By Jenna Fitzgerald | Contributor
Baylor’s chapter of the Delta Kappa Delta sorority regained active chapter status Sunday for the first time since 2017.
Chapters are required to have 10 sisters before receiving active chapter status. Before initiation, Baylor’s chapter only had four sisters. At initiation, it gained eight more.
Frisco sophomore Keree Bhalodia, DKD’s recruitment advisor, said active chapter status “means that we’ve solidified our place on campus.”
“As a multicultural sorority, that can really have an impact,” Bhalodia said. “We have a lot of goals for ourselves as sisters and as a sisterhood collectively, and having that active chapter status lets us continue to do those things that we want to do and help get notoriety for the work that we do. Unfortunately, there’s kind of a stigma about being inactive, but we pushed through all that; now it’s behind us, and we have the future to look forward to.”
DKD is a South Asian service sorority on the Multicultural Greek Council. San Antonio junior Shazi Sagani, the organization’s president, said recruiting students is typically more difficult for sororities on the Multicultural Greek Council than it is for those on the Panhellenic Greek Council. However, she also said she recognizes the benefits of having a smaller sorority.
“My favorite thing about DKD is that, while it’s still a sorority and has the elements of a Panhellenic sorority, it’s a lot smaller, so it enforces a lot of closer bonds within the sisterhood,” Sagani said. “You get to know each person independently. You get to build a very close one-on-one relationship with them.”
In order to recruit enough students to regain active chapter status, DKD sisters relied primarily on social media and word of mouth. Lewisville freshman Preethi Potluri, a DKD initiate, said she is excited to get involved with the sisterhood that DKD offers, both at the Baylor level and at the national level.
“My favorite thing about DKD is the sisterhood,” Potluri said. “There’s a group of girls that I know will always be there, and they all have similar cultures. So it’s easy to relate to them on a campus that’s not as diverse as I’m used to.”
At initiation, DKD initiates dressed up, became official sisters and took photos. However, Bhalodia said her initiation last fall was a deeper moment in her college career. She said she hopes the new initiates feel a similar significance as they embark on their journeys with DKD.
“I really hope they can see the enthusiasm and passion that we have for our culture and service and all the ideas that we truly try to represent,” Bhalodia said. “I have so much love for this sorority, and initiation is truly that one event where they are joining us. I really hope they take away that this is going to be an incredible opportunity for them, and I’m so excited for the experiences that they have coming.”
