Stevenson University is broadening its Greek life by adding two new fraternities, Phi Mu Delta and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
After sororities were established on campus, President Elliot Hirshman and other Stevenson staff members sat down to discuss where to go next. According to Phillip Gatling Jr., assistant director of student activities, “two fraternities have officially been invited to charter at Stevenson University.”
A committee of nine members was established to discuss what should happen to expand Greek Life on campus. Around a dozen fraternities were considered but only two were selected according to what Stevenson needed.
Phi Mu Delta and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. have gone through Stevenson’s list of prerequisites and Gatling said they were the “cream of the crop.” To even be considered for an invitation, the fraternity had to be national in scope: recognized on a national and local level, with a national headquarters, an executive branch, and with plans for what they were going to do once on campus. The aforementioned fraternities had all of the information prepared and had a plan for what to do over the next several years.
As of Sept. 6, the fraternities officially introduced themselves on campus and have begun their recruitment stage. Feedback from the students thus far has been positive, but Stevenson’s Greek life journey is still young. If feedback continues to be positive and the fraternities thrive, the Stevenson administration is more than willing to entertain the possibility of further broadening Greek life on campus.
Phi Sigma Sigma, Stevenson’s on-campus sorority, is excited to have fraternities join them. According to a source within the sorority, “The Archon and I were on the student committee to help determine which fraternities came onto campus.” The groups will be collaborating to plan social events, service projects, and build Greek life within the Stevenson community.
In order to continue moving forward and ensure a successful first year, guidelines have been established to keep them on track. According to Gatling, the Office of Student Activities is in the process of creating a fraternity and sorority life guide book, which would be based on prior clubs and groups but specifically tailored to the new fraternities.
Meetings between the fraternities, Stevenson staff and administration have also been set up to make sure that the fraternities are working to maintain a positive presence on campus.
