The UA Panhellenic community will welcome a new organization into their ranks this year with Delta Gamma sorority.

Delta Gamma is one of the top three largest sororities in the country and has traditions dating back to when it was founded in 1873.

After undergoing a lengthy process to join the greek community at the University, they finally broke ground on their house Saturday, July 23 and will participate in recruitment in the fall.

“This year is going to be unique in that it is an extension year,” said Gentry McCreary, director of Greek Affairs. “They will do their colonization immediately following formal recruitment in the fall.”

The colonization of a new sorority is a very different process from the formal recruitment process most sororities go through every year. Delta Gamma will participate in the first round of rush, the open house round, and then drop out. During the rest of that week, any interested girls can meet with Delta Gamma in the Scholarship Room of Bryant-Denny Stadium to ask any questions they might have.

“Starting Aug. 21 is what we call the colonization week,” said Shaun Young, vice president of membership for Delta Gamma. “That week after formal recruitment is over, Delta Gamma will have interviews and information sessions scheduled. Delta Gamma bid day will be on Sunday, Aug. 28.”

Delta Gamma is looking to start a well-balanced chapter, so they will be looking for women of all class ranks and ages to join throughout their colonization process.

“What’s really cool about adding a new sorority to a campus, it really opens up the opportunity to women of fall class ranks who may not have pledged as freshmen,” she said. “This is the perfect time for upperclassmen who have a lot to contribute to a new sorority in the form of maturity and leadership, as well as those who want the opportunity of lifetime membership in a sorority, to get in.”

Young encouraged every interested girl to at least come and ask any questions she might have about joining. Many upperclassmen already have responsibilities, but Young said she hopes to assure them that Delta Gamma will fit into their already busy lives.

“We just looked and said that Alabama is a place Delta Gamma should be,” Young said. “It’s a thriving environment; greek life seems to be highly valued.”

Alabama, being a Southeastern Conference school with a big emphasis on football, is a huge attraction for any sorority looking to extend to a new campus, but for Delta Gamma, there were a lot of other factors that went into choosing Alabama. They previously had a chapter on the UA campus that did not last; this time, they are hoping to become a great presence on campus.

“This is an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity, because Delta Gamma needs special leaders, women who want to get in from the ground up,” Young said. “To be a charter member is something very special.”