U AL Faculty Senate considers "Greek Privatization"

[hoosier]

Two new sororities seek to break race barriers in UA greek system

Integration may have been implemented at the University of Alabama 40 years ago, but the practice is largely unknown in UA's greek system. Now two new sororities are seeking to change that.

Julie Arrington, staff reporter

As the anniversary of the integration of the University of Alabama approaches, UA is still one of the few colleges in the nation that still has traditionally segregated Greek organizations. Even after efforts of both students and faculty members to integrate, the university has yet step into the 21st century of race relations. _
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Most recently, the Panhellenic Association has decided to return to early Rush, and groups belonging to the Interfraternity Council, both consisting of white sororities and fraternities, will begin Rush in the summer and end in September. This is in an effort to curb distraction from students' academic work by rush activities. _
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The delayed Rush schedule was implemented under former UA President Andrew Sorensen’s tenure at the university in an effort to encourage diversity and assist students in making the adjustment from high school to college life. _
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In a recent article by the Crimson White about the return to early Rush, Heather Schachter, president of the Panhellenic Association, intimated that the Panhellenic sororities do hope to achieve diversity in their groups and that early Rush may help with that. _
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However, multiculturalism has finally worked its way into the University of Alabama’s greek system without efforts from members of the Panhellenic or IFC. Earlier this spring, two new sororities, Delta Xi Phi and Alpha Delta Sigma, initiated their first members. _
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Unlike the stereotypical sisters of cheesy yet often popular B grade movies, the two new groups are devoted to adding diversity and a fresh approach to what has been criticized as a racist and shamefully homogeneous greek society._
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David T. Beito, President of the Alabama Scholars Association and associate professor at the university said that the sororities are “excellent illustrations of how privatization and free choice promotes integration.”_
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Beito also said that the Alabama Scholars Association has proposed a resolution to the Faculty Senate to privatize the greek system. By privatizing, the greek organizations will no longer receive subsidies from the university and each fraternity and sorority building will be sold to the current occupants. The money obtained from the sales will go towards the improvement of academic programs at the university. _
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“Greek organizations should to able govern their own affairs by exercising their constitutional right to free association,” Beito said. “If a Greek club wants to restrict membership on the basis of class, or looks, or family connections, that is its business.” _