The women in black walk along the paved sidewalks of the mall area as small felt pins bounce off their ironed white shirts coated in starch. With black backpacks, shoes, tights and pencil skirts, ‘biddies’ line up at the corner intersection between the GATA fountain and Brown Library. Slowly and quietly, each ‘Biddie’ arrives and acknowledges the Delta Theta officers.
Previously known as ‘Lucky 13’, a service community group, and later transitioning into Delta Theta, the women decided to recharter for more community, better opportunity and a more unique college experience. In 2011, Delta Theta became inactive due to the lack of sponsors. However, in the spring of 2017, Lucky 13 received the Student Life approval to recharter and began the process of electing officers and planning rushes for the following fall semester.
There was now a new club on campus and they were ready to get started.
Shelby Short, sophomore kinesiology major from Caddo Mills, was elected as the new president for the rechartered women of Delta Theta. Short said the rechartering of D.T. was initiated when she first found out how much history was involved– the abundant amount of charity work and alum that came out of it.
“I heard about Delta Theta through family and friends who had attended ACU,” said Short. “When I visited with them and relived the history, I knew I had to learn more. After researching and delving into its history I soon realized that Delta Theta was something I knew I just had to be a part of my ACU experience.”
Short said the initial intention behind Lucky 13 –now Delta Theta– was to create lasting relationships between a small group of women and maybe say a ghost story here or there.
“The purpose of Delta Theta is to create a bond of spiritual and personal friendship through the association with the girls at Abilene Christian University,” said Short. “It’s funny how you can live in community every day and still feel like you lack it. After starting Lucky 13 and being able to be Delta Theta, I first thought I wanted it to happen. Now that I am a part of it, I realized this is something I needed. Having girls behind me in every situation in life is the greatest feeling.”
As the 29 Biddies walk among the sea of red skirts, beige collared shirts and yellow lunch boxes, each biddie reveals no secret nor exclaims a chant, song or acknowledgement of any campus statue along the corders of the bible building or overflowed water fountain.
Just ask one and you’ll see that they prefer “baking” more than anything else.
Proudly wearing the formal colors of black and white, each biddie hopes to soon join this little club of women.
Kristen McLarty, a sophomore kinesiology major from South Lake, said she enjoys the smallness of the group which makes it easier to get to know each girl’s personality.
“[Delta Theta] has given me a good group of community that I can always rely on,” said McLarty.
Just like McLarty and Short, Leksi Vasquez, a junior biology major from Wichita Falls, said that one of main motives for getting D.T. rechartered was the abundent amount of alums that wouldn’t have any club to come home to.
“Since we’ve been around since 1925, there’s like mothers and grandmothers and we’ve been getting a lot of people telling us that we’re so excited that you’re coming back,” said Vasquez. “We are very excited about the growth as far as student body goes. Since the freshman classes are only getting bigger and bigger and with a bigger school comes more opportunities.”
Vasquez said D.T. would still like to keep some of the community service acts it did when it was considered ‘Lucky 13’. Vasquez said they will continue to work with local retirement homes and veterans just to keep that community aspect alive.
“We are still hoping to grow in our service and we’re so excited to get the year officially started,” said Vasquez.
As the each day ends and the time hits five o’clock, the the women dressed in black stroll on the paved swirling sidewalks with their white binders tightly gripped between their fingers awaiting for the next day of biddie allegiance to commence.
