Interesting Reading! Thoughts?
 

Sorority racial snub a 'wake-up call'


By Rebecca McCarthy
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

Athens -- After she heard her sorority sisters disparaging an
African-American who was seeking to join them, a member of Alpha Gamma Delta
said, she decided to listen to her conscience and share her concerns with
University of Georgia officials.

In a letter, the sorority member said the African-American membership
candidate was discussed separately from other potential members.

Sorority members who had given her a low score "attributed their ratings to
her race, making comments such as 'Why did she want to go through White
Rush?' [and] 'If we had a black girl in our sorority, none of the
fraternities would want to do anything with us,' " the letter says.

The letter set in motion a series of events that has led UGA to temporarily
suspend the sorority and launch an investigation into possible racial
discrimination in the member selection process.

"This incident should prove a wake-up call for the entire Greek system,"
said Richard Mullendore, UGA vice president for student affairs. "We've
focused on issues relative to substance abuse, hazing and leadership more
than we have diversity. It's probably an issue we need to give a lot more
attention to now."

Julie Cretin, national director of Alpha Gamma Delta, said her organization
takes the allegations of racial discrimination "very seriously." She and
other officials will be in Athens today to conduct their own investigation,
talking with the women in the UGA chapter, including the young woman who
complained.

The student addressed her letter to Rick Rose, assistant vice president for
student affairs. UGA would not identify the student who wrote the letter or
the African-American student.

"I was in shock and was extremely disappointed," the letter says. "It is
hard for me to believe that our society still harbors cruel and exclusionary
clubs that encourage their members to embarrass and humiliate others in
order to make themselves feel superior. I am confident that the University
of Georgia would not knowingly permit such blatantly discriminatory behavior
on its campus."

As far he knows, Mullendore said, the allegation marks the first time a UGA
sorority has been accused of racial discrimination. A contributing factor
may be that few African-American students choose to participate in
membership recruitment, or rush, which shepherds participants from one
predominantly white sorority to another.

The four predominantly African-American sororities at UGA don't conduct a
collective rush. Instead, each does an "intake" once a year, usually in the
fall or spring.

"It takes a lot of guts for a black student to go through rush like this
girl did," said Kendree Zaic, a sophomore from Alpharetta who was a member
of Pi Beta Phi sorority last year. "It surprises me that [discrimination]
has never come up before. [Alpha Gamma Delta] probably aren't the only ones
who do it. The systems are kind of separated here."

Though UGA doesn't keep records on the racial breakdown of individual Greek
organizations, some sororities and fraternities are known to have members
who are not of the predominant skin color. But by and large, they remain
primarily self-segregated.

"You have to look at it from a regional perspective," Mullendore said. At
large Southern universities like UGA, the system is much more segregated
that in other parts of the country or at smaller institutions.

Because many Greek groups began in the South, they have a longer history,
traditions, many more alumni "and a certain way of doing business that's
been in existence for a long time," he said. "As a result, it's a little
more difficult for them to embrace change."

The letter writer wanted to move out of the sorority house, but found she
couldn't get out of her housing contract at Alpha Gamma Delta. Rather than
continue to live with people "who found outright prejudice acceptable," she
withdrew from the university, the letter says.

"Many of my sisters made insulting faces at me and made insensitive comments
to me," the letter says. "No one offered to help as I removed my belongings
from the house. They accused me of overreacting 'to an issue that just
wasn't that important!' "

The student's comments "tear at my heart," Mullendore said. "Judgments about
people are rendered on a daily basis, but shouldn't be based on the color of
someone's skin."

While on temporary suspension, Alpha Gamma Delta cannot hold social
functions or participate in UGA activities as an organization. Supporters
said no matter what the investigation yields, the damage to Alpha Gamma
Delta's reputation is almost irreparable.

If investigators determine the allegations are true, Alpha Gamma Delta could
informally resolve the situation by admitting what occurred and coming up
with a resolution, or it could deny the allegations and request a judicial
hearing. Probation, suspension or expulsion are all possible outcomes,
Mullendore said.

-- Correspondent Andrew DeMillo contributed to this report.

__________________________________________________ _________________

Text of letter

Dr. Richard M. Ross II
Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs
201 Academic Building
Athens, GA 30602

Dear Dr. Ross:

Ever since I visited the University of Georgia during my junior year in high
school, I knew that I wanted to be a Georgia Bulldawg. I wanted to make the
most of my college years by becoming active in the Greek system.

In Fall 1999, I went through Recruitment and I chose Gamma Alpha chapter of
Alpha Gamma Delta. I chose this sorority over the seventeen others because
of the diversity I observed and experienced among the sorority sisters.
During Recruitment and pledging, I was led to believe that this sorority,
more than any other I visited, valued diverse backgrounds, ideas and
perspectives. I thought then that it did not matter what a young woman
looked like on the outside . . . that it is the inside that counts.

Unfortunately, on Monday, August 14, 2000, I became aware that the
attractive value system presented to me was only an Illusion. There was one
African American recruit who came through our house. . .

However, after the Round One parties, the chapter convened to vote on the
recruits who had made a bad impression. This young African American woman
was discussed separately from the other low-scoring recruits. She was not
given a fair chance by my chapter and was, in fact, excluded because of her
race.

It appears that there was a wide variance in the scores assigned to her
(l.e. some rated her very high while others rated her extremely low). Those
sisters who gave her low scores openly attributed their ratings to her race,
make comments such as:


"Why did she want to go through White Rush?"
"If we had a Black girl in our Sorority, none of the fraternities would want
to do anything with us."

Based upon these racist comments, and others, the majority of the chapter
decided to out her. I was in shock and was extremely disappointed. It is
hard for me to believe that our society still harbors cruel and exclusionary
clubs that encourage their members to embarrass and humiliate others in
order to make themselves feel superior. I am confident that the University
of Georgia would not knowingly permit such blatantly discriminatory behavior
on its campus.

I decided that I had to take action. I discussed these issues with our
Executive Council, composed of three advisers and all sorority officers. I
told them how I felt about the biased decision that had been made. I
explained that I could not live with people who found outright prejudice
acceptable.

When it appeared that they and the advisers supported the racist behavior of
the sisters, I requested that my housing contact be voided. The Council
reviewed my case and decided not to release me from my contract. However, I
must inform you that I am aware that there are fair and courageous
individuals in the Gamma Alpha chapter, including the adviser who was in
tears because of the unfairness of the Council's decision.

My only choices were to remain in the house or withdraw from the University
of Georgia. Withdrawing from the university . . . was extremely difficult.
Because of my values, I very reluctantly withdrew from the university and
left many good friends whom I met outside of the sorority.

I met with you to discuss what had happened and appreciate the time and the
interest that you invested in my situation. As promised, I have outlined
some ideas concerning actions that should be taken to promote a more diverse
and nondiscriminatory Greek and academic environment at the University of
Georgia:

-- University leadership should formally articulate on an ongoing basis that
racist, sexist and other biased behavior will not be tolerated.

-- Launch a formal investigation into the situation as a possible violation
of civil rights laws and university policy

-- Institute mandatory diversity training for all Greek life participants,
consisting of awareness-building and addressing legal compliance issues

-- Develop professionalism among advisors and Sorority/fraternity leadership
through training that addresses:


Leadership skills
Management of human differences
Enhancing the current Greek system

Challenge Greek leadership to increase diversity throughout the selection
process.

I want to share with you the petty retaliation from my sisters that I
experienced after I expressed my feelings on this matter. From the time I
notified the Council that I was withdrawing, the women treated me like a
pariah. . . .

Many of my sisters made insulting faces at me and made insensitive comments
to me. No one offered to help as I removed my belongings from the house.
They accused me of overreacting "to an issue that just wasn't that
important!" Friends of mine who came by to help me move out were not treated
with the hospitality that guests at our house always were. Attempts were
made to prevent them from entering the house to see me.

When I told my parents about what happened and what I decided, they were
very proud of me. Their hope has always been to wipe out racism in their
lifetime through their children. I feel that my actions were taken in the
spirit of what my parents and I believe. I want to help them live their
dream. I know that if I did not make a stand, nobody would.

"We as a Greek community commit to upholding the highest moral, academic and
ethical standards upon which we were founded, to change inappropriate
'traditions' which defy the ideals of our founding rituals, and to accept
the higher level of accountability of Greek members for the safety of one
another." These are ideals stated on the UGA Greek Life homepage. It is my
hope that through proposals such as mine the University of Georgia's Greek
system will be able to live up to these ideals.

Respectfully,

(name omitted)

I applaude this particular young lady for standing up for what she believed in and actually went to the lenghths she did to prove her point. She left a school that she loved, she left a sorority that she was 'fooled' into loving to make a point that she wasn't going to stand for the racial discrimination her 'sisters' displayed. The fact that she even went before her fellow sisters--alone--and told them her true feelings says a lot about her. I have a deep respect for that kind of courage. Too many times people let things 'slide' because they are alone on an issue and because they don't want to be resented and set apart from their peers. I hope that other people see what this young woman did as well as the racial discrimination factor. This incident of racial discrimination would never have been known if this white woman didn't stand up for her beliefs and what is RIGHT. I am sickened that these kinds of acts still exist and I hope that women of ANY ethnic background are not totally put off by what this organization did. I know this happens a lot, but please don't think that ALL predominatly white organizations think like these racist young girls. The young woman that stood up for what she believed in not only is a role model for white women, but for ALL women everywhere.

Kudos to the Sister Greek for standing up for what she believed in. But, withdrawing from school was a straight PUNK move...but I understand. I have said this MANY times, we don't go to college to PLEDGE ANY SORORITY OR ANY FRATERNITY...ANYTHING THAT STOPS ANYONE FROM GETTING THE DEGREE, SHOULD BE CUT OFF IMMEDIATELY!

And with that said, there is NO way in **** I would have withdrawn, from college over some racist chicks. I don't know any African American women who would have made it through highschool, had they ran everytime racism greeted them face to face. I believe in the tactics of the Art of War...they would have been leaving before me.

I am sure there must be some constitutional guideline prohibiting racial discrimination. It will be interesting to see how the National office handles this issue. Sister Girl was hoodwinked and straight bamboozled into a LIE. I wonder why her parents did not advise her to sue them first! Sister Greek has a big battle to fight.

Hopefully, this will not tarnish the WGLO system too much. In general they do good. work

------------------
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated...Every Finer Woman's Dream!

[This message has been edited by Finer Woman10-A-91 (edited September 08, 2000).]

ZetaAce,

You are totally right. My heart tells me that no self respecting member of Kappa Alpha Psi would ever descriminate based on race, especially anyone who knows how adamant our founders were against descrimination, and knowing some of the reasons that they formed our Beloved Bond.

Our founders raged many battles against such behavoir, and founder Elder Watson Diggs fought a major campaign against housing descrimination at Iniana U.

But my head tells me that somewhere, some how, we may have some members who look at it the other way. For those, I say you totaly disrespect the letters, the founders, and me when you participate in such behavior.

MN

I give the Alpha Gam member a great deal of credit for coming forward and I hope that when she goes back to a university, the Alpha Gam chapter realizes what a pearl of a member they have! All the Alpha Gam chapters I know of are incredibly diverse AND I believe that their recruiting mission encourages diversity.

I'm curious to know what chapter, if any, the potential member in question joined.

Barbara

DAMN.

SoCal Girl, everything you said...I totally agree!

So many Greek "leaders" talk the talk about diversity, accepting people for themselves, and looking outside the surface. But a lot of time that's all it is, just talk...otherwise why would something like this happen??

And do you know what scares me? I KNOW my sorority has chapters that would do the same thing. I look at the group pictures of our national convention, and every single face is white.

As the student affairs VP said...we need to stop fixating on alcohol and hazing, and deal with things that are a lot more relevant to the world as a whole.

Barb--

I heard (I live in Georgia) that the rushee dropped out of rush after a couple of parties.

The rushee did drop out. All the information is in the UGA student newspaper (the red and black--theRedandBlack.com)
I was curious to see what non-greek had to say. But from what I read, the story just broke a this week

I just wanted to say that I also agree that the girl should be commended. It takes much courage to not go along with the group particularly when taking a stand can have such dire consequences.
I wonder how many of us, if put in the same situation, would react the same way. [I would like to state here that discrimnation(sp)--as I am sure we all know--comes in many different forms. What if this person were gay, or white and trying to get into a BGLO? How would all of us who so readily commend this girl for her stand would do the same?

Allow a dissenting opinion for a moment. I believe the girl has ulterior motives. She mentioned that she was attracted to this org because of its diversity. I infer that that means they have (had) non-white members. Do they suddenly have a problem with diversity? She lived in this house for a whole year. She didn't hear or notice any racism or bigoted remarks before now? If she is such a crusader from a liberal family, she never noticed this mentality? Did the frats have a problem with the chapter diversity that had attracted her previously.? She states that most of the chapter gave the Black girl high marks, so the whole chapter can't be racist. Isn't the sister better off not becoming an "affirmative action" member who will receive the cold shoulder once she is a member? Wouldn't she be better off rushing an inclusive sorority. They must have made her feel comfortable if she decided to rush that particular one. To me only a coward would leave the school. Stay and fight the racism. Don't write a letter before exhausting all avenues and then run. I know that the knee-jerk reaction is to scream racism, but just by reading between the lines, something else is going on.

This young woman has the courage of her convictions. Based on the given info (the letter), it sounds like she tried to get out of her housing contract but was unable to do so, therefore leaving school was the only means of doing this--you must be a marticulating student to live in a house. I'm quite certain if this womans grades are ok, she should get back into the university with no problem.
All it takes is one person to make a difference and she did it. Maybe she wasn't the only one in her chapter that felt that way but she DID SOMETHING about it for the good of all. So in my book, she is a HERO.

You know, Ms. Rosa Parks was only one person who took a stand and look what the outcome was...
X Girl

This is sickening that this still goes on. I too applaud the girl who stood up. You have to take a stand on things like this, and bring it to the light so that all can see.
I might have tried to handle it internally though.

First by confronting my chapter (which she did), if that got me no where, then you go to your regional director, and if that gets you now where, nationals. Only after I had went through this process would I go to the school.

I am a true believer in keeping things in house. Thankfully I wouldn't have to deal with this, since Kappa Alpha Psi does not descreminate based on race, and was the first BGLO to have it written into it's constitution.

One Luv

MN

That woman has LOADS of courage. I totally understand why she left school over it. If she stayed in school she'd have to live with the racist little girls that were treating her like crap. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/mad.gif This way she can transfer to another school and either get a degree somewhere else or transfer back to UGA in a year or so.

I don't believe for a heartbeat that this is a national policy for AGD; so I still have much love for the org. But that chapter? Well, I'm definitely glad that I'm not there.

Yes racism is still out there. And yes it's bad in the South and worse in the Deep South. But when people like this woman make these kinds of statements; hopefully, it'll wake some people up. I pray that other sisters in that chapter have the sense and courage to stick up for her and future rushees who happen to not be white.


When I hear about chapters like this it makes me wonder if my sorority has chapters like it. The idea scares me completely.

I usually take offense/totally can't relate to the idea that I belong to a WHITE GLO. My chapter just doesn't reflect that. But then I get our newsletter or I flip through our pledge book. I search and search for pictures of non-white girls. They're there, but damn few. That's when it hits me that I DO belong to a white glo. It leaves me with an awful feeling. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/redface.gif

I don't understand why we're the only chapter on campus that actually REFLECTS our school. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/confused.gif But I'm damn glad about it. Honestly I'd go insane and be totally unhappy if we were like the others, with less than ten minorities. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/redface.gif

I live in a predominantly Filipino neighborhood and have always gone to predominantly Filipino/Asian schools. That's why I'm not comfortable with tons of whites but I am with Asians, it's what I know.

I think maybe that's why there's the need for ethnic focused GLOs or why a non-white girl might want to join a white sorority. And vice versa.

It's probably also why those little girls acted the way they did. Maybe they weren't raised with any black people around? http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/frown.gif They all need to go back to pre-school and learn to share and play nice with someone who doesn't look like them.

MN- I am sure that they have that clause written in to their bylaws (or somewhere too), however, it still happened. We all know that just because it is written that it shouldn't happen, doesn't mean it doesn't.

I too applaud this young lady. Withdrawing from school is taking a serious stand for your believes. How many of us would do the same??

ZetaAce

Along with everyone else, I have to say kudos to this young woman. I don't know if I would have withdrawn from school, but it shows just how serious she is about fighting racial discrimination.

I think it will be interesting to see how AGD and the university handle the situation.



------------------
SilverTurtle@greekchat.com
Phi Beta Fraternity
Phi chapter

XGIRL: that wasn't my point. She may be a "hero", but I think that there is more to it. BTW, please don't compare what this young lady did to Rosa Parks. The stakes were somewhat higher.

DoggyStyle- What you wrote is EXACTLY what I thought when I read it. It seems kinda strange that a sorority that is so "diverse" would have these problems. Obviously, something is being hidden in this story. All the cards are not on the table or are not being made public.

What makes me irritated reading a story like this are posts that I've read on this board about white members joining BGLOs. Many (NOT all) members said they would outright question a white girl's intentions simply because of her skin color. Some even said that they would vote against her without even meeting her. There is something wrong with this picture. In my mind, it is EXACTLY the same thing as what happened with AGD, but with the races reversed.

Although I don't necessarily agree with what this outraged sister did, I think it is good that she took a stand. I think she made some poor decisions, but at least she did something. What is ridiculous is that the entire chapter was punished because of the actions of a few people.

I wouldn't put this girl in the same position as Rosa Parks. That's like comparing apples to oranges. This girl ran away from her problems by transferring schools. All she accomplished was getting her sorority in trouble and then running away from the consequences that followed. To me that is cowardly.

I don't think there's anything wrong with a sorority member asking "Why does she want to go through white rush". If it is an uncommon occurance people might be curious. At my school, we all wondered about one girl who went through NPC rush. We didn't care that she was rushing, and actually, all of the sororities seemed to want her because she was a very sweet and popular girl, but we still wondered. There are 2 strong NPHC orgs. on our campus and she would have been the only black person in a NPC sorority. (We do have many minority sisters, but they are Indian and Asian.) There was NOTHING wrong with us wondering since it was the first we had heard of it happening. (she wound up dropping out of rush and didn't wind up joining any organization in case you were wondering...)

Well to sum everything up....You cannot be able to discriminate in one group and then when the tables are turned go into an uproar. Discrimination is wrong, period. It shouldn't be okay on a case by case basis. It shouldn't be acceptable AT ALL.

Peace.

The UGA AGD website:
http://www.uga.edu/alphagam/


DoggyStyle82: "She mentioned that she was attracted to this org because of its diversity. I infer that that means they have (had) non-white members."

If you check out the website it seems that the chapter is diverse in the "Hey, they're not all blonde and beautiful!" sense. At some schools having brunettes and redheads makes you a diverse chapter. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/frown.gif

"She lived in this house for a whole year. She didn't hear or notice any racism or bigoted remarks before now?"

If she joined in Fall 99, at most she only lived in the house during Spring semester. It's also possible that she didn't live there at all last year. Depends how full the house was. I think it's concievable that in five months she didn't hear or notice anything. When you're living with that many girls it can be easy to miss things.


"She states that most of the chapter gave the Black girl high marks, so the whole chapter can't be racist."

She stated that there was a mix of scores. If the woman had low enough marks the first night to be discussed then that means most of the girls that met her gave low scores. After discussing the black woman, most of the chapter would had to have voted to drop her. Does this mean that most of the chapter is racist? No. But it means that enough of them decided to trust the opinions of their racist and prejudiced sisters. Also, one of them could have pulled the classic "I'll deactivate if that girl joins!" That'll get you what you want every time.

"Isn't the sister better off not becoming an "affirmative action" member who will receive the cold shoulder once she is a member? Wouldn't she be better off rushing an inclusive sorority. They must have made her feel comfortable if she decided to rush that particular one."

Yes, she's better off not becoming an "affirmative action" member. Perhaps that's why so many of the members allowed the racist and prejudiced ones have their way?

The black woman was going through NPC Formal Rush. She HAD to go to all 18 houses on the first night. For all we know she never wanted to even visit AGD. But if she didn't, she could have been dismissed from rush all together. She had made the decision to go through this rush, she must have felt that she'd be welcomed at at least one of the chapters.

There could be something else going on that we don't know about. But for now, I believe that the AGD member made the right choice.

Diversity doesn't always mean color. My sorority was compiled of all white females, but we were all very diverse in our own respect. Our backgrounds were different, our style, personality, lifestyle. Just because they were all white doesn't mean that they were all the same. That to me seems to be lumping all people together 'all white people are the same' which we all know isn't true.

How could she have not heard other racisms before now? Easily. I've been best friends with the same girls now for 14 years, I still can find out things about them that I never knew. Women find out things about their husbands (and vise versa) that they never knew years down the road, this is just another one of those examples.

I don't think she was a coward for leaving the school. She was smart--legally. If she had stayed, of course she would be uncomfortable living in the house. She had gone before her sisters and asked to be excused from her housing contract, and she was denied. She was treated badly by the existing sisters in the house, why would you want to live with these people? If she moved out anyway, she risks being sued by the sorority for breaking contract. On campus, she might have some serious problems with slander and pranks (childish stuff), threats, etc. I personally wouldn't want to go through that.

I personally doubt that this young lady had an ulterier motive. Look at what she gave up and what she took in return, her misfortune from this incident is much much higher than the perks.

SoCalGirl and MGDZKM433: Forgive me, although I attended a majority white college, I may be a little rusty on the rush and housing situation. I will defer to your knowledge. I was speaking from a BLGO perspective and her actions were probably in accordance with your greek cultural norms. I assumed diversity meant either ethnic or racial. I was unaware that some white greeks still separate themselves by hair and eye color. This is why dialog and forums such as these are useful. My BLGO experience is 180 degrees fron an NPC situation. I can't imagine being a brother of someone for a year and not knowing their feelings on membership. I cannot imagine not handling a situation like this in-house. I cannot imagine dropping a dime and then running. She may have exposed the racism in her chapter, and if that is the case, I applaud her for that. Thanks for your perspectives and the enlightenment.

Hey DoggyStyle!

No need for fogiveness. You didn't do anything wrong! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif

We all make judgements based on our own experiences. I concluded from your statements that you were comparing the rush to NPHC style intake. That's why I explained all that stuff.

We ALL learn SO much about each others GLOs on these boards! It would be a lot less interesting around here if we all always agreed on things.

BTW, the member did try to handle the situation in house by taking it to the Executive Council and advisors. This would have involved a formal meeting of some chapter advisors and all of the officers. What was said in that meeting and the Council's final decision is what triggered her departure from school. She could have (even may have) contacted other advisors, regional &/or National officers.

Personally, I MIGHT have exhausted ALL of my options with National's before dragging the school into it. Since I've never faced a similar situation, I can't say for sure.

I don't think the member spontaneously decided to write that letter. Hopefully, she thought long and hard about its consequences.

ZetaAce,
Well said. You showed maturity of thought, ad a LOT of common sense (which doesn't seem to be all that common) in your reply. Those are the same kinds of things I was thinking. I have known several people at UGA, some of them Greeks. I don't believe that the attitude of those few prejudiced sisters is pervasive in the UGA Greek system.
As to why this young lady Rushed, an earlier response said she may have grown up with a lot of white friends, and felt comfortable in white orgs. I agree that could have been the case. Most of my black friends joined their BGLO orgs for the bond of cultural sisterhood they already had with the ladies in those particular orgs, not from a sense of wanting to be in a NON-WHITE org.
Just my thoughts. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

I'm sorry- my reply was intended in response to SoCalgirl!!!

Greeks, whether white, black, purple or striped, do not separate themselves based on hair and eye color. It's like you said all AKA's have light skin and if you didn't have light skin, you couldn't get in. A load of rubbish.

Diversity is what you make it to be - skin color, religion, upbringing, sexual preference, or country of origin.

For me, a Jewish member of a Christian-founded fraternity, diversity is more than skin color, although we show plenty of that, too. Below are selected comments on the UGA situation from an African-American member of an NPC fraternity:

Wow! I just couln't believe what I read. I am SO GLAD we're not like that. For those of you who are new to the list, I attend school in <removed> and as an African-American student, I can tell everyone that racism is very prominent not too far away cities from my university, but I never had any problem going to a fraternity event nor has my house had a problem from doing philanthropies, to socials, etc.

I did try to "rush" a historically African-American Sorority <snip> The girls were into hazing(they really didn't like me and why pay money to an organization that you're not valued as a member <snip> My African-American friends ask me what made me rush <removed> and I'll just tell them about my experience between the two. I am not joking when I say I just did not feel welcome and valued into the (African-American) organization and I lost $150 (I never regretted that decision[to leave]!!)

About 3 semesters later, I rushed <removed> and the experience is just a world's
difference!! NO HAZING for one, and everyone at my chapter was excited that I joined and was active. Yes, there is a considerable cost
difference, but the additional money that I spend is well worth it. I have always felt welcome at the house and that alone I can't place a price tag on it. I don't feel that our greek system has a problem with racism.
The image is misleading because the number of African-American students that attend are just a small percentage and when you consider the fact that National Pan-Hellenic sororities and fraternities are competiting
for the same people, Panhellenic and IFC do have a modest representation of members of other ethnic backgrounds.

A few things that I think is holding African-American students back from joining is the image of segregation, the cost, stereotypes(which fuels the image of segregation). I'm not promoting the putdown of other houses(I
know that everyone out there has heard such and such house are like that),
but when I hear my African-American friends talk about the greek system, they talk about how all they see is blond hair, blue eyes, size zero snobby girls that drive really expensive cars, different color but same
style shirt, black pants, same hair style....etc. etc... now <removed> is NOT
like that(I have sisters that don't own a car and work 2 jobs to pay for
membership and school),but we as an
entire system need to go out and make ourselves more known on campus and not just be known as the snobby rich folks in the big
houses on the west part of campus.

I went to school in the midwest during the early and mid-80's. My chapter pledged a number of non-white members during this time and a number of non-traditional women as well. The amount of diversity in our chapter then, and now, set a standard on our campus.

I'll say it again. The sister that left UGA because of her principles is to be commended and I hope the Alpha Gam Chapter is disciplined severely for this lapse in judgement and ethics.

Barbara

DoggyStyle82,

My only comparison between the two women is that they both stood up for what they felt was right.

X Girl

I agree that sororities should be 'selective' but not selective based on something like ethnic background. If we are selective, it should be on things that apply to the sorority. The fact this young lady was black doesn't make any difference when it comes to fulfilling goals, ideals, philanthropy, etc etc. I also believe it should be the other way around as well. We should be selective based on intent, initiatiave, goals, GPA, things that affect and can benifit the sorority.

Hi--I have thought long and hard about what I wanted to say here. You see, my husband and I have 9 daughters--4 by birth and 5 nonwhite ones by adoption. I hope they will all pledge someday (so far only the oldest is in college and she has).

Yet I worry about what will happen to my other girls in rush because as a college prof and former Greek advisor, I've seen discrimination from black and white groups. I've heard white groups discuss how to cut a black girl without causing a problem and I've heard black groups laugh about a white girl in NPHC rush and call her a "whigger" (around here, a white who wants to be black).

I firmly believe that the last post from mgdzkm is right--when we choose (some non-Greeks would call it 'discriminate'), we must choose our members on the basis of good grades, initiative, school involvement, etc., and cut those people who are cheap, mean, you name it, based on that and not on their race. However, I don't like the idea of university personnel or other groups trying to deny us the right to select our members...you can probably remember, as I can, some awful people who came through rush whom you definitely did not want to wear your pin. I think the Supreme Court affirmed the right of private groups to choose their members with the recent decision about the Boy Scouts and gays--and God willing, we will all make wise and kind choices when we make our decisions in rush.

The following comments are from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's "The Vent Online" section...I found some rather humorous (and sarcastic)...others make you wonder. You can read more here: http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/ajc/xsite/vent/ I apologize for the length.

"I am left saddened and sickened by the recent events at the UGA sorority. Kudos to the student who had the courage and the decency to come forward.

"Come on people, fraternities and sororities are selective. Members should be able to choose who they want as their housemates and friends. After all, how many WHITE girls have you seen in Alpha Kappa Alpha?

"When was the choice process for sororities and fraternities ever fair? They have always discriminated on the basis of anything that you can think of.

"Yes, UGA sororities discriminate. They don't even admit brunettes.

"To my sister alpha gams Keep it up! We have a right to discriminate: especially at the prices it costs for us to join

"All of this hue and cry about AGD is both disingenuous and naive. If you can't discriminate in your own sorority, why have one?

"My gosh, a racial snub at a sorority, I am SOOO shocked.

"Dear Alpha Gamma Delta, now you know it was because she wasn't wearing Prada shoes. Haven't we taught you anything, my darlins'?

"Right on!! Let's tear down those age old barriers that allow sororities to select their members. This ole boy is just dying to get in.

"To the UGA student that withdrew rather than continue to be a part of a racist organization: You are to be commended for standing firm in your belief. If we all had the courage to fight for what is right rather than "go along" with what is popular, this would be a better world.

"Sorority guilty of snubbing someone! That's what sororities are all about

"To the Alpha Gamma Delta member who stood up at great personal cost: Thank you! She proved that there IS a conspiracy of silence regarding racial issues, and that there are those who are willing to stand against it.

"Alison Davis, the former Alpha Gamma Delta, is my hero. It takes guts for a person in the majority to stand up for the minority. If more people did that, this world would be a better place.

"I think we should have the Congressional Black Caucus investigate those racist sororities. Wait a minute ...

"There are whites and blacks in my predominantly black fraternity and we all crossed the burning sands with pride not pressure from the outside world.

"It's sad to think that it has come to this. Why doesn't the University just create its own clubs and throw everyone into them at random when they enroll at UGA? Whats the point of rush if you accept EVERYONE?

"UGA sororities discriminate against the non-white, the non-rich, the non-snobby, and the non-Junior League descended -- is this really a surprise to anyone?

"On the AGD sorority issue at UGA, it is much more commendable to defend the MAJORITY decision to reject an applicant. In this fragile democracy in which we live the majority still rules.

"It's amazing to me how the top brass claims to be unaware of the discrimination practices of these social clubs. All Frats and Sororities (black and white) should be investigated by an independent outside authority.

"From one who was a member of an all-white southern fraternity years ago, and who has never seen any of the "brothers" since, BRAVO to the brave UGA sorority girl who stood up for what she believes in.

"I never found the need to belong to an elitist group that didn't want me. That black gal is better off not belonging to it, too.

"If she gets into the sorority by claiming unfair snubbing practices, how bad will she be snubbed once in. I hope she isn't serious about being accepted by this group of girls.

"A university uses race as a factor in the admission process, but punishes one of its own sororities for doing the same thing.

"We have all black schools. We have all male schools. We have all female schools. But it is illegal to have an all white school? What happened there?

"I was recently asked, "Why do you [black people] always complain about discrimination, no white people complain about your all-black colleges!" The answer is that we had to start our own colleges, fraternities and sororities because we were not allowed in the white ones. Today, we should be allowed to attend any college and join any sorority, but come on now, how many whites are really going to apply to Morehouse or Spelman or join a black fraternity or sorority?

"To the student who was booted out: Sorry, but that's life babe. Go find the crowd you fit in and quit crying, the frat house is not going to govern your life after graduation.

"My guess is there are no WHITE women in Alpha Kappa Alpha because they haven't applied.

"Yes, GREEKs discriminate. But we're trying to take the human race to a higher level of cognitive functioning, no?

"To be honest, I have seen at least 3 WHITE girls in Alpha Kappa Alpha. Skee Wee!"

***Please direct all hate mail to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, NOT to me. I am not the author of any of these comments, although I do agree with some of them. I'm just passing this along***


------------------
Kelli
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
12-Delta Nu-94
MAL, Southern Region
Savannah State University c/o 1997



[This message has been edited by 12dn94dst (edited September 12, 2000).]