You know them when you see them: long, colorful shirts, white Converse, possibly drinking a Diet Coke or another coffee beverage in a tumbler.
The stereotypes are well known, but how much do you really know about the inner-workings of sorority life?
Obtaining leadership experiences, service opportunities and the unique bond of a sisterhood are why hundreds of women choose to “rush” each year.
Alpha Delta Pi will be the newest sorority in the UTSA Greek system. Amanda Ramon (AR), UTSA’s Program Advisor for Fraternity and Sorority Life, and Anna Kate Sumler (AKS), Alpha Delta Pi’s new chapter specialist, know what to expect from the sorority and it’s place on campus.
Q: What is the history of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority?
AKS: For more than 164 years, extraordinary women have called Alpha Delta Pi home. Originally called the “Adelphean Society,” Alpha Delta Pi was the first secret society for women in the world and forged the way for women in the fraternity system.
Our founding took place on May 15, 1851 at Wesleyan Female College in Macon, Georgia—the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women.
Since then, over 250,000 women at more than 200 universities across the United States and Canada have found their home in Alpha Delta Pi.
Q: Who decides if a new sorority chapter will be added to campus?
AR: Panhellenic sororities go through about a year or so long process to bring a new sorority onto campus.
The first step to bringing a new sorority to campus is to vote and form an exploratory committee.
This committee was formed and met for about 3 months last spring.
The purpose of this committee was to gather data and statistics about the campus, Panhellenic recruitment and chapter retention trends to determine if there is a need to bring another group to campus.
They decided there was a need and recommended to the Panhellenic Council to move forward and officially open for extension.
Once the council voted “yes” to open for extension, a memo was sent out to NPC alerting the 26 NPC groups that UTSA was open for extension.
Then the 20 sororities that are not here had approximately 2 months to submit a packet for review to the extension committee.
Once the deadline was passed and we received all the packets from the organizations that were interested in coming to UTSA, the extension committee utilized a rubric to narrow it down to two on-campus visits.
Once the two groups who were invited to present on campus finished the extension committee utilized another rubric to narrow it down to one to present to the Panhellenic council to officially vote on.
The council followed to extension committee’s recommendation and voted to bring Alpha Delta Pi Sorority onto campus.
Q: What makes the Alpha Delta Pi sorority different from other organizations/sororities on campus?
AKS: Being a colonizing member of a sorority is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Founding members of Alpha Delta Pi will forge the path for our legacy on campus at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Sisters will leave after graduation with the knowledge that they’ve been an integral part of creating a sorority that will serve as a home to future generations of women at UTSA.
Q: Where can someone sign up to join the sorority?
AKS: Alpha Delta Pi will recruit women to become founding members during the week of Jan. 31.
We’re seeking women of all class years—freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors—to join our sisterhood.
You can learn more by visiting www.comehometoadpi.com. Through this site you can sign up for a “Tell Us About You” session (required for consideration of membership in ADPi).

Q: What is the overall goal of the sorority for the foreseeable future of the organization?
AKS: The values that formed Alpha Delta Pi in 1851 are as important to our members in 2016 as they were at our founding.
Our members strive to become well-balanced women through a commitment to service, upholding high academic standards, campus and community involvement, leadership and building lasting friendships.
Our open motto has always been “We Live for Each Other,” and we care for one another as sisters not just for four years of college, but for life.