The Cal Poly greek system is growing again with the addition of two new fraternities, Sigma Pi and Delta Tau Delta.
Sigma Pi held informational sessions this week and last week and had a booth in the University Union for the last two weeks. They are planning to colonize this Friday.
“We had a good turnout last week at the meeting,” Jim DiVita, a Sigma Pi senior expansion consultant, said. “We’ll be colonizing with 20 to 25 men and holding elections this Saturday.”
Sigma Pi is re-colonizing at Cal Poly since they closed in 1999 due to low membership. DiVita and Jeremy Boyd are two alumni of the fraternity that are working to reestablish the chapter on campus again.
“We’re looking for campus leaders, guys that want to be involved, and diversity,” Boyd, another senior expansion consultant, said.
Sigma Pi has 130 chapters and colonies in the U.S. This colony will be the 12th Sigma Pi fraternity in California.
“The real bonus here is that anyone who joins before we are chartered has the opportunity to be a founding father,” DiVita said.
As soon as they colonize on Friday, Sigma Pi will be approved by the Interfraternity Council (IFC) at Cal Poly. This will allow them to participate in all IFC events and athletics; however, they will not have a vote until they become a chartered national fraternity.
“On average it takes 10 to 14 months to charter,” Boyd said. “It just depends on how hard they work.”
Delta Tau Delta would be completely new to Cal Poly and is still trying to make the minimum for a colony.
“To gain two more new houses is good for the greek system,” said Chris Barksdale, the IFC President and member of Beta Theta Pi.
Last year, Cal Poly lost two fraternities, Kappa Sigma and Phi Delta Theta. The addition of Sigma Pi and Delta Tau Delta would bring the total number of fraternities back up to 23 according to the IFC Web site.
“For me, it’s kind of a cool thing that these other houses will be on campus,” Barksdale said. “I’m rooting for them.”
Sigma Pi is hoping to start their national Altruistic Campus Experience Project within the next year at Cal Poly.
The project has been going on for three years and hopes to build ties between fraternities and the campus by discovering university needs and doing service projects on campus.
“We want to bring all the fraternities, sororities, clubs, students and faculty together,” DiVita said. “We want to unite the campus and instill campus pride.”
Sigma Pi is holding another information meeting today in building 52 room A11 at 7 p.m.