Chapter History

In 1967, only one national sorority existed at South Dakota State University, so the administrative assistant to the president of the University asked Kathleen Nagle, an Alpha Xi Delta and a member of the faculty, if she would start a chapter of Alpha Xi Delta on the campus. She agreed to assume the responsibility after approval from National Council, and membership selection began.

In the spring of 1971, SAE and Alpha Xi Delta came together to hold an Easter Egg hunt on campus, that was also sponsored by the Brookings Chamber of Commerce, which included hiding 1,500, eggs on the campus green. This event is still celebrated and will be coming into its 45th year.

Twenty-one women became colony pledges on April 6, 1968, and the group was installed as Epsilon Eta Chapter the weekend of November 15-17, 1968. A housing corporation was formed in 1975 and four years later a house was located that would be home for ten members.

In the fall of 2012, fifteen members of Alpha Xi delta moved into the new two-story home across from McCrory Gardens, which broke ground after the Hobo Day parade in 2011.

Academics are important to our chapter. In the Spring 2016 semester, Alpha Xi Delta had a higher GPA than SDSU's average, and had the highest cumulative GPA than any other Greek organization on campus.

Epsilon eta continues to grow with many new members from fall and spring recruitment, and we hope to continue to grow and share our sisterhood for many more years to come!