Cal Poly’s Delta Phi chapter of the Alpha Gamma Delta (AGD) sorority was dissolved by their national headquarters on Jan. 30 due to their low enrollment numbers.
The chapter was founded at Cal Poly in Winter 2016 and had 60 active members this school year. Their original goal was to give out 270 bids their founding year, according to AGD’s Extension Specialist Jennifer Drum.
“Alpha Gamma Delta is deeply saddened by the loss of this collegiate chapter,” International President Lee Woodham Langub said in a news release. “It is our hope that the women of Delta Phi Chapter will enjoy their membership experience as alumnae members and the lifelong sisterhood of Alpha Gamma Delta Fraternity.”
The sorority was not under investigation in any way and Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Humphrey said Cal Poly had no concerns with the chapter.
According to Humphrey, the local chapter did not meet the national chapter’s expectation in size and growth.
“We are disappointed that the national organization is choosing to close the chapter because it is not meeting its expectation around numbers,” Humphrey said. “It is incredibly disappointing to [the university] on a number of levels. First and foremost, because of the experience of the students in that organization and dedicated to that organization.”
Although small enrollment numbers caused the chapter to dissolve, Humphrey said the university hopes to add at least one fraternity or sorority per year to thin out enrollment numbers of large greek organizations.
“Large greek organizations lose their ability to be personal and the quality of the experience is diminished,” Humphrey said.
The AGD executive board was not immediately available to comment.
“If they were hoping to be a greek organization of 300 or 200 plus, Cal Poly probably was not the right place for them,” Humphrey said.
This is the first time in at least seven years that a national sorority chapter has dissolved a Cal Poly chapter for low enrollment.
Humphrey said the university does not have a specific dissolving process, but they are primarily concerned with the women who have been affected. Humphrey said the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life is planning on working with AGD members to provide support.