Progressive sorority gains colony status
Published April 13, 2007
MU's division of Gamma Rho Lambda sorority gained colony status after a visit from a representative of the national Gamma Rho Lambda organization.
Gamma Rho Lambda is a national sorority for progressive women.
The Delta colony is planning activities to increase awareness of the colony and to explain its goals.
"We wish to establish a community with a support network for women who may not feel comfortable or who many not fit in with a traditional sorority," said junior Ashlee Kolieboi, co-founder and spokeswoman for the colony.
Sophomore Ashley Price is also a co-founder and serves as president of the colony. She said the colony has 22 members, and it began as an interest group before a visit from Lindsey Smith, vice president of expansion for the Gamma Rho Lambda national organization.
Kolieboi said it usually takes an interested group a semester to become a colony, but the MU group only took two months to gain colony status.
Smith is a member of Gamma Rho Lambda's founding chapter, which was formed at Arizona State University.
Smith met with Price and Vice President Kelley Robinson to discuss the constitution and bylaws of Gamma Rho Lambda.
"They are very confident, and they should be because they're very intelligent and will well-represent Missouri," Smith said.
Robinson said she wants the colony to become involved in the Greek community.
"I really want to make this more than a student organization," she said. "I want to make it a sisterhood."
Robinson said the colony has gotten information from the Multicultural Greek Council, a council in Greek Life that acts as an umbrella organization for diversity-oriented Greek organizations, but it is not officially associated with MGC. The colony plans to apply for associate member status and will apply for full status when it achieves chapter status.
"We would like to show the campus that multiculturalism in Greek Life takes on many areas of identity, and we would be proud to have them in our council," MGC Intake Representative Azeema Akram stated in an e-mail.
The Delta colony will play host to a fundraiser and meet and greet, called "The New GRL's on the Block," scheduled for Saturday.