Quote:
Originally posted by silmilek20
Well after a lot of thinking and talking with an impartial person who is in no way related to the greek community I have a better grasp of the situation. Now that I think about it I can't remember that much about that house except some of the undesirable aspects. Today I will go and look around at everyone and how they act. I just really didn't connect with the girl I talked to yesterday, and I had to talk to her the whole time, so it felt kind of like a chore. It was like they were trying to throw the minority at me. But I guess if I look past that, then it's not so bad. I just hate stereotypes and it kind of offended me the way they came to me "whats up" and all. I simple how are u doing would have been better. I have class so I like being talked to like i have class. Nothing really big. But they were the only sorority were I actually felt like a minority, because they kind of focused on that. But yeah I have reflected alot and feel a lot better about recruitment as of now. Who knows, maybe I could be happy as a Doug.
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This post really got me. It was good. You made me learn somethign from it, and I hope you can learn a little from what i am about to say.
My chapter has no minority girls. (Not a shock, theres a whole five of us.) Not because we dont want any or dont accept any, but because it is HARD trying to get them interested in us.
I'm an IT major. Last year, I met a group of 3 black girls, and I HONESTLY felt like I really connected with one who was also an IT major. I HOPED that she had felt the same way, and that possibly, if we could get her interested, she would invite her friends along with her. Did it happen? No. Why? To this day I dont know.
We honestly dont know how to appeal to the minority crowd. Sometimes when i'm having a selfish moment, I get defensive myself and think "Well the only reason they wont join us is because we dont already have minorities..."even though I know thats not necessarily true...but how do we step over that hurdle? how do we get the first one, so that future girls wont be so shy?
While what you have said has helped me not FOCUS on the fact that a person is a minority so much - you know, so we dont make the same mistakes that you described above - also try to look at it from their point of view. it's hard to read a person sometimes, and as bad as it sounds, sometimes people are just ignorant. They try to do what they think is right, without realizing that you're offended by it. I'll admit, I probably could have been one of those girls who made the mistakes. Keep an open mind with them - they arent intentionally trying to single you out cause youre a minority, they are just trying to do what they feel is the right thing.
Thanks for the insight.