Next semester, the struggling Duke chapter of Alpha Phi sorority will undergo major changes in a huge effort to recruit new members. This revitalization-as it is called by Alpha Phi national authorities-means that all current members of the sorority will take alumni status. An entirely new group of women will be recruited in an information session held during formal Panhellenic rush.
"We have been experiencing declining numbers for the past five years and we were given a presentation by [the Alpha Phi] national organization for a potential revitalization process... here at Duke," said Alpha Phi junior class representative Brianne Barker. "[The national organization] invests a lot of resources-time, money, people-into making a strong chapter here."
Alpha Phi currently has 33 members-only six of whom are sophomores-whereas the average Panhellenic sorority has a membership of 100. Sorority leaders have found that, with so few members, the burden of organizing activities became cumbersome.
Drastic measures were voted upon unanimously by members of Alpha Phi, which recolonized itself at Duke in 1994.
"Everyone voted unanimously. This isn't a decision you make lightly," said junior Colleen O'Rourke. "We wouldn't have done it otherwise. I feel everybody was able to work through any negative feelings."
Alpha Phi national representatives feel that the most efficient way they can save a fledgling chapter is by starting afresh with an entirely new group of women. "It's just easier to start from scratch because you... can attract women who want to start a new group," explained national representative Crista Vasina. "This gives young women an opportunity because they will have to rise to the occasion."
The national organization has revitalized four other chapters in the past several years, most notably at the University of Virginia and Cornell University. Officials claim the process has been successful.
"We'll be competing for similar girls that the top sororities are competing for," said Duke chapter advisor Allison Mills, Trinity '97. "As an alum who is concerned about the chapter, I am confident that it will be successful and competitive."
Alpha Phi's rush process this year will be different from other sororities.
The sorority will only be involved in the first round of Panhel formal rush, at which time Alpha Phi national representatives will hold an information session. After women go through formal rush, they can come back for a rigorous interviewing process with Alpha Phi.
Current members hope that a revitalization will ensure that the Alpha Phi chapter at Duke will survive. "We know that it might not be as glamorous to be alumni while in college, but the payoff is having a chapter on campus when we come back [to visit]," said senior Jaime Crossler, president of Alpha Phi.
The sorority members will become alumni, meaning that while they will still be members of the national organization, they will not be involved in the new chapter on campus. Alpha Phi leaders stressed that the current members will still be active in their own alumni club.
"The Alpha Phi sisters are incredible women, and they saw they were giving the gift of longevity to Duke," said Vasina. "It was a very selfless act on their part, and I admire all of them for the decision they made."
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