Three students this semester launched an initiative to add a new sorority to campus after the 2026 recruitment cycle saw record participation numbers and many applicants were not accepted to a sorority.
This effort included the circulation of a Change.org petition with 458 signatures, as of Monday, to bring to the Student Leadership and Impact Center — the organization that oversees Greek life — and show a need for a 10th sorority at Boston University.
Sophomore Jacquelyn Caballero, leader of the initiative, said she is waiting for the petition to reach 600 signatures before bringing the matter officially to SLIC.
In a statement to The Daily Free Press, Margaret Babson, the director of SLIC, did not confirm if a new sorority would be introduced on campus. The addition of a sorority must go through official review through SLIC’s new organization registration process, Panhellenic Council and individual sorority chapters, she wrote.
When evaluating the addition of another group within the Panhellenic community, Babson said she is taking into consideration the closure of BU’s Delta Delta Delta chapter, which shut down due to plummeting recruitment numbers this year.
“Given that one chapter was closed this year, SLIC is paying attention to engagement to ensure the best experience for new, and current members, of the Panhellenic sorority community,” Babson said. “It is important to respect those impacted by a chapter closure, as it involves current students who are experiencing a major change in their college experience.”
Caballero, a transfer student from the University of Tampa this fall, said the idea to introduce a new sorority came from her own search for community at BU and the high level of interest she saw in Greek life among the student body.
“There were so many girls that went through recruitment [this year] that didn’t get houses, or they were just frustrated so much by the recruitment process and how little attention they got because of how many girls were rushing that they would drop,” Caballero said.
Caballero participated in Greek life when she was attending the University of Tampa, and was initiated into the Alpha Chi Omega sorority. Because students are “bonded” to the sorority they are initiated into and ΑΧΩ does not currently have a chapter at BU, after transferring, she was unable to participate in Greek life at the University.
While adjusting to life at BU, Caballero said she found herself missing the kind of close-knit community her sorority had provided.
“Every single time I thought about what the school was missing, it was always a sense of community that was smaller than the 18,000 people that go to school here and bigger than any of my clubs,” Caballero said. “I always went back to missing my sorority.”
Caballero originally was looking to establish an ΑΧΩ chapter at BU but after witnessing high demand during the recruitment cycle, her goal shifted to simply convince the SLIC to allow any new sorority on campus.
Sophomore Julia Diaz reached out to Caballero to help lead the initiative after going through the 2026 recruitment cycle and seeing how often sororities had to meet with two or three girls at a time during the rush events.
“I just ended up dropping with the mass of other girls dropping because there’s just so much going on,” Diaz said.
Freshman Aryanna Morte said she dropped out of the recruitment process on the preference day because she felt like she had to compete with other potential new members to show her personality.
“Sometimes, we had to share one [sorority member] and talk with them. It felt like our voices were always colliding with each other when we were talking,” Morte said.
Morte said she was very discouraged by the process at times.
Freshman Chloe McComb, who received a bid from Alpha Delta Pi this semester, also said it was difficult to make a standout impression and connect with the members during the short conversations at events.
The four-day rush weekend includes online meetings with members of each sorority chapter. At the end of each round, potential new members rank their top choices, while sororities decide which students they invite to continue in the process. The weekend ends with bid night where potential new members learn if a chapter has offered them a bid.
“I feel like [an additional chapter] is a good way to get other people’s voices heard,” McComb said. “[This year’s] class was so big. So many girls got dropped so quickly and I don’t think that was fair to judge off of a Zoom conversation.”
As Caballero pushes for the petition to reach 600 signatures and set up a meeting with SLIC, she said she plans to exhaust all of her options until she is able to make something work.
“I really love my sorority,” Caballero said. “I love the fact that sorority life gives you so much friendship. It helps you with classes. It helps you with keeping your grades straight. It gives you a community to be around. I truly think that it was one of the best experiences that I will have in my college career, even though I transferred afterwards, and one of the most valuable.”
