The Theta Theta chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority will close its doors for good at Mississippi State University in May if their appeal to Alpha Gamma Delta International Headquarters is not accepted. President Tamra Blocker said the group had no initial warning of the grave news they received Monday night.
“I knew they (national officers) were coming,” Blocker said. “But when they showed up at 8 p.m. and read the note (telling the group that it was being closed), it was really a total shock to everyone.”
Blocker said the group’s shock really stemmed from the fact that Alpha Gamma Delta members were currently working with their national officers and MSU’s Panhellenic council to up their membership from 31 members to 50 members by the end of this semester.
“They have not given us any reason,” Blocker said. “The most recent communication we had with them prior to this was positive remarks on our hard work. It makes us feel like we’ve been working so hard to just throw it out all of a sudden.”
“Mississippi State University hates to lose an organization like Alpha Gamma Delta,” director of student life Edwin Keith said.
Keith said he and assistant director of student life Heidie Lindsey were notified by the sorority’s national officers that they were coming to MSU’s campus and needed to speak with them, but he said he and Lindsey were not told any specifics.
“It’s never easy to see this happen,” Keith said. “It hurts everyone associated with the organization, but this doesn’t happen in one day.”
Keith said when he first came to MSU 11 years ago, the sorority had more than 100 members and was just shy of the over all greek average of 120-130.
Keith said in his 11-year history at MSU, he has seen 2 fraternities close for low membership numbers, and he said neither group was able to successfully appeal the decision to close.
Blocker said Monday night’s news left many members speechless, and “several girls lost it and had to leave the room.”
Blocker said that she and her sorority sisters are upset about losing their chapter, but she said they are more upset about the way their national officers handled the situation.
“We don’t feel they really handled the whole thing in a professional manner,” Blocker said. “We really could and should have been atleast warned.”
Although Blocker said sorority members did not agree with the way the matter was handled, she said she and her sorority sisters could not be more pleased with the support that MSU has shown them.
“They’ve been wonderful,” Blocker said. “Heidie Lindsey, Dr. (Edwin) Keith, Dr. (Jimmy) Abraham and Panhellenic have really been so supportive and willing to help in anyway. You would think that our national officers could have treated us a little better.”
Blocker said that she has 100 percent support to appeal the decision to close the house. She said that as soon as she is able to find out the specifications on the appeal process the sorority will appeal.
Blocker said that there are many details, including what will happen to their house and the debt it will have with the group’s absence, she has yet to learn.
Keith said that if the group is not successful in appealing to their International office, the house that Alpha Gamma Delta has been using on Sorority Row can be bought by any existing or new organization.
“We need at least one more sorority,” Keith said. “We really hope that the house will be bought by an organization.”
Keith said that Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi and Kappa Kappa Gamma are three sororities that have also closed their doors at MSU.