Because sororities cannot advertise on campus, virtually all of the 44 members of Theta and the 17 women who belong to Delta Gamma say they found out about their sororities by word of mouth. Many members were friends before they joined. Sorority sisters tend to live in the same houses--predominantly river houses such as Eliot, Lowell and Mather--and tend to be upper-class students.
About 25 of the 44 Thetas are seniors, according to president Teresa Y. Ou '95, and the sorority loses about one-third of its members each year to graduation.
In fact, because spreading the word to new students is often haphazard, there were only two first-year Thetas last semester. Jennifer S. Joel '98, one of the incoming rush chairs, says she found out about Theta simply because she was chatting with a woman during Common Casting who turned out to be a member.
Of course, the inability to advertise is not the only problem Harvard's unofficial sororities face.
Unlike University-recognized groups, sororities are also prohibited from using University property outside of their members' private dorm rooms. As a consequence, members of Theta have been shuffled through four different locales for their weekly chapter meetings.
The Thetas began this year meeting at University Lutheran Church, but now meet in the living room of a sister's off-campus apartment.
Sorority members say the costs of living as Harvard outlaws are made up for by the benefits of being in an all-female organization.
"It's a place where you don't have to be a great athlete or a great singer or have any special talent," says Janie A. Ho '95, citing the need for organizations that promote a sense of community among women. "There are so many male-oriented organizations, and it's hard for women to meet people in that same context."
Membership Has Its Privileges
There are other perks to sorority membership, of course, ranging from Delta Gamma's private file of past Ec 10 exams to the $3500 Jennifer Brosnahan just won in scholarship money from the national Kappa Alpha Theta.
But there are member requirements. For instance, members must maintain a certain grade-point average--a 10.0 for Thetas, and a number Delta Gamma President Brooke Winkle will only describe as "not a problem for anyone at Harvard."
Sorority members also must participate in a certain number of community service projects per semester, either as part of a sorority program or on their own.
This spring, Theta and Delta Gamma will join together for the first time to sponsor a joint rush Open House at the Charles Hotel. From there, the undergraduate women must decide if they wish to go through the try-out process to become a sorority member.
Under the rules of the Panhellenic system, prospective members must attend the rush activities for both sororities to give them a basis for choosing which they want to join.
Due to the relatively small numbers of women now in the sororities, rush tends to be "fairly inclusive," according to Brosnahan and almost all prospective members are given the option of joining. "As often as not, the girl will decide she doesn't have time [for the sorority]," she says.
However, Theta officers say they might limit their numbers this spring in order to encourage the growth of Delta Gamma and the eventual stabilization of both their memberships. Once Gamma's numbers stabilize, officers say they hope for another sorority to join them on the Harvard campus.
But that doesn't mean that Harvard will turn into "Animal House" anytime soon, say sorority officers. "We wouldn't become this rampaging Greek campus. That's just not in the cards for us," says Brosnahan.
Of course, if University administrators have their way, sororities won't exist for much longer, period. "It is ironic that some of our students are interested in these groups when most colleges are trying to get rid of them," Epps told the Globe.