Carnegie Mellon's only independent sorority, Zeta Psi Sigma (Zeta), has recently become a colony of the national sorority Alpha Chi Omega (Alpha Chi). Zeta will be initiated into the national sorority as the Kappa Nu chapter near the end of this spring semester. There are many benefits to this change in their management, and also some new policies which they will have to follow.

Zeta Psi Sigma was formed on April 5, 1993 by six sisters of Chi Omega, a national sorority formerly at Carnegie Mellon, and was officially recognized by the University in 1995. There are currently 28 sisters in Zeta. During this past fall semester, Zeta decided to affiliate themselves with a National Panhellenic Conference organization. Four of Carnegie Mellon's sororities – Delta Gamma, Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Kappa Kappa Gamma – are also part of the National Panhellenic Conference. The major reason behind Zeta's decision to no longer be independent was a need for further support in order to keep Zeta fully functioning as a sorority. During recruitment periods, it was often difficult for the sisters of Zeta to recruit new members without ever being taught how.

"It was hard for us to know how to recruit without the nationals coming in and teaching us, which put us at a disadvantage during FMR (Formal Membership Recruitment) since the other four [sorority] houses had that," Jamie Moroco, an MCS junior and president of Zeta, commented. "We felt if we didn't do something about our low numbers, Zeta might not survive."

So, Zeta started their search for a national sorority that would fit well with their current and past members and the values that they uphold. During this past November and December, national organizations visited the Carnegie Mellon campus with interests in colonizing here. Then Zeta picked their top four organizations (Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Phi, Delta Zeta, and Pi Beta Phi) and invited them back to campus to give a presentation to current Zeta members and alumnae, as well as members of the Carnegie Mellon Panhellenic community and administration. After meeting with the four sororities, Zeta decided to join Alpha Chi Omega.

Moroco said, "After seeing all of the presentations, we decided to affiliate with Alpha Chi Omega… because we felt they were the best fit with the women and values of Zeta as well as with this campus."

Alpha Chi Omega's national mission statement is: "Alpha Chi Omega is a national women's organization that enriches the lives of members through lifetime opportunities for friendship, leadership, learning and service."

Current Zeta alumnae are invited to initiate as alumnae of Alpha Chi. They can do this in April during the ceremonies at Carnegie Mellon, or they can initiate through a chapter closer to where they live. Zeta alumnae can also wait as much as a year to be initiated if they need time to go to a campus with an Alpha Chi chapter or make a final decision about if they want to be initiated. The original six founders of Zeta will not be allowed to initiate into Alpha Chi because they are already initiated into Chi Omega. However, they will be given the option of acting as mentors for the current members of Zeta/Alpha Chi.

Being associated with a national sorority has some advantages. Zeta will now have national support, especially in the area of recruitment. They will also have national leaders to whom they can bring up problems if they arise. Moroco noted that answering to a higher level of management will be a change and something to get used to, but it will be for the betterment of the organization. Nevertheless, Alpha Chi Omega's rituals and traditions will replace those of Zeta Psi Sigma.

This process of national affiliation has gathered support from the Carnegie Mellon community. According to Moroco, "The other sororities have also been very supportive of our decision. We feel that this is a great decision for us and that there will be a great buzz on campus, especially next fall during recruitment."

At the end of this semester there will be an installation and initiation ceremony, wherein Zeta will become an official chapter of Alpha Chi Omega: the Kappa Nu chapter.

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