In response to the one-year recruitment sanction imposed on Delta Nu for the Spring 2016 recruitment season, the Panhellenic Council has increased the new member quota for Dickinson’s remaining three sororities, a move that Greek life presidents expect will negatively impact the remaining sororities and first-year women.

Last spring, Delta Nu was banned from participating in recruitment for the spring of 2016. According to Sarah Cole ’17, a Panhellenic delegate, about 300 women from the first-year class are planning to go through spring recruitment.

The combination of one sorority being excluded from recruitment and the large first-year class size has led the Panhellenic administration, which is composed of elected officers and voting delegates from each sorority, to ask that each sorority to take at least 50 women, but ideally 60 to 75. The previous quota was 35 new members each year.

The sororities that will be participating in spring recruitment are Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Pi Beta Phi.

“These respective chapters have been working with their advisors and national organizations to be as ready as possible for this increase,” stated Erica Gordon, administrative advisor for the Panhellenic Council. 

Delta Nu’s sanction will require the other sororities to give more bids, but Greek life presidents worry that doing so will still leave a large number of first-year women without an opportunity to participate. Valencia de Santos ’16, president of Kappa Kappa Gamma, fears that this will add an element of exclusivity to Greek life.

“Taking Delta Nu out of recruitment is not just punishing their sorority,” de Santos said. “It is punishing all of the sororities, it is punishing the women going through recruitment, it is punishing Greek life as a whole.”

De Santos claimed that, “although Delta Nu only will be excluded for one year, the effects of the punishment will last for a long time to recover from them not being able to participate.”

Abby Marriott ’16, president of Pi Beta Phi, said, “I know what joining a sorority did for me and for my experience at Dickinson, so my biggest concern is other girls are going to be missing out on that.”

Gillian Maguire ’16, Kappa Alpha Theta’s CEO, explained that “the addition of more new members than usual, will certainly be an adjustment, but we are very excited for the opportunity to expand our sisterhood.”

Lea Simms ’16, president of Delta Nu, agreed to discuss the matter but was unable to comment on many of the issues at hand because the sanction is a “touchy subject” for them. Delta Nu as an organization wants to cooperate with the sanctions put in place by administration and did not want the content of this article to jeopardize their cooperation.

When asked about the sanction, Cole said, “It is definitely still an issue that I believe we are just going to have to deal with.”

Gordon confirmed that “the sanction will not be overturned.” She also said that as a result of the sanctions, “Delta Nu has been using this time to actively and consistently engage with their Alumnae Advisory Board.”

“Delta Nu feels really bad that we are hurting the whole process of recruitment. It’s hard to know that other sororities are suffering too,” Simms reported.