have that support and coun seling." In contrast, Shelley Killingsworth said, “I don’t see where it hurts the Greek system to not be recognized here. I’m not interested in recogni tion at all.” The presidents of Phi Mu, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Delta Zeta say that contrary to popular belief, member selection is not based on parents’ occupations or income, or wardrobes or cars. McCurry said choices are made during the first four parties of rush week. The choice of sororities is narrowed from nine to two. Before a girl can be signed as a "pledge,” she must have a recom mendation from an “alum,” an older member of the sorority from her hometown. The recommendations may include high school activities and affiliations, but it is up to the .alum what is included, McCurry said. She said sometimes the alums will send recommendations for “high society” girls which include their father’s occupation and related in formation, but that is not what the sorority is looking for. “The bad thing is that there’s so little time during rush that a lot of the choices are made on first impre ssion,” McCurry said. Two former sorority members, however, said they didn t find the friendships they sought in the soror ity and quit. Both said they still had a few good friends they made in the sorority, but costs and “back- stabbing” drove them away. “They say their emphasis isn’t so cial but it is," one of the women, who asked to remain unidentified, said. "I couldn’t talk to the girls be cause I didn’t feel comfortable with them — some of them are your friends strictly because they have to be. I figured I could do as well with on-campus organizations, and not pay as much,” she said. “It just wasn’t what I thought a sorority would or should be,” she said. “I know there are some that are just great. It was just the chapter here that I didn’t like.” She said the only service projects done were those required by the na tional organization. "Unless one of the leaders is socially motivated, the service aspect of it is no good at all.” McCurry said sororities are be coming more important as Texas A&M continues to grow. “I’m an Aggie, and I know this is a big change,” she said. groups "really need a place to go. ’’ Only Alpha Phi has decided what kind of housing it will have when the development is finished. It hought the only existing residence on the land. Chapter president Laura Brockman says her group will have only six or eight living in the house and will use the place mostly for meetings and other functions. "We re not going to have a large sorority house like the ones at some universities because so many of the students here already live off cam pus," she said. Other groups have no definite plans. Jeanne Graham, president of Zeta Tau Alpha, says her group is consid ering a house which will be used chiefly as a meeting place and would house 25 to 30 women. “But all this is very' tentative,” she added. "All that we’ve done is purchase the lot. She said the house will probably be paid for partly from accumulated dues and partly from a loan. Zeta Tau Alpha general adviser Sharon Watson says that even (k purchase of the lot is not final. “1^ condition is that the street be paved and completed. The land owner is to be paid within three days of (lie completion of the street.” The land has been divided intoll) lots, two of which remain unsold Two streets, Athens and Olympia .in- midci <■