Strong interest combined with campus growth has triggered the Office of Student Life and the Fraternity and Sorority Council to add several social fraternity and sorority organizations in the coming years, including four new chapters in the spring.
Two sororities, Phi Mu and Omega Phi Beta, and two fraternities, Pi Kappa Phi and Pi Lambda Phi, will join the campus’s offerings in Spring 2016, in an effort to increase the variety of opportunities for students.
“While many campuses across the nation are focused on regulating, managing and decreasing fraternity and sorority life opportunities, UC Merced is intentionally growing its offerings,” said Richard Arquette, coordinator for Fraternity and Sorority Life and Student Conduct. “We feel it is critical to provide students increased access to fraternities and sororities, so we have to expand the number of organizations we have on campus.”
UC Merced currently recognizes eight social fraternity and sorority organizations, seven professional fraternities, two governing councils and an honor society. Adding organizations to the roster will allow more students the unique opportunity to become founding chapter members and support Fraternity and Sorority Life’s vision of leadership, scholarship, service and friendship.
Current fraternity and sorority organizations have also expressed a desire to keep their chapter numbers small, which Arquette said furthers the need for more selections.
In addition to the four new chapters, Sigma Theta Psi Multicultural Sorority will join the campus in 2017, and Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority will join in 2018. The campus is looking to add other organizations in the future.
More information about the expansion can be found online.
Spring 2016 Recruitment
Students interested in joining fraternity and sorority life at UC Merced are encouraged to participate in Spring 2016 Recruitment. The organizations that are joining in Spring 2016 will visit campus beginning Jan. 19 to answer questions. Recruitment dates are:
Social Fraternity Recruitment: Jan. 24-31
NALFO Sorority Recruitment: Jan. 25-31
Panhellenic Sorority Recruitment: Jan. 29-31
Professional Fraternity Recruitment: Feb. 1-12
Expansion Organization Recruitment: Begins Feb. 1
Registration and participation in recruitment activities is free to students through a sponsorship by the Associated Students of UC Merced.
Interested students must register online. For questions about recruitment, email FSL@ucmerced.edu.
Brenda Ortiz
Senior Public Information Representative
Office: (209) 228-4203
Mobile: (209) 628-8263
