By Kelly Morgan Whetstone Staff Writer

The national sorority of Theta Phi Alpha at Wesley College will have eight of its 34 members graduating this spring semester.

This is the highest number of members of one Greek organization graduating in one semester in four years at Wesley College.

How do I know this statistic? I’ve been to every May graduation in the past four years.

A common tradition of Greek men and women perform when graduating: they decorate the top of their graduation cap with their organization’s letters. Greek men and women also represent their organization by wearing stools around their neck that show- off the sorority’s or fraternity’s colors and letters.

I’m so proud to be a part of the eight women who will decorate their caps and or wear the gold and blue graduation stool on May 7.

At Wesley, on average, a Greek organization has about four members who graduate in the spring. That is 7 percent per organization.

Theta Phi Alpha has 24 percent, or nearly a quar- ter, of its members graduating this semester.

This semester is also the first that Theta Phi Alpha has been recognized as a National Chapter.

I’m proud of Theta Phi Alpha for representing eight members in one graduating class.

Having a high number of represented Greek women graduating looks good for Theta Phi Alpha and Greek sororities at Wesley.

I know a lot of incoming freshman have thought about joining a sorority but are taken aback by the negative rumors about Greeks, which portray them as strictly partiers.

I want more incoming freshman to check out both national sororities on campus because being involved in a Greek organization has helped me sus- tain high academic standards throughout my college career.

Darcy White is one of five nursing students in Theta Phi Alpha who will be graduating in May partly because her sisters have helped her through- out her college career.

By Kelly Morgan

“My sisters push me to do better in school and strive for the best in all my classes,” she said. “Hav- ing people with the same goals and aspirations around you all the time really helps you to achieve your goals.”

Nina Vira, also a nursing major, is honored to have fellow sorority sisters graduate with her.

“The nursing program is a tough program, but I am so happy that I have the support of four sisters of Theta Phi Alpha to help me, and vice-versa,” Vira said. “Even though I have friends throughout the program, I know that my sisters will always be there for me. It is going to be such an honor to stand next to them at the pinning ceremony.”

Fellow nursing students graduating with White and Vira include Melissa Heeneke and Beth Ange- lucci.

Jamie Pruitt, graduating media arts major, thinks it’s an honor for Theta Phi Alpha to have eight wom- en graduating.

“We all work very hard for what we do and what each of us has accomplished on our own and together,” Pruitt said. “Theta Phi Alpha helped me with leadership skills and gave me motivation to show our younger sisters that college can be fun at the same time as doing work.”

Pruitt, Kaitlyn Ballance, Psychology major, and myself are the only graduates not receiving a nurs- ing degree.

Julia Vekasy, nursing major, said having eight members graduating this spring is a good way for women of the sorority to act as positive role models for the organization’s younger sisters.

“This proves that we pride ourselves not only on community service and the bonds of sisterhood, but we take our academics seriously,” she said.

As foundering members of this organization at Wesley, I hope this accomplishment of eight sisters in one graduating class sets a precedent for my or- ganization.

As the freshman classes at Wesley increase, I want my organization to grow successfully and eventually double and triple the number of gradu- ates in my graduating class of spring 2011.