UC-Davis: Co-ed Group Request to Associate with Panhellenic

[sigmadiva]

Originally Posted by LaneSig

An interesting situation has arisen at the University of California-Davis.

A group, Lambda Delta Lambda, has requested to become an associate chapter with Panhellenic. This has posed issues:

So, does this mean LDL wants to be part of the NPC recruitment week?

-Lambda Delta Lambda, while identifying itself as a sorority, allows males to join. This would be a conflict with Panhellenic and its protection under Title IX rules that allow for it to remain single-sex (as IFC is protected to remain single-sex).

-From what I understand, one of the advisors is pressuring the current members of Panhellenic to vote to allow LDL, suggesting that this is a gender identity issue (LDL was originally formed as a lesbian-friendly sorority), equality, and fairness. It's been stated that NPC is "old fashioned".

Is it a gender identity issue because the males of the group identify with being female?

-It has been "suggested" to Panhellenic that if they do not admit LDL, they will lose university recognition.

Would this be so bad? At TAMU the NPC sororities were not recognized by the university until ~1990/1991. Before that they did fine in terms of recruitment and membership.

I know that IFC has at least one member that has co-ed chapters (Psi Upsilon); but in my opinion, NPC organizations, with their UAs, are a whole different situation and I don't believe that a co-ed group could truly fit in.

It also bothers me that the administration and their representatives are pushing the ladies of UCDavis's Panhellenic into a "vote the way we want or lose campus recognition".

Did the university offer any rationale as to why they want LDL to join the CPC? Or, is it "do what we say, or else".