ALLISON K. RONE ’06, center, speaks to a Kappa Kappa Gamma recruiter yesterday at the Sheraton Commander Inn. The sorority is founding a new chapter at Harvard this year.

A room speckled with blonde hair and Southern accents ushered in Harvard’s newest sorority last night.

The founding of the Kappa Kappa Gamma (Kappa) chapter at Harvard levels the number of female social clubs with the number of male final clubs for the first time.

The Kappa sorority is the third women’s social group to be formed in the last two years, pushing the total number of female alternatives up to eight.

Members of the two already established Harvard sororities—Kappa Alpha Theta (Theta) and Delta Gamma (DG)—invited Kappa to “colonize” Harvard after their rush season last year met a flood of interest they did not have the space to accommodate.

“It’s a great time for sororities here,” DG Social Chair Kelly N. Fahl ’06 said. “The ball is rolling. More girls are willing to do more things.”

Forty-three sophomores, juniors and seniors filled the Kappa-blue-bedecked Sheraton Commander Inn’s conference room last night, according to Felicity Meu, a traveling consultant whom Kappa is paying to help build the inaugural Harvard chapter.

Meu said the sorority expects to accept 45 women into its founding ranks this Saturday, membership figures that would be similar to those of Theta and DG. Kappa will determine which women will be accepted by “conversations” to be held this week.

More than a dozen Kappas past and present pitched their sisterhood to the Harvard women, showing a Power Point presentation and dropping names of sisters who have fulfilled the group’s touted “tradition of leadership.”

The tally, which includes Massachusetts Governor Jane M. Swift, Colin Powell’s daughter and actress Ashley Judd, project an image of a diverse alumnae base.

“I’m really impressed,” attendee Ayelet S. Lebovicz ’06 said. “Here you get to create [a group] for yourself, which is pretty unique.”

While Lebovicz heard about the group from a friend in another sorority, many at the meeting were answering to a stronger call than word of mouth—family ties. Several of the attendees have siblings in Kappa.

“My sister was a Kappa and she had a great time, she has so many friends that are Kappas that it seems like a lot of fun,” Kara A. Lyons ’04 said.

Others credited their Southern roots for leading them to last night’s meeting.

“When I go home, most of my friends are in sororities,” Tennessee native Jennifer H. Bennett ’06 said. “My mom is a Chi Omega. We don’t have it here so I don’t think she’ll be too upset.”

Kappa is one of the oldest and largest sororities, boasting over 130 chapters and five Ivy League chapters, including one at Yale.