Diversity in the SEC

[carnation]

It's very, very difficult for women to get into most GLOs at all the universities I've worked with. A woman might have fabulous grades, scores, activities, and looks and still get released and no one will really know why. It's going on as I speak right now at various schools and we're all openmouthed at who's getting released--PNMs with sitting sisters, daughters of Alum Club presidents, you name it.

That's why I think that the idea of going into some sorority's selection meeting and saying, "OK, ladies, we're looking racist here and you have to take a black woman--here are the names of the 3 who are rushing, pick one and we're going to force 2 other sororities to do the same." An alum can't even go in and order the members to be sure and take 8 girls from Mountain Brook High School or take X amount of pageant winners or anything I can think of. And if some member gets up and tries to do the same about a stranger when they're in the middle of pitched battles about women they already know and love...nope.

They have to love the girl for herself.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by carnation

They have to love the girl for herself.

If only human interactions, cultural capital, and social capital always work as they do in our member guidelines and pledge manuals.

[carnation]

I imagine that forced pledging in the NPC would work about as well as it would with any GLO-- a college president, say, comes stomping into a DST meeting and says, "OK, ladies, I just made an NPC group pledge a black woman and I expect you to return the favor to me and pledge a white one. Here are 3 names, pick one."

Can you imagine how thrilled both groups would be?

[amIblue?]

I think there's truth in what both DrPhil and carnation are saying. Yes, the sororities have to like the girl or she's not getting a bid, but I still think there's some of that look at how cool and diverse we are because we have a black sister. Just my humble opinion.

[MaryPoppins]

Originally Posted by amIblue?

I think there's truth in what both DrPhil and carnation are saying. Yes, the sororities have to like the girl or she's not getting a bid, but I still think there's some of that look at how cool and diverse we are because we have a black sister. Just my humble opinion.

Ditto.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by carnation

I imagine that forced pledging in the NPC would work about as well as it would with any GLO-- a college president, say, comes stomping into a DST meeting and says, "OK, ladies, I just made an NPC group pledge a black woman and I expect you to return the favor to me and pledge a white one. Here are 3 names, pick one."

Can you imagine how thrilled both groups would be?

This isn't about college presidents. This is about the GLOs themselves making such decisions.

Delta regional and NHQ wouldn't push white members (only because they are white) on our chapters because we do not purport to be seeking white members. It is not correlated with our founding purposes and interests. That is why you will typically not see us starting discussions about "racial diversity in Delta (NPHC, in general)." It is typically not our concern and not our goal. We are honest about that and therefore do not pretend to be shocked that 99% of our aspirants and membership for 100 years has been women of the Africa diaspora.

We also do not pretend that race and ethnicity are not part of the aspirant and membership process for many aspirants and members. Many if not most of us would never claim that race and ethnicity were no concern when speaking with aspirants. That doesn't mean that we do not have nonBlack aspirants and nonBlack members. It means that a Sisterhood of Black college women committed to public service is not pretending as though we unintentionally, coincidentally, and accidentally ended up 99% African diaspora and have no intention to remain that way. Delta has an "anti-discrimination clause" but there are also members who will honestly tell you that they would never vote for a white member regardless of other qualifications. White aspirants and white applicants are a rarity so these members are not losing sleep over this.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by amIblue?

I think there's truth in what both DrPhil and carnation are saying. Yes, the sororities have to like the girl or she's not getting a bid, but I still think there's some of that look at how cool and diverse we are because we have a black sister. Just my humble opinion.

Yep. And I know I've seen stories—usually horror stories—of inter/national offices or even college administrators who have basically forced a chapter to take someone it didn't want to take. It may not end well, but it certainly has been reported to happen.

Originally Posted by MaryPoppins

And I was going to say (but checked myself, and then decided it was in fact relevant) that diversity is a continuum for most places. You can't define yourself as diverse because of one African American, or one Asian American, or one Arab American, or one or a few anything. Diversity means picking each one on her own merit.

I think that's very relevant to what a number of people have been getting at.

But I'd take it a step further. I think chapter diversity, at least in terms of racial or ethnic or cultural diversity, means more than just having some non-white members. I think it means not expecting those members to "adapt" to a majority-white chapter ethos or culture—not to be "just like the rest of us"—but rather expecting the chapter as a whole to adapt to and be enriched by how "they" are not just like "us."