College life in the South is truly different...
As an African-American member of a "traditional" national fraternity, all I can say is
why would anyone want to be a part of a group that would not have them as a member???
I mean, I loved being a member of Phi Kappa Psi at Stanford, even though I was one of three African-Americans at the time I joined, and throughout my years as an undergraduate. Now, would I have joined if I had attended the University of Alabama for example??? Probably not. Do I consider the brothers at the University of Alabama my brothers??? Definitely! Now, whether or not they feel the same about me is not my concern. I swore the same oath of loyalty as they did, so I am just as much as a brother as they are. I really think that this is one of the great things about having national groups-each chapter is different and unique, and I always feel that I was so fortunate to be a part of a group of men that did not judge me based on the color of my skin, but by who I am as a person. My best friend in the whole world is my fraternity brother, one of the other African-Americans when I was in school, and the fact that we are both still involved as alumni says a lot about my group and what it means to me. Maybe sorority life is different than fraternity life, although my girlfriend while I was in school was an African-American, and a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. So, I hope that Melody finds a group that will accept her for who she is, and if not, well, college is only a few years out of her life, and being in a GLO does not have to define the "college experience" for anyone. And for those who say that rush is discriminatory, I truly feel that it is where you attend college. This is not to say that the more academically desirable or liberal schools are going to be less conscious of race when making their selection, but just from speaking about my experience in rushing at Stanford, I never felt that I needed to be in an GLO to validate my self worth. Maybe at large state universities those things matter because of the possibility of getting lost in the shuffle if you're not a part of something. Or hell, maybe it's just that some people can't feel good about themselves unless they make others feel worthless and unimportant. Whatever the reason, groups make their decision, and if the person is not wanted...
MOVE ON!!!.
