Alabama recruitment fall-out

[IndianaSigKap]

Originally Posted by AGDee

To make this a productive conversation- let's ask - What could College Panhellenics do to get more women of color to go through recruitment? Since most schools promote recruitment through the organization fairs at the beginning of the school year or at freshman orientation, what would help?

I advised on a small commuter campus and when we had open houses/meet the greeks/etc events, the minority members always signed up to host because they wanted girls "who looked like us" to sign up for recruitment. Two out of the three chapters had minority members from a wide variety of backgrounds and ethnicities. The third chapter had a hard time attracting minority members because they didn't have them, it was like a recruitment Catch-22. Minority PMNs didn't want to join a chapter that didn't have girls who looked like them. Granted this was a small campus, but it was interesting to see how PMNs did notice the sorority members who looked like them. So in my experience, promoting what diversity exists, whether it's a little or a lot, does help attract diversity.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

There are many chapters out there that actually are not. They just recruit women that they like and that includes women of all ethnicities. Trying to look at pictures of chapters and count out the number of dark faces is ridiculous. I can look at the pictures of my chapters in AZ and CA and know that these chapters are diverse and integrated. When they vote on membership, race is never an issue.

Maybe. But it is lame to play the "I see some nonwhite faces" and "this chapter is less white than that chapter" games.

This really isn't about certain NPC chapters. This is about NPC as a whole.

There's nothing wrong with race being "an issue" in terms of it being a topic of discussion. The concern is when race is "an issue" in terms of being a problem. NPC sororities have long claimed to coincidentally and accidentally be predominantly white. Adding a lot of nonwhite women and saying "we don't notice your race" is equally as lame and bigoted as excluding nonwhites.

[AGDee]

I was thinking that too, ISK. I'm glad to hear they volunteered. I was wondering how those members might feel if they were always the ones having to do the tables.

[Hartofsec]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Very few chapters anywhere actively recruit any specific target group because they are dependent on which women the College Panhellenic in general recruit to participate.

To make this a productive conversation- let's ask - What could College Panhellenics do to get more women of color to go through recruitment? Since most schools promote recruitment through the organization fairs at the beginning of the school year or at freshman orientation, what would help?

I agree with you and asked a similar question earlier in the thread in response to tld221:

I think that is a conversation we should be having.

In my earlier anecdote, the young lady attended a large predominately white high school where discussion among UofA-bound girls concerning recruitment would be common. While she had no family connections or privileged background, she likely had many friends who were at least somewhat knowledgeable about recruitment. The PNM of interest last fall attended a small predominately white private school in Tuscaloosa (97% white), and her grandfather is a prominent UofA University Trustee. She would not be representative of a typical PNM - or of a typical AA PNM.

This is not an easy issue to address in a system with – in almost every way imaginable - a turbo-tacular recruitment. I’m interested in hearing what others think. How has this been addressed elsewhere?

Originally Posted by AGDee

I agree that the photos on a group's web site may not be representative of the chapter's actual demographics, that is a place to consider making changes. Photos on websites and in brochures should show women of color (with a variety of physical characteristics, I might add) because someone going to those web sites wants to see that there are members "like them" in some way. If you go to a site and see a bunch of thin women with long blonde hair, blue eyes, all in Lily and you do not fit that mold, you're going to think you wouldn't fit in with them.

I agree. It appears that Alabama began to address that concern in this spring's Panhellenic Preview slideshow:

http://0101.nccdn.net/1_5/047/206/0d...rpoint-PDF.pdf

[AGDee]

Ok, I'm dying at the fees at Bama. I can't imagine what sorority membership would provide that would be worth $3300-$4500 a semester. (But that's off topic)

[Hartofsec]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

Note: I never said I have any experience with this chapter. I advised at Towson, four years ago. I don't know the make up of recruitment at UMD, so you can stop trolling the UMD AOII FB page. How about you look at the AOII NAU page?

Note: I didn't say you did. I didn't know what chapter you advised. I used MD and AZ because you mentioned these along with your general statement about the south:

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

In other parts of the country, my experience from advising in Maryland, AZ and CA is that chapters are NOT excluding women based on race.
[...]
As a Southern alumna, I am embarrassed by the lack of diversity in the Southern chapters, but have been pleasantly surprised many times in the past few years when chapter pictures are displayed on FB from our smaller chapters in the South which show increasingly diverse groups which include African American women.

Here is what I actually said:

Just using those examples as you mentioned these states.

[KDCat]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Very few chapters anywhere actively recruit any specific target group because they are dependent on which women the College Panhellenic in general recruit to participate.

To make this a productive conversation- let's ask - What could College Panhellenics do to get more women of color to go through recruitment? Since most schools promote recruitment through the organization fairs at the beginning of the school year or at freshman orientation, what would help?

Brain-storming here:

1. Some schools have orientation days for non-majority students. They get a lot of information targeted to those students. If Panhel tabled during those days at locations where that orientation was happening, it would be a way to draw in a more diverse crowd for formal recruitment. Doing a "Meet the Greeks" or information session during that orientation period could be helpful. Invite all of the NPC and non-NPC groups to participate. If there's an activity fair, table at that.

2. At some schools Panhel sends out information re. registering for recruitment by email or regular mail over the summer. It might be helpful to make those materials include information that indicates that all NPC chapters are open to all qualified candidates and which includes information on the process for both women of color and first generation college students who might not otherwise have access to information about recruitment.

3. Target qualified women of color during COB. Every university in the US in integrated. All of our collegians know women of color through their classes and other organizations. Chapters should target the women they are already friends with. Even if she says "no," to COB or a bid the active courting is going change the climate and make it more clear that NPC is more open than it used to be.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by AGDee

To make this a productive conversation- let's ask - What could College Panhellenics do to get more women of color to go through recruitment?

This has been discussed in GC threads over the years. This question will keep being asked because some GCers haven't gotten the answer they want, which for many GCers is the following:

1. Smile and be friendly like you just left a diversity training
2. Support the nonwhite campus organizations
3. Repeat this phrase over and over again: we don't see race....

To truth of the matter is items 1 and 3 are meaningless Kumbaya quick fix nonsense. Instead, NPC chapters can start by challenging the presumed invisibility and race neutrality of whiteness. White people also have a color so some people (like me) hate the phrase "people of color". And NPC as a whole and certain chapters can stop believing they are THE sororities.

Even with all of the above, many GLO-aspirant nonwhites at some schools will not be interested in the NPC because they want an experience that intentionally speaks to their cultures and experiences; they don't like race being treated like the elephant in the room; and/or even if the chapter is diverse, they want their GLO experience to be one of the few times in their life that doesn't involve a predominantly white environment.

[Hartofsec]

Originally Posted by KDCat

Brain-storming here:

1. Some schools have orientation days for non-majority students. They get a lot of information targeted to those students. If Panhel tabled during those days at locations where that orientation was happening, it would be a way to draw in a more diverse crowd for formal recruitment. Doing a "Meet the Greeks" or information session during that orientation period could be helpful. Invite all of the NPC and non-NPC groups to participate. If there's an activity fair, table at that.

2. At some schools Panhel sends out information re. registering for recruitment by email or regular mail over the summer. It might be helpful to make those materials include information that indicates that all NPC chapters are open to all qualified candidates and which includes information on the process for both women of color and first generation college students who might not otherwise have access to information about recruitment.

3. Target qualified women of color during COB. Every university in the US in integrated. All of our collegians know women of color through their classes and other organizations. Chapters should target the women they are already friends with. Even if she says "no," to COB or a bid the active courting is going change the climate and make it more clear that NPC is more open than it used to be.

Thanks for putting some thought into this. I think those would be great ideas for almost any campus, though it also seems as if the nature of recruitment at Alabama involves some unique "rubs." Orientation seems to be a great way to "get the word out," but the time frame involved for preparation really places PNMs who find out at orientation at a disadvantage.

I can't vouch for the specific info incoming freshmen receive, but the info on recruitment is easily located (and perhaps pointed out in info incoming students receive). However, it has not had info targeted at first generation or women of color in the past. It will be interesting to see if there is any mention in the recruitment brochure for 2014.

I agree with what you said about COB, though many chapters at Alabama do not participate in COB. This may be another "rub" unique to Alabama - I don't know what this looks like on other campuses.

[Hartofsec]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Ok, I'm dying at the fees at Bama. I can't imagine what sorority membership would provide that would be worth $3300-$4500 a semester. (But that's off topic)

And yet this is a draw that has contributed to the growth of the university. I was surprised to see that 73% of those who participated in recruitment were from OOS. I didn't realize it was quite that high.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

This has been discussed in GC threads over the years. This question will keep being asked because some GCers haven't gotten the answer they want, which for many GCers is the following:

1. Smile and be friendly like you just left a diversity training
2. Support the nonwhite campus organizations
3. Repeat this phrase over and over again: we don't see race....

To truth of the matter is items 1 and 3 are meaningless Kumbaya quick fix nonsense. Instead, NPC chapters can start by challenging the presumed invisibility and race neutrality of whiteness. White people also have a color so some people (like me) hate the phrase "people of color". And NPC as a whole and certain chapters can stop believing they are THE sororities.

Even with all of the above, many GLO-aspirant nonwhites at some schools will not be interested in the NPC because they want an experience that intentionally speaks to their cultures and experiences; they don't like race being treated like the elephant in the room; and/or even if the chapter is diverse, they want their GLO experience to be one of the few times in their life that doesn't involve a predominantly white environment.

I don't think anyone has suggested they "don't see race". The women in the chapters I have advised aren't white girls with darker skin. They come to the chapter with their own diverse cultures and experiences which brings a rich experience to AOII. Race isn't being used in membership decisions. That is different than saying we don't see race. Choosing to add members to our chapters that bring a wealth of experience and cultural backgrounds is a conscious effort made by our members. That may include race, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexuality differences. I've seen it all in these chapters. Some chapters choose only to add members that have their own culture. They aren't okay with adding other cultures to the mix. The NPC is changing. Yes, the NPC was started as "white" originally, but they weren't all Christian and several were started by women bent on a course of diversity (to the extent that was allowed at the time) from the very beginning.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

I don't think anyone has suggested they "don't see race".

Read some of the older threads.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by Hartofsec

And yet this is a draw that has contributed to the growth of the university. I was surprised to see that 73% of those who participated in recruitment were from OOS. I didn't realize it was quite that high.

What's bringing out of staters to Bama is the guaranteed full ride if you have a 3.75 and an ACT of 32. Perhaps those are the women who can afford sorority dues because they aren't paying tuition or room and board? Just a thought.

I don't think, when discussing this, we should focus on just Bama or even SEC or other uber competitive recruitment schools. It is the rare school whose chapters' demographic makeup is similar to that of the general population at the school. I think we have the best chance of first effecting change at schools where recruitment doesn't start before classes start and there is a chance to reach out to women who would not have typically chosen to go through recruitment.

I honestly have no ideas at all for how to actively recruit diverse membership when recruitment starts before school does. I come from an area where most people haven't even thought about being greek until they come in contact with the greek system after classes begin.

Dr.Phil- I do know how you feel about the term "women of color". I end up using it because several of the women I work with have expressed it is the term they prefer.

[DrPhil]

I know some racial and ethnic minorities use that phrase. I disagree with the phrase but am only bothered when whites use the phrase.

People have a tendency to adopt phrases and assume the phrase can be used regardless of the environment. If NPC chapters use that phrase for recruitment or at events be prepared to possibly offend or annoy some people. Be prepared to respond and possibly rethink the use of the phrase. That is all.

[Low D Flat]

The weaker recruiting chapters I have worked with tend to have more diverse memberships

That's been my experience, too. It seems to be true even on campuses where most chapters COB. My theory is that, as noted upthread, "top-tier" NPC chapters sometimes have more of a cookie-cutter skinny white look (sometimes also blonde). The weaker recruiting chapters are more likely to be diverse in terms of appearance and body type, even if all the members are white. If I'm a nonwhite woman, even if I'm skinny and Hollywood pretty, I might gravitate toward the WRC where there's more than one OK way to look, and it doesn't seem like fitting a visual mold is key to belonging.

I agree that there are idiots who "don't see race," but not on this thread, so far.