By Sophia Diamond 

A wave of anonymous and unverifiable Yik Yak posts that ranked sororities and alleged hazing alongside rule violations added more stress on women who rushed during the University of Colorado Boulder’s sorority recruitment this fall.

Recruitment wasn’t what freshman Lila Mandavia expected.

“I thought it was gonna be very chill, really laid back,” Mandavia said. “I thought it was gonna be like no hate, and you just get in where you get in, and it doesn’t really matter.”  

Mandavia then saw posts ranking sororities and labeling some as more desirable than others on Yik Yak—the location-based social app popular around many college campuses, especially during sorority recruitment. While she said that the posts didn’t affect her personal decisions during recruitment, she thinks they added pressure about where she and other girls would end up.

“When you see, like, the house that you really like is getting ranked No. 6 or No. 5 on the list, or not even mentioned at all, I’m sure it gets to some people,” Mandavia said. 

The posts started the same time as recruitment began on campus, and they involved every chapter at CU.   

Maddie Deutsch is a senior who served as a Rho Gamma, which is an active member of Panhellenic who guides and helps potential new members (or PNMs) during recruitment. She said she had to address the misinformation on Yik Yak with her group of potential new members. 

Deutsch said some posts made allegations about hazing, stereotypes and dirty rushing, which is when a sorority breaks recruitment rules to benefit their chapter.  

“It was mainly the hazing rumors that got posted that would alter some PNMs’ choices throughout rush,” Deutsch said. 

When potential new members approached her about the information they saw, Deutsch said she encouraged them to not believe the anonymous posts when they were making their decisions.  

“I don’t know if I would say it’s changed it fully, but it has definitely altered people’s opinions,” Deutsch said. 

Avery Duty, a senior who served as Panhellenic vice president of recruitment counselors, said Panhellenic is aware of the posts on Yik Yak, but they have limited ability to discuss these anonymous allegations.   

“We have to take Yik Yak with a grain of salt,” Duty said. “We really don’t have the power to report something or check in on something unless there’s real evidence behind it or a source that we can talk to.” 

Instead, Duty said Panhellenic emphasizes a values-based recruitment, encouraging potential new members to focus on each chapter’s values, people and philanthropy rather than just online rankings.  

Although Yik Yak does not decide where potential new members end up, Duty said the app can shape their perceptions before recruitment even begins.