UNG’s Fraternity and Sorority Life Director Liz Artz is trying to bring Sigma Gamma Rho, a new Divine Nine sorority, to campus.
Working alongside the Atlanta alumni chapter, a few students are helping to launch the chapter as the first potential new members, but their identities must remain private according to Sigma Gamma Rho’s recruitment traditions and rituals.
Sigma Gamma Rho is part of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, a coalition of nine historically Black fraternities and sororities often referred to as the “Divine Nine.” This council is separate from the National Panhellenic Conference, which oversees the sororities that hold formal recruitment on the Dahlonega campus each year.
Artz said she brought her idea of adding a historically Black organization to UNG’s Office of Multicultural Affairs, where it quickly gained support. “The men were hesitant, so we started with the women,” Artz said. She reached out to Sigma Gamma Rho first, connected with its Atlanta alumni chapter and secured their agreement to sponsor the potential new chapter at UNG.
The alumni chapter hosted an informational session on campus last semester, marking the first step in recruitment. Sigma Gamma Rho requires at least seven women to form a line, or new member class, and each prospective member must pay two years of dues up front. Artz explained that this financial requirement can make it difficult for some students to commit, especially because the sorority expects all members to join an alumni chapter after graduation and pay dues for life. “The first class is the hardest to get started. After they get this one set up, they will never have to go through all of this prerequisite stuff again,” Artz said.
As soon as the first line is filled, a new member presentation will take place, where the UNG Greek life community is invited to watch the reveal of the new members’ identities. Before this, no one is allowed to know that a new member is pledging, and they must arrive at the presentation in masks.
“I’m excited for more options for women, excited to grow the community,” Artz said.
