Opening their doors for the first time on the UNH campus this year is the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority.
Though the sorority is still in the recruiting process, the ultimate bid day for the group will be Sunday, Oct 23.
“We are hoping to accept around 190 girls. So far we have over 300 girls who have applied,” Phi Sigma Sigma Leadership Development Consultant Marissa Silverman said.
With a national headquarters for the organization in Elkridge, Maryland, the group hopes to continue growing.
“We have a lot of other chapters in the area and UNH selected our sorority to come to campus,” Silverman said. “We’re trying to expand across the nation.”
According to Silverman, UNH fraternity and sorority recruitment numbers are increasing, and since each sorority can only hold so many members, there was a need for more sorority options on campus. UNH reached out to Phi Sigma Sigma to start a chapter on the Durham campus to allow for another choice on this matter.

For the next week or so, the group will hold informational presentations and group interviews in order to get to know candidates. “At the end of the week we will have another chapter from the area to talk to the girls about how an established chapter works,” Silverman said.
According to Silverman, Phi Sigma Sigma UNH chapter founders are hoping to have an executive board selected within the next month and a half.
“These girls have the opportunity to join a new chapter on campus and start everything from the beginning that can continue on for years here at UNH,” Silverman said,
Junior sociology major Annette McNulty is one of the many UNH undergrads who now have interest in joining the newest sorority on campus.
“I think it’s cool to be a founder of the sorority, not just a member,” McNulty said. “This community seems really appealing to me. One of my roommates is doing it too, so that’s helpful. Trying something new is always good, too.”
Silverman noted that the group has been promised it’s own sorority house for next fall 2017, though the location hasn’t been finalized.
Overall, the group appears to have a positive outlook on the situation as a whole.
“We’re excited to be here. Everyone has been very welcoming, including other fraternities and sororities,” Silverman said.  “It’s a unique opportunity to be a founder of a Phi Sigma Sigma chapter on campus.”
McNulty issued a similar sense of expression, saying that she was excited for “being a part of a group, making more friends, being part of a community and doing community service.”