UT (Texas) minority in "white" sorority

[APhiAnna]

First, let me say that I am not overly familiar with UT recruitment. But I do believe that a minority rushing may have a harder time at schools like UT or SEC schools vs. schools in California, East Coast, etc. I'm not condoning it, but I think it's an honest answer.

Now, I think the main problem is that there are very entrenched social circles in those societies that can be difficult, or near impossible, to break into. There are girls going to these schools whose families have known each other for generations. Their mother, aunt, grandmother and older sister may all have been bid by ABC at their same school, not to mention the fact that they have already been flagged because of their hometown, the ball where they were a debutante, high school, the fact that they went to Sunday School with Sister Susie, her dad golfs with Sister Sally and Sister Stacey's debutante escort was her older brother. In short: this girl was born and bred to be an ABC at University X.

Due to historical reasons, minorities have usually not managed to crack this inner-circle (and, like some have pointed out, those that do may be the "token" friends and not necessarily treated equally) and therefore are not going to be one of the PNMs the chapter is competing for the most. The same goes for white girls that just didn't come from that ABC background.

Is there ever some more overt racism from particular members? Probably. But I think the chapter stance probably leans more towards tried-and-true Southern elitism, which unfortunately also rules out many minorities. I doubt it ever even gets to discussion about race...more likely, "these 150 PNMs fit our social standards, we have a legitimate chance at getting 80 of them, and we only need 50 for quota, so let's move on."

Now, are there chapters that don't follow this way of thinking? Absolutely. But there will always be some that do, so I think it is something to be aware of if you are rushing at the most competitive schools in Texas/the South...and is why keeping an open mind on every chapter is the best policy (not that it isn't ALWAYS the best policy for every school, because it is, but it may be even more important for these schools).

Someone more familiar with UT recruitment can feel free to correct me, but I don't think I'm too far off.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by APhiAnna

Now, I think the main problem is that there are very entrenched social circles in those societies that can be difficult, or near impossible, to break into. There are girls going to these schools whose families have known each other for generations. Their mother, aunt, grandmother and older sister may all have been bid by ABC at their same school, not to mention the fact that they have already been flagged because of their hometown, the ball where they were a debutante, high school, the fact that they went to Sunday School with Sister Susie, her dad golfs with Sister Sally and Sister Stacey's debutante escort was her older brother. In short: this girl was born and bred to be an ABC at University X.

Due to historical reasons, minorities have usually not managed to crack this inner-circle (and, like some have pointed out, those that do may be the "token" friends and not necessarily treated equally) and therefore are not going to be one of the PNMs the chapter is competing for the most.

I agree. I think what's going to happen within the next 5-10 years is that we're going to see more young women of color whose families have cracked that "inner circle"--even in Texas and some parts of the South. What's going to happen to them? It'll be interesting to find out.