Opinion: Sigma Kappa had a difficult time recruiting this year due to disrespect from potential new members
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Sorority recruitment at the University of Oregon took place at the beginning of October. With 11 chapters and over 800 potential new members, the Panhellenic Council was in for a ride this year. Yet the chapter with the most outlandish experience was Sigma Kappa.
The members went into recruitment expecting some peculiarities. The UO chapter, along with others around the country, lost its facility earlier this year due to a decision from the Sigma Kappa National Housing Corporation. 
To accommodate these changes, Sigma Kappa held their recruitment in the Erb Memorial Union building. This subfactor set the chapter at a slight disadvantage, as the other 10 chapters on campus recruited in their own facilities.
UO fourth-year student Jordana Young is a member of Sigma Kappa. She had an outside perspective on recruitment this year by being on the Panhellenic Council. Young noticed a lot of negative backlash after the first day.
“When things are new, it’s normally a turnoff for people. A lot of freshmen who are PNMs aren’t looking for different,” Young said.
I had a unique perspective like Young’s. I was a recruitment counselor, meaning I temporarily disaffiliated from my chapter to help potential new members throughout the process.
In the first two days, I heard a few negative comments about Sigma Kappa, particularly about them not having a facility. I quickly shut down the rumors to the best of my ability. It wasn’t until mid-recruitment that the backlash got out of hand.
Rumors of “tanking” began circulating in the Panhellenic community. The term can be best described as PNMs purposely disrespecting chapter recruiters so they won’t be invited back. The lengths they go to are pretty appalling, from talking about inappropriate things to body shaming.
Young checked in with her sisters after each day, where she noted countless stories of tanking. PNMs would frequently verbally disrespect members in Sigma Kappa, according to Young.
“To hear my sisters go through such hardship and face instances where PNMs literally turn around and refuse to talk to people. It’s a lack of human connection,” she said.
Young believes tanking ties back to outside factors, such as social media, Greek Rank and peers. Ultimately, it’s a way for PNMs to get what they want.
Aside from the disrespect, tanking misrepresents Panhellenic values and what they stand for. PHC emphasizes a sense of community and empowerment, where all of the chapters are united and collaborate. PHC has taken strides to move away from the toxic energy these PNMs bear.
“Our values are based on siblinghood, like bringing people together and raising each other up. Even women empowerment in Panhellenic and being inclusive towards all people. They don’t represent us because that’s not what we stand for,” Young said.
By the end of recruitment, the effects of tanking were prominent. The amount of Sigma Kappa new members was noticeably smaller than the other chapters.
“I was caught off-guard but also I guess shocked. It’s hard hearing 50, 50, 50 and then 15. It’s like, oh wow. That’s a reality,” Young said.
Realistically, it’s no coincidence that the smallest chapter with some of the most racial and body diversity experienced hostility. The absence of a facility was just a facade. As said before, tanking is not a new thing. We should be addressing why discrimination towards diverse chapters persists.
The Panhellenic Council is now discussing how to better prevent tanking for the next recruitment. In terms of Sigma Kappa, the members welcomed their new sisters with open arms. The chapter continues to grow as they search for a new facility.
“Definitely a learning curve for all of us, figuring out how we’re going to run a chapter differently than we ever before,” Young said. “We don’t know a lot yet, but we’ll figure it out. It’s a work in progress for sure.”
Editors’ Note: Monica Hobbs is a member of UO’s Kappa Alpha Theta sorority chapter.