By Garrett Wymer

UK, meet Alpha Phi.

The introduction of the sorority, Alpha Phi Fraternity, to its campus home was completed when the new chapter welcomed more than 140 new pledges at its bid day Sunday afternoon.

Alpha Phi did something a little different with its recruitment from other sororities on campus. Rather than recruit in the summer, they waited until fall for their recruitment process.

Megan Bouche, director of extension for Alpha Phi, said that delaying recruitment is common for a new Alpha Phi chapter, and that next year, recruitment will be done in the summer.

Fall recruitment gave biology freshman Kate Moore an opportunity that she otherwise would not have had.

Moore, a student athletic trainer for the football team, said that she could not take part in the summer recruitment week because of football practice.

“My family lives in Virginia,” Moore said.  “I’m eight hours away from home, and being part of Alpha Phi really makes the campus feel a lot smaller, a lot more welcoming … like home.”

Over 200 girls began Alpha Phi’s recruitment process, before the four rounds narrowed the number down to the 140 new pledges who signed their bid day cards.

Alpha Phi will be involved in nearly every Greek event starting with a hazing seminar on Monday, Bouche said.

Bouche said the sorority, with the help of consultants, has already set up date parties and philanthropy events for the upcoming year.

“You name it, we’ve got it,” she said.

Alpha Phi was chosen over two other sororities to be the university’s new organization. UK decided to bring a new organization to campus because existing houses and Panhellenic Council officers believed that the “community was ready,” Bouche said.

The UK chapter is the organization’s 150th chapter across the nation, she said.

Because the sorority is newly formed, it lacks experienced members to serve as big sisters, Bouche said.

That’s where Kelley Schillig, a member of the Panhellenic Council, stepped in. Schillig coordinated efforts to bring girls from other UK sororities to serve as big sisters while the young sorority adjusts to its environment.

“We wanted there to be someone where the new pledges could ask questions, someone they could go to if they need anything,” Schillig said.  “They’re mainly juniors and seniors, so they know the campus, they know the Greek system.”

The surrogate big sisters will be offering their help for a ten-day period, she said.  After that, they will turn it over to the Alpha Phi sisters themselves.

“We don’t want to overstep our boundaries and not let [the girls] have their own Alpha Phi experience,” Schillig said. “After ten days, the Alpha Phi sisters will be better prepared, and we can take a step back.”

“The UK community has been nothing but welcoming,” Bouche said.  “We’ve felt like we were home from day one.”