It's all Greek to me: frat returns home to Yale

"Gentleman's clubs." "The Brotherhood." "Founding Fathers." No, it's not the revival of the Old Boy network at Yale, but Yale's newest fraternity—and these words will come to life at an organizational meeting on Wed., Oct. 13.

Alpha Sigma Phi, the tenth oldest fraternity in the nation, is appealing to a new generation of Yale men in the name of tradition. Four advertisements in the Yale Daily News in early September announced the attempt to re-inaugurate a chapter at Yale, where its original Alpha (founding) chapter had been formed. Alpha Sigma Phi was first founded at Yale in 1845, yet faded from existence around 1940, Drew Thawley, Director of Expansion for the national chapter, said. "We have had our sights on Yale for quite a while," he admitted.

PATRICK MCGARVEY/YH The DKE house may have a new neighbor if Alpha Sigma Phi is successful in reestablishing itself at Yale.

Scott Proper, ES '01, is one of a number of students interested in reestablishing the fraternity. He explained the current plans include "a definite emphasis on being more of a `gentleman's fraternity.' We are going to be more traditional, more involved with the community." He also added that the opportunity to add a new dimension to the current character of fraternity life is an incentive for many like himself. "The thing we really want to do is make a more gentile atmosphere. You can find this sort of formal, civilized character at Yale if you look, but it's really not something you'll find in fraternities."

Thawley acknowledged that the demands of Yale's environment upon its Greek initiates will require "a special kind of guy. The people on campus at Yale are more involved, doing more things, than your average student. Putting another organization out there and asking men to be founding fathers is [asking a lot]." One thing that will not be asked of Alpha Sigma's founding fathers, however, is seed money. Alpha Sigma has a $12 million educational endowment, and part of that fund will be used to help found the Yale chapter. "The human and financial support it will take to start this process are being supplied by Alpha Sigma Phi," Thawley explained. "Once the group reaches 25-30 members, they will be required to make the transition to their own funding."

Before even beginning his quest to tap the resevoir of Yale men for founding fathers, Thawley consulted with Edgar Letriz-Nuñez, assistant Dean of Yale College, about the possibility of returning to Yale. "Without question, there has been more collaboration on the part of the naional office—they communicated with me from the very beginning on how I feel about the atmosphere at Yale," Letriz-Nuñez said. "Students have a right to create any organization they wish, and variety is definitely a good thing."

Members of other fraternities responded positively to the prospect of a new fraternity. "I think it's a great idea," Sigma Alpha Epsilon president Zach Boisi, TD '01, said. "There are so few fraternities, and the trend is for frats on campus to be geared towards athletic teams. It's good to have a new frat pop up every once in a while and provide another option." Delta Kappa Epsilon member Matt Bickford, JE '00, agreed. "I really enjoy being part of a frat, and I wish everyone could have the same experience—so if there's another frat to to give more people that experience, that's great," he said.

Yale's four sororities may also expand their sisterhood with the addition of a new chapter. A group of Yale women are in the early stages of adding a local chapter of one of the nation's largest sororities to Yale. Devon Linnex, ES '01 and Sarah Wikstrom, ES '01, have contacted national sororities Chi Omega and Delta Gamma, and are hoping to establish a local chapter of one of these sororities at Yale. They stressed that the organization they are hoping to form is both traditional and unique in the current climate of sorority life for women at Yale. Wikstrom explained that she and others interested in founding a new sorority never felt comfortable with the character of Yale sororities. "We felt like the sororities here weren't like the ones we grew up with at home and that our friends belong to," she said. "We want to model our sorority more after those at state schools, with more of a social atmosphere." Linnex added, "We wanted more of a sense of belonging—anywhere more people can meet and interact is good.

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