American U AXiD members disaffiliating
 

The American University chapter of Alpha Xi Delta has announced on Instagram that their members are disaffiliating from their national organization due to recent events.

From what I have seen on another forum, this decision may have been made due to AXiD's response to BLM, a policy of not allowing their chapters to post political things on social media, and also a specific situation on AU's campus involving sexual assault.

https://i.imgur.com/P8TQj78.png
https://i.imgur.com/4kcXPUE.png

Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/CCG-GnDh...=1423m2w97e6lr

I am sorry but this statement is absolutely ridiculous and quite frankly insulting to the Greek system and it's members. It's not a perfect system and it evolves more as time goes on but their depiction of it is just disgusting. They need to realize and accept that no one forced them to join and that it's not for everyone!

I don't get what their end game is!

It's unfortunate they think that about their organizations and counterparts on campus. If they believed their organizations perpetuate racism, sexual violence, classism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism, it says more about them that they willingly joined and belonged to such an organization than anything about the organization itself.

Are there rules in place forbidding them to make political posts on their personal social media?

They're in for a rude awakening when they joint the professional world where you would be fired in a heartbeat for making unsanctioned political posts on behalf of your organization.

This! I am sorry for national Alpha Xi Delta.

I am too! At least they're rid of those women.

And people thought I was exaggerating just two weeks ago when I said the spread of vocal and aggressive wokeness was going to cause significant division and problems in NPC groups.

Imagine how many members are upset from the opposite end of the spectrum, but can't speak out for fear of attack. Anyone who says, "Everyone seems really happy and in support of these changes" doesn't get it.

If this stuff continues, it's going to destroy NPC groups. If the leadership in NPC groups want to go full woke, they should be honest with their members. If they want to maintain a traditional sorority experience that doesn't include rewriting rituals and shaming white members, they have to nip this in the bud.

There is no way these two trains of thought can exist for long in the same group. We already know how this ends. Just look at the takeover of Christian denominations in this country.

Agree 100%!

Well, if we already know how this ends, how is anything more we do or say going to accomplish the opposite? It appears you have given up. Good for you. At least you have taken your honest stand.

I do not feel shamed. I do not fear attack. I HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO WITH MY TIME. I am willing to hear and attempt to understand succinct points of view; aggressive and repetitive ramblings do not hold my interest [& I'm not saying yours are, TDS].

Certain people in this world appear to have nothing better to do whilst surviving a quarantine/pandemic than 'aggressively' provoke other people. Life is a game between your ears. Listen, but verify. Keep calm.

I do understand people who are passionate wanting their organizations to stand for what they believe is right. Especially since GLOs have so much meaning to us and embrace high ideals for member behavior.

To address Kevin's point, it seems to me like these former AXiD's would probably argue that they didn't realize how problematic the Greek system was until after they were members. The Greek system is definitely not without problems (just look at all the RFM violations), but I would argue that it does benefit members overall and I agree that it is evolving over time. I empathize that it is frustrating to suggest changes to nationals and not see them implemented. Any large organization is slow to change, though.

I can see both sides, I guess. This does make me think about other groups on other campuses that disaffiliated from their nationals due to things like religion in rituals (ex. SK at Dartmouth). Many Greek members might not think that that is such a big deal, but it was to them.

Are any GLOs rewriting rituals? That is an interesting thing I did not think about.

I'm not familiar with this reference. What has happened to Christian denominations? Is this in reference to LGBT Christians being more widely accepted in the religious community?

I could not agree more. From what I see written in other forums, I don't see our organizations continuing to exist in a way that I would be willing to support for much longer. The "demands" from young people are just shocking to me.

It is not just Christian language coming under fire. I see simply being female organizations and speech now under attack. You want a "sxsterhood?" It is coming. Simply using gender specific pronouns is now a micro aggression.

See this thread by TriDeltaSallie....

Like button.

This is just the exec board. How large are the chapters there? I wonder if the rest of the chapter feels as strongly?

If it truly is a matter that the chapter as a whole wants to be more dedicated to social justice and feels at odds with the Greek system, then they should just turn in their charter, become a group dedicated to those issues, and let A Xi D national decide if they want to recolonize at some point.

Nit pick- the National Panhellenic Council (1) has nothing to do with deciding if a chapter closes (2) unless is spelled correctly (National Pan-Hellenic Council) doesn’t exist.

Good for them.

So I guess my main point would be how dare they as brand spanking new members of an organization which has been around for well over a century, think it is okay to shame said organization which is apolitical as a not-for-profit entity, to place that status on the line so that it can take positions on issues without going through the necessary process most major decisions require for the organization? Are they for real?

They should be able to say whatever they want on their own social media. If there are restrictions on that, I could certainly see a lot of members choosing to leave rather than being muzzled--but I haven't read anything which indicates that this is the case.

But when speaking on behalf of an organization, you are speaking on behalf of all of the organization. And if you are just one chapter of said organization, there are policies and procedures in place stating exactly how that organizations voice can be used. Follow the damn rules or leave--and I guess when presented with that choice, if what they said is what they felt, good for them.

But let's not assume that those who remain stand for misogyny, transphobia and the like.

Just from sticking my nose in grankreek, it seems some of this has to do with A Xi D’s association with Autism Speaks, which is a controversial organization.

I saw that too.

Why is Autism Speaks controversial ? I have only heard about how what a great organization it is.

There is a Forbes magazine editorial that might shed some light on that for you. Google "Autism Speaks".

I was only able to find an opinion piece written 6 years ago and it definitely doesn't warrant their statement or actions. Their Instagram is truly a disaster right now and their treatment of Alpha Xi Delta as a whole is appalling.

Here - Reasons the organization is problematic:

https://autisticmama.com/do-not-support-autism-speaks/

Thanks for sleuthing! I've heard about the controversies associated with Autism Speaks and I feel like the fact that this organization is controversial is well-known among people I know. It came up in the press again within the last few weeks.

I don't think I could join a sorority if I had an issue with their philanthropy. I can't imagine trying to support a philanthropy if I disagreed with their mission. But I also think that the most responsible thing is to research philanthropies as you're going through the recruitment process. It's public knowledge and supporting philanthropy is an important part of the sorority experience.

Someone who appears to be a current member of the chapter posted the above on that Instagram account.

They are welcome to resign their membership; but, I don't think they have the right to tell National AXiD if they can or cannot keep the chapter charter and then recolonize with new members.

I also saw that someone commented this:

I do believe that there is room for improvement in every organization. Ultimatums don't usually tend to be effective from what I have seen. At the same time, there are some hills I would choose to metaphorically die on. One of those would be discrimination. I think the sororities that disaffiliated over the whites-only clauses in the 50s/60s were heroic.

Not entirely sure what the situation is here. It seems muddled and I'm sure we won't know the full scope of what is going on.

It’s a fairly new chapter there (they just chartered in 2014. This would also mean AS has always been their philanthropy as A Xi D partnered with them in 2009). This isn’t a slam on A Xi D, but it sounds like these women don’t have a concept of how a national sorority works. If you want to be in a local, start a local. If AU thinks the org is so awful, they’ll derecognize them.

God how clueless. If you resign your membership, part of that is relinquishing your control on what the organization continues to do going forward. These kids are so entitled sounding. I hope AXiD just closes this dumpster fire down and comes back in 4-5 years and recolonizes when this thing is distant memory.

Okay...now they’re taking it too far...

It’s okay to decide that for you, personally, your organization no longer serves your needs, or that you want to deactivate because of whatever reason...

But why try to stop other women from joining? It might be something that benefits them. They don’t have the right to say, “we don’t want to be AXDs, so no one else can join.”

My wife and I are on the Autism Spectrum. Autism Speaks *at best* represents *parents/grandparents* of those who are *severely* impacted by autism rather than including any participation of those not as severely impacted.

I think that Alpha Xi Delta's work with Autism *can* change, but right now I definitely understand why it could be viewed as problematic. But I'd be *very* surprised if that was the entire reason for disaffiliating.

Well, admittedly we got off topic a little bit by talking about the sorority's support of the Autsim Speaks organization. The chapter's public statement (see the screen shots in the first post) indicates that their issue is with AXiD allegedly not being inclusive enough or doing enough to improve issues surrounding "...racism, sexual violence, classism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism." They also stated that they believe this is a wider Greek life problem and called on other GLO chapters to take the same action to close their chapters at AU.

For what it's worth, I liked it when AXiD's philanthropy was "Choose Children". I believe that was a broad category and not a specific organization, right? That format seemed to allow chapters to support children's charities in their local areas without being tied to a specific charity. In this way, the women could meet the direct needs of whatever local charity truly needed the help (say a local children's shelter, or a local children's cancer clinic, etc).

Then AXiD switched to a focus on Autism Speaks. Back then, autism was coming to the forefront of discussions nationally and I think AXiD saw an opportunity to focus philanthropic efforts on an area that needed support. At the time, don't recall there being any controversy surrounding Autism Speaks. It was a very well-regarded organization. Over the years, it appears that the focus of AS shifted, or definitions/viewpoints on the nature of autism shifted, and people began to take sides. Autism Speaks stayed on one side of the issue and a controversy developed with people on the other side of the aisle.

All that to say that I don't think AXiD intended to pick a controversial philanthropy. I believe autism was initially chosen as a philanthropic focus in good faith. Now, whether or not AXiD should disaffiliate from Autism Speaks, much like when ZTA stepped away from Susan G. Komen, is up to AXiD and her members. If they go back to "Choose Children", then members are still free to support autism (or after school programs, or anti-bullying, etc) without being tied to one controversial organization.

At any rate, it sounds like the AU chapter was probably trying to push, or speak on, social justice topics without the consent of the national headquarters. I commend those young women for being passionate about their beliefs and their courage to resign their memberships in the face of policies they say they disagree with. I do not, however, agree with their demand that the national organization and other interested students shall not be allowed the right to free association.

I have a cousin who joined AXiD in part *because* of their affiliation with AS. Her sister is severely autistic.

Am I mistaken in the impression those opposing AS do so because it doesn't do enough for individuals? Instead focusing on research? Is that a bad thing? It may not be what some want, but I don't see it as a bad thing.

What am I missing?

A few posts above, SWTXBelle posted a link to a website which describes some of the issues people have with the organization.

Autism Speaks...
 

Arguably, the *original* Autism Speaks founding setup by Bob and Susan Wright wasn't nearly as offensive.

However, the mergers with National Alliance for Autism Research and (even more so Cure Autism Now) have taken an organization that had a general concept of helping those with Autism to one devoted to finding a cure including a pre-natal test (allowing for selective abortions). The organization views Autism as only those with severe impact (such as those who are non-verbal, seizures etc.)), those whose additional care will in their advertising lead to such severe impact on the family that things like divorces will be caused.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contro...cy_initiatives is a decent start on the difference between the Pathology paradigm and the Neurodiversity paradigm.

Yeah, that's the post that caused my question. The first three points are simply "they don't do enough for individuals". The fourth is their marketing, which *in this woman's opinion* is disgusting. I've not seen it, and realize this is only one person.

No biggie; I was just curious. Just trying to understand.

I think you've missed some of her finer points. I'll try to help you understand.

- Spending 4% of the budget on family grants vs. 22% on fundraising - one metric to evaluate charities is the percentage spent on fundraising and administrative costs. It's why I don't give to the Red Cross and Good Will. YMMV, of course, but it's more than just "they don't do enough".

- One other big issue is more than not doing enough for individuals - it is the lack of those with autism in the organization. The irony behind the name "Autism Speaks" is that they haven't allowed the very people they are seeking to serve to speak. They did have someone, who quit the board, and she notes that they have finally added some people with autism, no doubt in direct response to the criticism, which I have been familiar with for a number of years.

- Did you watch the videos? As a person with autism, and the mother of a child with autism, her opinion carries more weight than Joe Blow off the street, at least to me. The examples she cites are certainly disgusting to me. Featuring a woman who wanted to kill herself and her child with autism, but doesn't because she has a neurotypical child? How is that advancing the needs of those with autism?

There are other charities whose focus is autism, and which I and many wish A Xi D would consider supporting. I like https://autisticadvocacy.org/

In addition to what SWTXBelle said above, Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org) and GuideStar (guidestar.org) are two free resources for research into nonprofits, and the former provides an overall rating for each nonprofit based mainly on finances and accountability/transparency.

Historically, Autism Speaks certainly doesn't rank high when compared to other autism nonprofits. And the number of people they serve seems relatively low considering their revenue, name recognition, and advertised outreach. Also, it looks like the President is making more than $600,000/year.

I would like to point out, too, in regard to the fundraising and operational budgets of nonprofits: just like with for-profits, it's about balance. If a fundraising budget is higher, the expectation would be that funds raised and used for those in need are higher. A fundraising budget of 22% isn't necessarily too high and can be justified if enough money is being raised from those expenses and being used as advertised.

Oh ok, since you didn't mention having questions about the content of the link, I thought you perhaps didn't see it.

My understanding of the controversy is simply this: autistic people vs. people with autism. Some people object to Autism Speaks for being an organization which seems to take the stance that autism is a disease which needs to be cured. As in, autistic people are seen as "defective" and a cure for these defects needs to be found. Instead, others prefer to take the approach of helping "people with autism". The distinction here is that people with autism are different, not defective, and deserve to have support just as they are.

I hope this helps.

I've never met a parent of an autistic child who didn't wish there was something to help. My nephew is autistic. Highly intelligent (extremely, but I'm his aunt so I'm partial), but needs resources. Alpha Xi does not view it as a disease. AS seeks to research and help those who are on the spectrum. Sorry, I'm close to this issue. :( He is important to me and as an AXiD, it makes me even more passionate about AS. And these sisters are leaving over an imagined slight.

Whether or not Alpha Xi Delta views it as a disease, the issue is whether AS does...

Help yes. And that's 4% of what they do. Far more goes into making sure that more autistic people aren't born and that they are "cured".

http://www.rootpolicy.com/wp-content...lor_2017-1.pdf

And although the thread has turned to the discussion of AS, it has been pointed out that that hasn't been shown to be the reason that they are leaving.

Video on Autism Speaks -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Va_XXoD5LE

I know this has nothing to do with the thread, but we got off on a tangent about autism, and I'm only here to say that everyone should watch the documentary 'The Speed Cubers' on Netflix.