After a seven-year absence from campus, the Sigma Kappa sorority is returning to MU. Closed in 2004 due to declining membership, the sorority will resume operating out of its house on Curtis Avenue, which is used by Pi Kappa Phi, starting in the fall of 2012.
“The national organization closed the chapter in the spring of 2004 due to the chapter not meeting the membership requirements that the organization had set out for them,” Greek Life Coordinator Julie Drury said.
Sigma Kappa’s return is the first step of an extension timeline that outlines the expected growth of the Panhellenic Association community during the next seven years. The sorority will also collaborate with PHA and will observe recruitment this coming fall in order to help recruit new members for the fall of 2012, Drury said.
“I am thrilled to see our Greek community grow and excel during my time here,” PHA spokeswoman Crystal Richardson said. “I am honored to witness the return of Sigma Kappa as I know they will provide life-changing opportunities to the women of our community.”
There are currently 14 sororities on campus that are part of PHA. Drury said that the addition of Sigma Kappa will allow women who are interested in Greek Life to spread out among the different groups.
“I am excited for the Panhellenic community,” Drury said. “The size of Panhellenic chapters is something that the Greek Life strategic plan has been addressing for the last year and this new organization is one of the steps that (address) this problem.”
According to a 2004 Maneater article, when the chapter closed the sorority had 55 members, short of the 100 person goal set by Sigma Kappa’s national headquarters.
The sorority’s return to campus is the product of MU’s commitment to maintaining a strong Greek Life presence on campus, Drury said.
“Sigma Kappa is returning to the university because the Panhellenic Council voted to extend an offer to the sorority and (the sorority) formally accepted,” Richardson said.
Sigma Kappa’s return to campus marks the first step in a long process to earn back the sororities charter, Drury said.
“The process for establishing a chapter at Missouri is different for each chapter,” Drury said. “For Panhellenic chapters, there is a very detailed process that is used from the National Panhellenic Conference.”
Dury said, although Sigma Kappa will be allowed to operate on campus next fall, they will not automatically receive their charter.
“At this point, Sigma Kappa has not regained their charter,” she said. “They have been invited to return to campus and they have accepted this invitation.”
