Ethnic diversity: North vs. South

[shinerbock]

Many parts of the south are quite ethnically diverse. Auburn and other similar schools have less-than-diverse greek systems, however.

[minDyG]

Originally Posted by shinerbock

Many parts of the south are quite ethnically diverse. Auburn and other similar schools have less-than-diverse greek systems, however.

Well I wouldn't necessarily say less-than-diverse Greek systems, just that the various conferences/councils/what-have-you within the systems tend to be relatively homogenous. For example, there are mostly white women and white men in the NPC and IFC sororities and fraternities at most SEC schools; however, there are plenty of ethnic sororities and fraternities as well including the NPHC organizations and other organizations that fall into the multicultural category (I can't remember the name of their association). I think that is a recurring problem throughout the South; while our population may be just as ethnically diverse as anywhere else in the States, we tend to self-segregate more than other areas due to centuries-old traditions that we never even consciously recognize.

[Taualumna]

Originally Posted by minDyG

Well I wouldn't necessarily say less-than-diverse Greek systems, just that the various conferences/councils/what-have-you within the systems tend to be relatively homogenous. For example, there are mostly white women and white men in the NPC and IFC sororities and fraternities at most SEC schools; however, there are plenty of ethnic sororities and fraternities as well including the NPHC organizations and other organizations that fall into the multicultural category (I can't remember the name of their association). I think that is a recurring problem throughout the South; while our population may be just as ethnically diverse as anywhere else in the States, we tend to self-segregate more than other areas due to centuries-old traditions that we never even consciously recognize.

But what about diversity within so-called "white" ethnicities? The original poster stated that there were few non-"English" sounding last names....i.e. few names that sounded they were from "The Continent"

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Taualumna

But what about diversity within so-called "white" ethnicities? The original poster stated that there were few non-"English" sounding last names....i.e. few names that sounded they were from "The Continent"

I'm guessing that most of the girls going through NPC rush are descendants of those first settlers, rather than those from other nationalities who came later. Not only that, I'm betting that if you were in an environment that was primarily English, you'd be more likely to Anglicize your name than someone who landed in, say, Pittsburgh or Chicago. Kendall Somers might really be Kimmy Sobieski.

[ForeverRoses]

I just took a quick glance and I noticed quite a few ethnic german last names on the list. There is also a whole section of "Mc" something, which could either be irish or scottish. But I didn't see too many italian names.

I would agree that it has allot to do with the people who live in that region and are therefore most likely to make up the majority of women going through rush. When I think of American-Italian food, I don't immediately think of Alabama.

[honeychile]

I know of more and more people with "ethnic" names who have moved to the South and now have college-aged children - some of them must be considering the Greek system.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I'm betting that if you were in an environment that was primarily English, you'd be more likely to Anglicize your name than someone who landed in, say, Pittsburgh or Chicago. Kendall Somers might really be Kimmy Sobieski.

Very true, and the longer ago they came, the more likely it is that the name has been anglicized. My very Southern wife's family came to the South from Germany -- they anglicized their name about 225 years ago.

[minDyG]

Originally Posted by Taualumna

But what about diversity within so-called "white" ethnicities? The original poster stated that there were few non-"English" sounding last names....i.e. few names that sounded they were from "The Continent"

Yeah I would just attribute that to the ancestry of the majority of the population here...there are certainly Italians, Poles, Germans, and Eastern European NPC sorority members in the mix but they're just not in the majority, same as the general population. I was addressing the point shinerbock was making in this quote.

[NutBrnHair]

I went to a local comedy club several months ago. The opening act was a comic from New Jersey. He starts his routine with the question: "Heyyy how many Italians in the house??" :::::::::dead silence::::::::::::: He continued by making jokes about the Olive Garden, etc. I felt sorry for him.

[fantASTic]

Ethnic diversity is...not necessarily what people think it is all the time. At our COE for the university I attend, which I spoke at, they mentioned to us that we need to be more 'diverse' in the people we have in our sorority. Apparently, all the NPC sororities were told this. It's a bit difficult when you have a school with a small minority population that doesn't want to interact with WASPs. What they need to realize is that true diversity doesn't come from different skin colors or last names or heritages, though they can help. It comes from people who are from different walks of life. We have a girl in my sorority who is from a very small town. She's very country, loves horses, so on and so forth. She's VERY different from me: I grew up in a big city and have done very few of the things she has. Because of the way we were raised, we often have differing opinions and different experiences with things. We're diverse; people just assume we aren't because we both happen to be white.

[BabyPiNK_FL]

I do want to encourage those who are still collegiate members to encourage their panhellenics to reach out to those who would not normally consider NPC organizations. It breaks my heart to be one of only a handful of black women in my organization and in an NPC on my campus period. Why?

It's an amazing experience and it's just so sad like when I went to SEPC and there were only a handful of black girls or women that are not white period. A lot of women just wave it off because they don't see themselves fitting in. As a Panhellenic Council officer who is involved in the recruitment process I personally seek out women who think sorority life is not for them or are not the same ethnicity as the women who make up the majority of the sororities on my campus. They love it when I show them that they too can find sisterhood in our organizations.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by minDyG

Well I wouldn't necessarily say less-than-diverse Greek systems, just that the various conferences/councils/what-have-you within the systems tend to be relatively homogenous. For example, there are mostly white women and white men in the NPC and IFC sororities and fraternities at most SEC schools; however, there are plenty of ethnic sororities and fraternities as well including the NPHC organizations and other organizations that fall into the multicultural category (I can't remember the name of their association). I think that is a recurring problem throughout the South; while our population may be just as ethnically diverse as anywhere else in the States, we tend to self-segregate more than other areas due to centuries-old traditions that we never even consciously recognize.

Yep. And there's something a little sad about it, but it doesn't make it any less real or any less comfortable particularly for the members of minority groups who, after going almost all day as the sole member of their group, want to feel at home at least part of the day.

[UGAalum94]

You all talking about historic immigration patterns are kind of completely ignoring the entire Gulf Coast and Florida. While Florida might be culturally debatable, coastal Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana are both southern and not-as-WASPy.

(But apparently not sending that many girls to Auburn.)

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by AlphaGamUGAAlum

You all talking about historic immigration patterns are kind of completely ignoring the entire Gulf Coast and Florida. While Florida might be culturally debatable, coastal Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana are both southern and not-as-WASPy.

With regard to the Gulf Coast, that falls, I think (though I stand to be corrected), under the distinction I was making between recent, or later-wave, immigration patterns and those that occured, say, over a century ago. And I excepted immigration of Latin Americans from my general statement.

As for Florida, I think it is indeed arguable that many of the immigration patterns in the last century have made Florida less traditionally Southern.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

With regard to the Gulf Coast, that falls, I think (though I stand to be corrected), under the distinction I was making between recent, or later-wave, immigration patterns and those that occured, say, over a century ago. And I excepted immigration of Latin Americans from my general statement.

As for Florida, I think it is indeed arguable that many of the immigration patterns in the last century have made Florida less traditionally Southern.

I think the culture of the Gulf Coast remains other than "wasp-y" and I thought you were sort of saying that the earlier the immigrants settled the more likely they were to have given up the non- white, anglo-saxon protestant parts of their identity, and I think we agree that the earliest immigrants on the Gulf were not WASPs.

The coast is kind of its own thing. It's Southern and historically more Catholic and culturally/historically as influenced by French and Spanish influences as it would have been by Anglo-Irish-Scots. (Nobody is giving up Thibadeaux is favor of Thomas, or whatever.)

But other than LSU, the coast culture probably isn't that well represented in SEC Greek Life overall. It's too diluted by the WASPiness.