DIVERSE FRATS AND SORORITIES

[BABELSUSA]

I was wondering this when I over heard a group of girls talking about rush. I over heard these girls saying that no other than "caucasian" girls are allowed to rush formal rush. I do not want to jump to conclusions about anything, so I want to know what the deal is? Are your fraternities and sororities diverse? It can be anyone, Asian,Hispanic, African American, Persian, Indian...etc...I was just wondering..let me know guys,Thanks!

[juniorgrrl]

Unfortunately, that is a misconception people have here at LSU. I know of one girl in a NPC group who is at least part Asian, but she seems to be a wierd exception than the rule.

I think its a vicious cycle here - the sororities are all one race, so some others feel unwelcome and that formal rush is not for them, and therefore, only the "caucasian" girls rush, thus filling the houses with new members just like the old ones.

[gphi2k]

Originally posted by BABELSUSA:
I was wondering this when I over heard a group of girls talking about rush. I over heard these girls saying that no other than "caucasian" girls are allowed to rush formal rush. I do not want to jump to conclusions about anything, so I want to know what the deal is? Are your fraternities and sororities diverse? It can be anyone, Asian,Hispanic, African American, Persian, Indian...etc...I was just wondering..let me know guys,Thanks!

Oh boy. I feel a can of worms about to be opened. This reminds me of a previous thread that has been closed.
Yes, no glo is supposed to descriminate. The group of girls you heard was incorrect. If any campus refused to rush anyone other than caucations, in formal rush, my guess is there would be quite an uproar. Could you even imagine the posters??? "If you're white, we want you!'. COMMON!!!! LOL. Sorry. But, AS IF any school would have such a policy.
Chapters are different. Schools are different. But chapters are only as diverse as the group who rushes.
And that's ALL I'm going to say.

Leslie

[BABELSUSA]

Oh ok. Well I was just wondering b/c I didnt think that was true after all...I do see pics on the internet of diverse sororities that I do not see here on campus. And please, to anyone who likes to argue, I am not opening up a can of worms, not trying to start anything. I was just curious thats all. Thankyou for the replies.

[Shelacious]

I would assume this varies by campus more than anything else. The more diverse and liberal your campus is, I would assume the more diverse your NPC and IFC GLO's are as a result. My campus was a very liberal campus, and you saw all races joining GLOs within the IFC and NPC: black, white, asian. Of course, the number of "non-whites" rushing was a bit limited because we also had Asian and Gay/Lesbian GLOs in addition to the NPHC representing.

Once again, I think the tradition and history of a campus and its chapters has as much to do with who decides to join what as anything. Like often begets like, in my experience.

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Finer Womanhood: the "Cat's Meow" Since 1920

[shadokat]

Well, I attended a very "backwards" sort of school, where only like 400 students of the 5000 where African American. We had two African American women in our GLO, Delta Phi Epsilon. They took a lot of crap from other African American students for "selling out" and it was really sad to see them lose friends over what they wanted to do. We did have one NPHC sorority on campus, and I would think that they could've joined that group had they wanted, but felt more comfortable or whatever at our group. I was more than happy to call them sister, and still am today It can happen!

My chapter is is ethnically diverse. I myself am Filipino, Japanese, Hawaiian, Hispanic, and Russian...and some of my sisters are also of mixed ancestry. Of course I go to school in Hawaii, where people have dubbed it "The Melting Pot".

I think it varies by state/region. From websites that I have seen, the chapters in the south tended to have a more Caucasian population whereas the Western region had a more diverse group of girls. Today, more and more national Multi-Cultural and Asian GLOs are expanding to campuses across the country, but there are still many minorities that choose to join NPC sororities.

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*I'm an Alpha Gam...Yes I am, Yes I am!*

[dzjusty]

At my school the greek system is constantly harassed about our "exclusivity" blah blah blah. I don't know how it is at other schools but here the claim that greeks discriminate against certain ethnicities is a joke. Why? bc I go to a predominantly white school. So like someone said earlier- sororities can only be as ethnically diverse as the school and as the group that rushes.

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DZ sisters never end!

[Allie_XO]

Of all the rushees, there were two girls that were "obviously" not white. Vyshali pledged Kappa Delta and she and I are very good friends - she and I are living together this summer. The other girl was black and dropped out when she realized that none of the BGLOs did formal rush with us. There are several girls of mixed decent - Hispanic/Caucasion, black/white, ect., many asians, and several Jews. It just depends on who rushes, but there is no GLO that is exclusively white.

I think that one of the reason that the chapters in the south may be more "white" than other has to do with history. Historically, there is a lot of racial tension here. I know that my grandmother is extremely racist - she was raised that way and refuses to change her way of thinking. Probably, a lot of people are raised to think "oh, we don't associate with blacks or whites" and they just never fully grow out of that frame of mind. Sometimes the south seems soooo irrational.

Allie

[ZChi4Life]

Well I am a member of a multicultural sorority, so yes my chapter and sorority at large is extremely diverse. I attended UofMich where it has a very diverse student body, however, the greek system was not. I believe I read somewhere (I think our school newspaper) that w/in the NPC and IFC, about 1% of the members were minority. It's sad that those groups can't be more diverse, but at the same time, UofM offers a plethora of greek orgs (Asian, Latino/a, Multicultural, Indian)to join. So now, everyone has some place to fit. I'm not saying whether it's right or wrong, I'm just saying w/ all the variety, I think a lot of minorities here just aren't that enthused about the NPC or IFC orgs.
But I do agree with whoever said that it just depends on the campus as to how diverse the chapter is gonna be. In some places, minorities are (and can be) comfortable with joining NPC or IFC orgs, while others don't feel that comfort and want to be with people that they can relate to on a more cultural level. And I think that's a key factor in why there are a lot of campuses where the NPC/IFC orgs don't have a lot of diversity. It's a weird situation b/c on one hand, it can be a problem/concern (the segregation or lack of diversity amongst orgs), but at the same time, I suppose one has to try to look at it from a minority's point of view. I don't know...those are just my thoughts Hope it made some kind of sense

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A Radiant Lady of
Zeta Sigma Chi Multicultural Sorority, Inc.

"Diversity: Often perpetrated, never initiated"

[carnation]

This issue has always been of great concern to me since 4 of my daughters are Asian and 1 is Hispanic. I've seen GLOs here in the South with members who weren't white, as well as chapters of my own sorority. However--I do worry about what will happen in rush. It doesn't take too many people to cut a rushee and I don't think a member would be so stupid to say, "Let's cut her, she's not white" but they could sure manufacture another excuse if they had to. Furthermore, the girls might not feel comfortable in AGLOs or LGLOs because they've been raised with Caucasians and other international adoptees. I can only hope that their high grades plus school activities plus being double legacies will make the sororities say, "Gotta have those girls!"

[Allie_XO]

Originally posted by carnation:
This issue has always been of great concern to me since 4 of my daughters are Asian and 1 is Hispanic. I've seen GLOs here in the South with members who weren't white, as well as chapters of my own sorority. However--I do worry about what will happen in rush. It doesn't take too many people to cut a rushee and I don't think a member would be so stupid to say, "Let's cut her, she's not white" but they could sure manufacture another excuse if they had to. Furthermore, the girls might not feel comfortable in AGLOs or LGLOs because they've been raised with Caucasians and other international adoptees. I can only hope that their high grades plus school activities plus being double legacies will make the sororities say, "Gotta have those girls!"

All I can say is that if the girls find an excuse to cut her just because your daugherter is not white, then I wouldn't want to be a part of that organization. What a horrible representation of their nationals! I hope that doesn't happen.

Allie

[USFSDTAlum]

Originally posted by Allie_XO:
- Hispanic/Caucasion, black/white, ect., many asians, and several Jews. It just depends on who rushes, but there is no GLO that is exclusively white.


Allie

I just wanted to let you and everyone else know that JUDISM IS NOT A RACE it is a religion, there is no person who looks jewish, there might be people who look Israeli and therefore are possibly jewish (fill in the blank country) but there is no way to tell if someone is jewish without them telling you. And I really find it disturbing that people of ethnic backgrounds are being alienated from their own races simply based on the GLO they belong to, Doesn't everyone have enough problems in this world, without the people who understand you for what you are being unjust to you too. For all the people who would turn on someone just because they joined a group outside your ethnicity-3 words: GET OVER YOURSELF

[Allie_XO]

I wasn't implying that Judiasm is a race. I should have made myself clearer. I meant that Jews in the past - and some now - have been descriminated against because of their Religion. My thoughts sometimes get all jumbled together.

I like the way you put it USF! People like that need to get overm themeselves!

Allie

[shadokat]

carnation--

I would hope that your sorority, nationally, does not disrespect their alums by cutting women who are perfectly fantastic just because they aren't white. Besides, isn't there a legacy policy? We have one stating that a chapter may not cut a legacy without having authorization from the Vice President of Recruitment on the International Council. Chapters are fined $500, among other things, if they cut legacies without approval. It's about respect for our members.

Originally posted by carnation:
This issue has always been of great concern to me since 4 of my daughters are Asian and 1 is Hispanic. I've seen GLOs here in the South with members who weren't white, as well as chapters of my own sorority. However--I do worry about what will happen in rush. It doesn't take too many people to cut a rushee and I don't think a member would be so stupid to say, "Let's cut her, she's not white" but they could sure manufacture another excuse if they had to. Furthermore, the girls might not feel comfortable in AGLOs or LGLOs because they've been raised with Caucasians and other international adoptees. I can only hope that their high grades plus school activities plus being double legacies will make the sororities say, "Gotta have those girls!"