Alabama recruitment fall-out
 

KD disbanded the CAB for the Alabama chapter and will have a leadership team from National Kappa Delta on campus during recruitment. The chapter leadership has received additional training for both formal recruitment and COB. They issued a letter re. all of the steps National Kappa Delta has taken after last fall's mess.

http://www.kappadelta.org/default.as...135&naid=17151

Here's the article referenced in the press release:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/annasoldner/...tly-segregated

Thank you for the link! It's going to be a long haul.

What's the point?

KD is pretty much throwing money (that all chapters pay for dues) into the toilet. So they're on campus for rush...let's say 25% of the girls who get bids are black. Are those consultants going to make the sisters ask the black pledges to go to parties with them? Are they going to force the fraternities that drop KD from their mixer schedule to reinstate them? Most importantly, are they going to follow up and make sure those women of color get involved, stay involved, and remain members until graduation? I think we know the answer.

If you find the campus atmosphere repugnant, don't do a lot of bullshit pr moves - pull your chapter.

Well, in at least one chapter (and I don't remember which), collegians went to the press saying that the alumnae had been the problem. If that's really true, that the collegians wanted to pledge black women and the alumnae overrode their wishes, then removing the local alumnae and having the membership selection duties done by HQ representatives seems like a pretty good move.

Removing the advisory board =/= removing alumnae influence. AT ALL.

And as I said - maybe hq can step in and give people bids. They can't make other people treat them as sisters.

Don't get me wrong, I wish it was as easy as doing these things, but it's not.

If somebody doesn't challenge the system, the system will never change. Part of our mission is to educate our members. This is part of member education.

I agree with what National KD is doing. They are taking steps to make sure the process is fair. That's the first step to changing the culture in the chapter. I think there are enough good collegians in the Alabama chapter that if an AA woman were to join it would work out.

The answer to is whether National KD going to follow up is "Yes, of course, they are." National KD takes a pretty hands on approach with chapter issues. When they target a chapter for work on something, they pretty much stay with that chapter and that issue on an on-going basis. (Causing some eyerolling -- "Oh, Lord. Is Nationals still bitching about THAT?" "Yes. Yes, they are.") I expect that the University of Alabama is going to hear about this on a regular basis until the issue has improved in the chapter and in the Panhellenic community.

The alternative is to do nothing. That is no alternative. I applaud KD for taking a difficult stand against the alumnae that are likely very powerful and give lots of money. Chapters change by more than 1/4 every single year. This issue can be tackled quicker than you think. If this is what KD wants to invest their money in, it is money well spent.

I'd be curious, as a business decision, to see how this plays out. How dependent are large chapters on alumni donations when, for example, they need to do serious renovations or repairs?

To assume that the measures KD nationals are taking will have a huge negative impact on alumnae donations may be... unfair (for lack of a better word). This campus has clearly had a huge problem going back many years, but perhaps there have been many members over the years who agree with the collegians and despise what the actively involved alumnae have done (assuming the accusations/reports are true), and they're glad that someone finally had the guts to buck the system. There's a chance that donations will now pour in from all over.

We'll see.

The speculation about alumnae (in any of the UofA chapters) withholding donations is just that - speculation that provides fodder for sensationalized news stories. I know many active alums of many UofA chapters, and as far as I know, this has no basis in truth.

Unfortunately, articles like the one linked use plenty of errors to spin the story, like this one, which is not true:

Last fall only 3 or 4 AA girls participated in NPC recruitment. It will be interesting to see if more elect to participate this year. If these girls feel they will be the hounded subjects of sensationalized news stories, some may be reluctant to participate.

Alternatively more girls could rush simply for the increased attention. But the chapters will be able to work it out.

I wish KD the best. I'd like to see Alpha Xi Delta join the biggest Greek system in the country, but not until this issue normalizes. And their efforts are part of that!

The thing is, some people don't see it as bucking the system. Some alums see it as this chapter getting away with just probation because of its size and being in a popular Greek system - i.e. if this chapter was at your alma mater or mine, they'd be closed down so fast after that article their head would spin.

And incidentally, my comments are not toward KD specifically. Any other group with a chapter at Alabama would likely do the same exact thing in the situation, and my side eye would also be the same.

1. The Alabama problem isn't just one chapter's problem. It's a pattern across multiple NPC groups. Shutting down one chapter isn't going to solve the problem. This isn't about one or two or ten chapters misbehaving, as much as it is about a system is stuck in a historical pattern of institutionalized racism. Other schools have transitioned away from those patterns. This one can, too.

2. Insofar as my sorority historically helped build a system that is neck-deep in institutionalized racism and segregation, I think we should stick around and work on the problem. Walking away is easy. Working on the problem is hard and uncomfortable. KD wasn't mentioned in the first set of articles as a problem child. Now that National KD is working on the issue, National KD is getting flak. It's uncomfortable. It's also the right thing to do.

Very classy statement! I like how they stated a couple of times the importance of student-driven decisions and processes.

It'll be interesting to see how Alabama's recruitment goes this year. I feel sorry for the undergrads who, in addition to regular Alabama recruitment stress, now have the added stress of being under a national microscope. I don't think I could handle it! :)