Alpha Xi Delta members at Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ.
Cam AdamsSeptember 28, 2026

Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµwelcomes new sorority to campus for first time in 30 years

Four Alpha Xi Delta members pose for a photo.

For the first time in 30 years, Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ is welcoming a new sorority back on campus. 

Alpha Xi Delta, a women’s fraternity, has returned to Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµafter a short hiatus, starting this fall.

“It's always an exciting thing for our Greek community to expand,� said Lindsay Jacaruso, director of fraternity and sorority life at WCU. “Having this return agreement and being able to initiate this process has been really exciting because our community has been growing so rapidly.�

Alpha Xi Delta, which was originally chartered at Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµin 1966, left campus in 2021. However, there was a return agreement between the organization and WCU, and the university was able to fulfill that agreement this year.

“We are thrilled to bring the Epsilon Gamma chapter back home to Western Carolina University,â€� said Elysia Gallivan, Alpha Xi Delta national executive director. “The fraternity and sorority community is flourishing at Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ, and we look forward to welcoming new members into our sisterhood very soon.â€�

The sorority has welcomed Alpha Xi Delta staff and alumni to Cullowhee to help get the chapter off the ground. This includes a full-time, on-site staff member, who will be on campus for the next couple of years.

The addition provides students with a unique opportunity to be a founding member.

“Founding members really get to set the tone for what the chapter will be like for, a lot of times, the course of its tenure on a campus,� said Caroline Parris, senior assistant director of fraternity and sorority life.

“They're deciding what kind of standards they want to hold their organization, what kind of events they want to plan, positive traditions they want to do, so they're really getting to be the next generation of sorority women at Western, which is really exciting.�

The sorority’s return is also a chance for Alpha Xi Delta alumni to have another connection back to WCU.

“It's extra exciting if we're able to connect the alumni desire for this organization to come back, the opportunity and the vision and purpose of Alpha Xi Delta, in order to enhance our Greek community,� Jacaruso said.

“All good things. We're really, really excited. Alpha Xi Delta has been great partners, and I think this will do really lovely things for a great community.�

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