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I do not see this as a reflection on Alpha Phi, which is a stellar organization. It could easily have been your sorority, OldFlDDD, or mine, or honeychile's, or carnation's, or ... you get my drift. As I posted earlier, we all take turns in the hot seat. I actually see it as a reflection on all of Greek Life. We are lumped together, and we all suffer when something like this occurs.
Nor do I see this young woman (or any other troubling members) as trash. People, to me, are not trash. It is clear that "conduct unbecoming" applies here, and membership selection is not a perfect process. We don't have any crystal ball to consult to see who might be problematic (and how I wish we did!). My fellow alumnae who are advisors and have stayed active in their sororities over the years can attest to what I'm about to say. As an advisor for a large chapter, I kept in mind that a certain percentage of the group was going to have some sort of challenge which would impact the group. That might be too much drinking, eating disorders, depression, difficulty with time management, poor scholarship, too much time at the fraternities, and so on. Remember these are still undeveloped brains with questionable maturity. The influences of social media and the speed of life (the information superhighway) on their lives are nothing like what I went through (back when God was a baby). This young woman was extremely reckless (not to mention cruel, heartless, arrogant, foul-mouthed, and racist) and the consequences of her recklessness are going to be with her for a very long time. I'd like to think she feels ashamed, but I'm a pragmatist.
Personally, the shortened new member period is not at all to my liking. What NYCMS wrote expresses many of my thoughts. Direct observation reveals that the new members have little to no understanding of the tenets of membership. Ritual seems to be an odious obligation which is poorly implemented instead of being at the core of the sorority's functioning and purpose. Finally, my respect to Chi Omega for sticking to their guns and not initiating until after their new members have made grades.
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