Article by: Addison Goodwin, Contributing Writer, Photo from Pi Beta Phi Website
The University of South Alabama will be welcoming its first College Panhellenic Council (CPC) extension in more than 40 years. Pi Beta Phi will join the South Alabama community as a new sorority for women to find belonging and purpose through sisterhood.
Over the years, South’s CPC has considered bringing a new sorority to campus but did not see a deep need for it until recently. In the last few years, South has seen a steady increase in females registered to go through primary recruitment. In fact, chapters increased their maximum from 160 members to 189 members over the past year. Additionally, hundreds of girls were being released from the primary recruitment cycle at South because there was not enough room for them in established sorority chapters. As sorority chapters continued to fill up, the Panhellenic Council came to an agreement that they needed to give college women more opportunities to join Panhellenic life.
The process to establish a new chapter at South is tedious, with eight national Panhellenic chapters having applied for the spot. Out of these eight, only three were invited to present in campus-wide presentations. Ella White, South’s College Panhellenic Council President-Elect, said that “across the board, Pi Beta Phi… [has] very minimal cons to their organization… they had a lot of love for not only Panhellenic, but our entire community, and they even had a love for our Mobile community.”
Since South has fewer Greek organizations compared to schools like the University of Alabama or Auburn, a new organization will give more women the opportunity to find a sorority that aligns with their personal values. White also said,“This is going to allow girls to become founding members, which is extraordinary. It’s gonna be such a fulfilling feeling for them and also allows them to be a part of history on campus.”
While other Greek organizations on campus promote organizations such as Make-A-Wish, the Arthritis Foundation, and Fighting Hunger, Pi Beta Phi looks to serve communities by promoting literacy, which brings a new philanthropic idea to campus. On this topic, White said, “I think that’s gonna bring in a lot more girls just because it’s something unique.” In addition, Bailey Smith, South alumna and CPC advisor, said, “This is a great opportunity for women who may be on the fence about joining Greek life.”
Over the next year or so, Pi Beta Phi seeks to learn more about campus and teach students about the organization to get themselves established at South Alabama and in the Mobile community. In the 2027 spring semester, the Pi Beta Phi national organization will choose one woman, likely either an active member of the organization from another university or a former active member, to live in Mobile and to serve as a consultant on campus. This consultant will work to learn about the campus, begin making plans for the introduction of the organization, and teach students about the opportunities Pi Beta Phi will bring. The sorority will be a part of the philanthropy round of recruitment in the fall semester of 2027, but will likely not begin proper recruitment until the fall semester of 2028.
White wants students to know, “Don’t be scared. Pi Beta Phi is not coming in to hurt anyone. They are not coming in to negatively impact any of our current chapters.” In addition, Grace Abernathy, South alumna and CPC advisor, said, “This is momentum in the right direction, and growth is a great thing.”
The South Alabama College Panhellenic Council looks forward to welcoming Pi Beta Phi to campus and hopes students will do the same. Follow Pi Beta Phi’s Instagram page @usapibetaphi in order to stay up-to-date on the happenings of the organization as they look to bring a positive and lasting impact to not only the students of South Alabama but to the community of Mobile as well.
