Currently, the sorority has six Leadership Consultants rather than an official chapter of women. Leadership Consultants Cora Johnson was a colony member in Sigma Kappa at Florida Atlantic University and Cossette Powley joined the sorority as a junior at University of Arizona. Johnson and Powley both lead the Consultant team as they inform potential new members about the “value-based organization.”

“Our purpose is to provide women life long opportunities and support for social, intellectual and spiritual development by bringing women together to positively impact the community,” Johnson said.

Sigma Kappa, with the open motto of, “One Heart, One Way,” was founded on Nov. 9, 1874 in Waterville, Maine at Colby College. The sorority has its trademarks, such as the pearl, the wild purple violet flower, the colors maroon and lavender and the symbols of the dove and the heart. Its values are rooted in personal growth, friendship, service and loyalty. Their philanthropy is mostly dedicated to Alzheimer’s disease research.

Director of Extension Melinda Mettler said Sigma Kappa is still working on getting a house with the National Housing Corporation. They hope to move in Sept. 2016.

According to Mettler, the experience with the UO Greek Life community has been positive so far.

“Everyone has been so welcoming,” Mettler said.

Johnson said UO decided to expand in 2014 and Sigma Kappa was searching for new places to find its roots at the same time, leading to a mutual agreement to welcome the sorority to campus.

“This Greek community is supporting and the community overall is supporting,” Johnson said.

The sorority starts their recruitment events this week with personal visits on Oct. 19-20 in the EMU Gumwood Room and Oct. 21-23 in Bean East Conference Room. Personal visits do require sign up before attendance, but the sign up is located on UO Sigma Kappa’s homepage.

Sigma Kappa also has events that are open to anyone, including their Philanthropy Night on Oct. 20 and their Sisterhood Night on Oct. 22, both in the Ford Alumni Center Ballroom at 7:00 p.m.

Their preference ceremony is on Oct. 24 at 3:00 p.m. and their own Bid Day is celebrated on Oct. 25 at 12:30 p.m. Both events are by-invitation only.

According to Johnson, a good number of women showed interest in joining Sigma Kappa, but some other women like first year Victoria Blanger do not plan on rushing for the sorority. However, Blanger sees Sigma Kappa as an organization that is out there that some people need.

According to Blanger, the sorority will gain many new women.

“Everyone wants to be apart of something, so I feel like they would get a lot of people,” Blanger said.

According to Mettler, recruitment results have not surfaced, as they have only been spreading the word about their organization and their events for this week.

“We definitely take quality over quantity,” Johnson said.

For first years interested in joining Sigma Kappa, one can sign up for a personal visit on the sorority’s website and continue with the events from there. There are also more casual options.

“Don’t hesitate to contact a Leadership Consultant and they are more than happy to grab lunch and talk to you,” Mettler said.

One can also reach out to a Leadership Consultant through email, their website or the UO Fraternity and Sorority Life office.

“We are just very excited to be on campus and we are definitely ready to expand the Greek community,” Johnson said.

For 710 women on Oct. 6, the bid in their hands led them to their own chapter home.

“It feels like being sorted into a house in Harry Potter,” Emilie Steinblums, new Kappa Alpha Theta member, said.

A record-breaking 960 potential new members registered for 2015 Fall Formal Recruitment; just about 100 more women than last year.

“We did eventually have to cap registration this year, and we did do that as well, but we capped at a lower number last year,”Josie Roberts, Panhellenic Council Vice President of Recruitment, said. “So this year, we went ahead and closed registration at about 960 women.”

Fitting 960 women in to meet all of the chapters was a time crunch.

“We had to have another event just so that we could fit all of the women in the chapter houses without breaking fire code,” Roberts said. “We had to just add another party to that fifth day and that just extended the night another thirty minutes.”

This year about 250 women did not find a chapter that fit them. Leadership Days let women to visit every chapter and go through an interview process. After those days, PNMs and the chapters rate each other. After, the women receive a schedule of which chapters they would to return to.

“Every time we have a new schedule come out and women are looking at their choices, sometimes that’s when we usually start seeing withdrawal,” Roberts said.

Although some women turned away from sorority life, other women like new Kappa Alpha Theta member Isabella Conferti found recruitment an educational experience.

“Although recruitment was a stressful and tiring experience, it was overall enjoyable and worth it in the end,” Isabella Conferti, new Kappa Alpha Theta member, said. “For anyone that is considering going to recruitment, it is a good experience regardless if you get into a house at all because it helps develop your communication skills.”

According to Steinblums, the chapter that each woman chooses to be apart of embodies the traits and disposition of that woman.

“I feel like whatever house you end up in, ends up reflecting on the house,” Steinblums said.

For Roberts, recruitment was an incredibly positive experience this year.

“It’s just great to see a transformation from the first day when everyone was just kind of checking in all the way to the end, and now they’re going to be setting off on their new member journey and learning about their chapter and what it’s all about and really starting that experience so it felt like a really positive year this year,” Roberts said.

Looking to join in during next year’s recruitment is new chapter Sigma Kappa, to which Roberts is excited to have a part of the sorority community.

“We’re really excited to have Sigma Kappa here recolonizing because that’s going to open the door for so many more women next year,” Roberts said.

As for this year, many new members like Conferti are pleased with how the process of recruitment played out.

“Overall, you’re going to be happy in any sorority you end up in,” Conferti said.

Women interested in Sigma Kappa are encouraged to attend an informational meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 7:00 p.m. in Pacific 123.

Malak Almunuify stands as the first female president for University of Oregon’s Saudi Student Association.

“I am the first woman to be a leader in Eugene, but I am not the first woman to be a leader,” Almunuify said. “Women are being leaders is not new.”

In the beginning of the school year, the SSA conducted a formal celebration for the National Day for Saudi Arabia with 150 people and gifts provided for children.

“The goal was to show Americans and everyone our culture,” Almunuify said.

Abdulrhman “AJ” Aljaafari, previous SSA President and current EMU Board of Directors member said when he was president he had a female vice president, who he attributes many of his successes to.

“Culture plays a huge role in both men and women understanding,” Aljaafari said. “There is a council similar to congress in Saudi Arabia, and for the past five years, there has been a woman in that council and that’s a huge deal for women.”

Making headway in the recent media is Saudi Arabia’s new election of women into the municipal councils and how 130,000 women are now registered to vote.

“Now women are given the chance to vote,” Aljaafari said. “It’s very important for women to see themselves as leaders. It is important to have both males and females to change misconceptions about Saudis.”

Fahma Mohammed, former Muslim Student Association board member, said the way Americans see Muslims is based off extremists reported by the media.

“The way Americans see women in Islam is what they see in the media,” Mohammed said. “I honestly blame not only the individuals, [but also] the media to how Americans see Muslims.”

Mohammed said she acknowledges the growth that Muslims have achieved regarding the value of women, which is in contrast to what many Americans choose to believe.

“Back in the day, men knew what roles they had, and women knew what they had to do for the family and it was very separated,” Mohammed said. “Now, men grow up and they have the value of women taught to them. It’s this very equal understanding that just because I am a woman, I don’t have to be put down.”

Aljaafari said he suggested the idea of presidency to Almunuify and she was very surprised. However, Almunuify said she grew excited about the idea and her family supported her.

“When I first thought about being president, I called my brother and my family and they were very supportive of it and called me every day,” Almunuify said. “Family might be the most important and all of my friends are like my family. Men and women alike, we are a family to create a good environment here for all Saudi students and international students.”

Almunuify said she plans to create more of a community between all of the international groups, as there is a noticeable separation between them.

“International Student Groups are all kind of isolated by themselves, Saudi by themselves and Arab by themselves. It’s important for the UO community to be as unified as possible despite the culture and backgrounds,” Aljaafari said. “I know [Almunuify] will represent the community very well.”

Almunuify said she is focused on not only giving women a voice, but also making the community feel satisfied.

“We just want people to be happy,” Almunuify said.

The Fraternity and Sorority Life office has been in Oregon Hall for the last few years, but the organization’s newly-acquired space in the under-development Erb Memorial Union will allow for more communication between FSL and other student groups.

Director of the EMU, Laurie Woodward says members of FSL have been trying to get this space in the EMU for some time now through petitions. Most colleges have an FSL suite in the student center on campus.

“We’re just trying to get this building alive from all walks of life,” Woodward said. “The whole goal is to build community.”

The suite will enable FSL to communicate more effectively with other student groups, Director of FSL Justin Shukas said in an email.

“The new office space will allow our staff to be more accessible and will encourage students to be able to collaborate with other student organizations in the EMU as well as utilize the new conference room and event spaces for programming,” Shukas said. “FSL will be in the hub of student life at UO.”

While FSL has not reached out to other student groups in the past because of its placement in Oregon Hall, this new location might be the push FSL needs to connect with others in the future, Nakai Corral, ASUO senator and FSL member, said.

“Giving [FSL] a space where they can interact with student groups, I can see them begin to bridge the gaps that we’re seeing,” Corral said.

The suite will also make room for more collaboration between staff and students within the organization, Shukas said.

“FSL has never had its own space to program and meet in,” Shukas said. “The new space will give FSL a physical location in the center of student life on campus. There will be a meeting area for eight to 10 students as well as several workstations for FSL members and council and chapter leaders to utilize.”

The previous space in Oregon Hall is too small for all the things an organization as big as FSL is doing, Corral said.

“My initial experience with the FSL office in Oregon Hall is there are too many people doing too many things in that small space,” Corral said. “There are a lot of meetings that need a lot of space.”

Shukas also said that the space will better provide aid for FSL members.

“There will be meeting space, study space and staff offices to support programming, advising and collaboration for all members and organizations,” Shukas said.

Woodward said FSL was not the first organization the EMU committee thought of putting in the basement area that will be FSL’s new home.

“We thought about making a dance studio, but then others enlightened me that you can’t put a dance studio on top of cement because it isn’t good for the dancers’ ankles, so we offered it to FSL instead,” Woodward said.

When planning for the new EMU was commencing, FSL was in the Holden Leadership Center, leaving them out of the plans until this space in the basement popped up, Woodward said.

FSL hopes to move into its new suite in May 2016.

While fraternities have confronted national Fraternity and Sorority Life stereotypes through community service, diversity and education, members agree a bridge of communication must be built within the FSL community to succeed in changing.

An image James Holloway, Interfraternity Council Vice President of Recruitment, said lingers as an FSL stereotype is the white, affluent members.

“I’m a half Chinese, English, Danish, Native American and Polynesian member,” Holloway said. “I don’t fit the stereotype and I think there are many like that. The more we’re able to recruit, the more we’ll be able to include diversity.”

Holloway said many fraternities are distinct with not only an array of races, but also a variety of ideas that allow chapters to grow.

Other stereotypes associated with FSL nationally include high sexual violence, hazing and alcohol abuse problems, Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji) president, Michael Lyford said.

“Our leaders are working hard to fight it, but it’s a culture entrenched in the culture,” Lyford said.

Fiji has focused on sexual assault as their philanthropy last spring and raised $2,000 for “Men Can Stop Rape,” an organization that empowers men to solve their issues without violence. The fraternity is planning to combine the money raised with ASUO funds and help from the Men’s Center to develop conversations about sexual assault within fraternities.

“Really for the world, there are a lot of conflicts and it’s because people aren’t listening and having open conversations,” Lyford said.

Fiji is also working to improve their community service participation.

Another FSL stereotype is the label of an exclusive community, Mitchell Parks, Delta Upsilon vice president of membership education, said.

The fraternity has worked toward enriching not only the college experience, but the life experience as well, by volunteering for organizations like Food Love, Friends of Trees, Food For Lane County and more, Parks said.

“We promote the bonds of friendship that will get us farther,” Parks said.

Both Lyford and Parks say a deeper integration of the FSL community is needed to help keep the momentum going to have conversations around challenging stereotypes.

“We’ve galvanized over sexual assault issues, [but] some people lose focus on why we’re here,” Parks said.

Parks said committees like the FSL Task Force for Sexual Violence Prevention, a group committed to preventing sexual violence within FSL, helps bridge a line of communication in increasing their positive impact on the University of Oregon community.

“Sororities and the community can help [through] constructive criticism,” Parks said.

Lyford said UO students, staff and FSL members choosing to speak up when there is something wrong will help in fighting FSL stereotypes.

“Where we are now isn’t where we need to be, where we want to be,” Lyford said.