http://www.bluejeanonline.com/featur...rity070903.htm
a nice, positive article from a different perspective...
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What I Think
The Feminist Sorority Girl: Not a Contradiction
Dianna Hunter English, 20
Sr. Correspondent
Williamantic, Conn.
Sorority. This word strikes fear in the hearts of most feminists. We associate it with hazing, with archaic gender roles that make the Stepford wives look progressive, with prissy and superficial college goals, and with exclusive rush processes that demean women for being unattractive or assertive.
But as a feminist, why do we fear organizations composed entirely of women? We should have a little faith in each other. No doubt, some of these women must be making empowered choices.
At Northwestern University, individual Greek women held numerous campus leadership positions, including executive vice-president of the student body, chair of Alternative Spring Break, and founder and president of the Model United Nations team. Certain houses coordinated the contribution of health supplies toward Iraqi relief efforts, collected donations to purchase phone cards for troops away from their families, and raised tens of thousands of dollars for various charities nationwide. The National Panhellenic Council has a sub-organization called Empower that works for this very purpose. Founded on the campus level by feminist Greek women, representatives from every house meet to coordinate pro-active events and activities among sororities. On Northwestern's campus this year, Empower published a point/counterpoint newsletter on campus life, co-sponsored Take Back the Night, and presented a fireside on the female orgasm. Clearly, Stepford would be a bit concerned about these sorority girls.
But valid criticism of the Greek system stems from its very real lack of diversity. Many sororities are limited in their ethnic representation, and some women are more comfortable joining sororities specific to their cultural background. These houses include Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta, two historically black sororities, and Sigma Lambda Gamma, which rushes Latina women. These houses have given many women a place where they feel a stronger sense of community, but they also further isolate ethnic groups and contribute to the lack of diversity at sororities that don't rush based on ethnicity. All houses would do well to ask themselves how they can be more welcoming of potential sisters of varied ethnic background so that diversity can be increased.
Much of sorority life obviously depends on the specific nature of a campus and on the personalities of the women involved. Rush experiences are especially varied. But many sorority councils are instituting increasingly welcoming rush procedures. At most universities, any woman who wants to receive a bid will receive one. Rush should not be an exclusive "are you good enough?" process, but an inclusive "where do you feel the most at home?" process. Moderation by national offices and women's respect for each other are leading to increasingly positive experiences. National policies are making sorority houses dry and have completely eliminated hazing, shifting rush toward an emphasis on philanthropy, skits and songs highlighting the positive aspects of the house, and activities encouraging women to be active in campus organizations.
Sororities can provide friendship, social activities, and entertainment. Serious people with serious goals and can also enjoy this social environment because it enables them to form lifelong friendships and establish a connection to a national community of strong women. Those who participate in social justice organizations, student government, literary magazines, and athletic teams in addition to sororities do not need to segment themselves into "sorority girl" and "serious person." Not only can these two components co-exist, but they often promote each other. Strong women benefit from a community of other strong women. As sorority women, we should understand the limitations of a social environment but welcome the positive aspects of each other's company and the home provided by our Greek house.
As feminists, we should welcome organizations coordinated by and made up of women, and recognize our own ability to empower and influence the Greek community and our sisters.
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