Following a record-breaking spring recruitment, the University's Inter-Sorority Council is considering adding a new chapter.
According to Sally Kline, assistant dean of fraternity and sorority life, "the main situation is that we had a wonderful turnout for sorority recruitment," noting that the most recent sorority pledge classes were larger than usual.
"The chapters feel there is a lot of interest, and another group may best suit the needs of our population," Kline said.
According to Stephanie Hobart, outgoing vice president of recruitment for the ISC, expansion will only be considered if sororities are showing signs that they are growing.
"After this spring, with pledge classes of 40 girls, we're definitely showing that we're having growing pains," Hobart said, adding that now is a good time to start considering expansion to alleviate the growing house numbers.
According to Kline, expansion is a complex and structured process. In the first step, Kline said, the ISC would form a research committee, which would analyze enrollment and recruitment statistics before presenting its findings to the ISC.
"The [ISC] decides whether or not U.Va. should 'extend,' which means inviting another sorority," Kline explained.
If the ISC decided to extend, Kline said, another committee would put together a packet of information about the University's current Greek community. This information would then be sent to the National Panhellenic Conference.
"The NPC distributes the information to the remaining groups not already here on Grounds, and the groups then look at the information and decide ... if U.Va. has the resources for them to be successful," Kline said.
Kline added that any interested sororities would then send their own information to the ISC, which would select three finalists.
The finalists would come to Grounds and "present why they would best fit the community here," Kline said. This process culminates, she added, with the ISC voting on the winning bid.
According to Hobart, the ISC has no preconceived ideas as to which sorority it might invite to the University. She noted that the decision will be based on the trends and numbers that the research committee finds.
The committee will also note "what other national chapters there are which may have been on Grounds in the past ... and may be able to come back," Hobart said.
According to Kline, the fact that "most ISC sororities have houses could be a potential roadblock" for any chapter interested in coming to University, because a house may not be available.
"There are a lot of properties around, but we don't have any specific land [identified] for building a sorority house," Kline noted, adding that "we would be willing to work with a group to find property."
According to Hobart, the decision of whether to extend is still in a preliminary stage.
"It's just a discussion right now," Hobart said, adding that the decision will have to be voted on by representatives from each currently operating chapter.
"We've thought about it for a while," Hobart said, "but especially after this year's recruitment with the large number of women, it's become more of a priority"
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