Fall of the frat house: Students target Greek life amid America’s racial reckoning

[carnation]

I don't get why some of these students try to turn in their charters and I think it's hilarious that some of their IHQs are refusing to accept them and instead, planning to re-rush for new members. How dare they attempt to throw away years of history and tradition?

I read an article by one group whose IHQ did this and it was titled something like "Forced to Exist". Remember when we used to talk about the wahhmbulance here?

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by thetalady

So if their chapter is not as diverse as they think it should be, what is stopping THEM from pledging the people that they think will make the chapter more representative? Their membership is totally in their hands, isn't it? I am clearly missing something....

Right? They met for two hours over Zoom and decided to disband their chapter. It looks like this chapter has existed since 1990. So over the course of two hours they figured they had no problem throwing away what three decades had helped build. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in that Zoom call to hear why they all thought to give up so quickly.

Originally Posted by carnation

I don't get why some of these students try to turn in their charters and I think it's hilarious that some of their IHQs are refusing to accept them and instead, planning to re-rush for new members. How dare they attempt to throw away years of history and tradition.

Well exactly. They just figure "Eh, we'll shut this down," as if the national organization isn't going to have something to say about it. And where are all the angry alumni of their chapter, because I'm sure they're out there!

What's strangest to me is that many of these chapters - including the example in the article - are collectively deciding to disband. It's not just one or two members but essentially the whole chapter. So if the whole chapter feels that way, isn't there strength in numbers? Couldn't you work together to build a chapter you're proud of and to try and enact change above?

It's especially strange because this is considered to be the most activism-focused generation in decades, but they don't want to take the time to make change to their chapter or organization. Perhaps it's because they truly don't know what membership means yet? If we all really think back to being a college student, how much did we truly understand our organizations and all they had to offer? Knowledge and perspective comes with years and experience. These students don't have it. And as has been mentioned, they probably have it even less so because of COVID and how relatively little they're interacting with their brothers, sisters, and national organizations.

Take convention for example. I attended AST's this year - over Zoom, of course - and it was clearly different and disappointing that we couldn't all be together in person. What disappointed me most, though, was that there were hundreds of collegiate women who were experiencing convention for the first time, and that's what they saw and experienced. Did they learn much? Did they sign off their computers feeling inspired? Probably not. There were no stories to take back to their chapters or new friends made. There were no hugs and handshakes. There were no fun activities or late nights talking to newly-met sisters in hotel rooms. They didn't get to truly see a formal business meeting of the national organization take place. They didn't see chapters go up on stage to receive awards. Will they ever feel inclined to attend convention again? Do they see the larger benefits of membership? Do they feel a new connectedness to the organization? They should, but I doubt many of them do.

All I know is that this year is truly a challenging one for Greek life.

[Cheerio]

Originally Posted by carnation

I don't get why some of these students try to turn in their charters and I think it's hilarious that some of their IHQs are refusing to accept them and instead, planning to re-rush for new members. How dare they attempt to throw away years of history and tradition?

I read an article by one group whose IHQ did this and it was titled something like "Forced to Exist". Remember when we used to talk about the wahhmbulance here?

I read the same article. The NPC group in question does appear rather bright in its refusal to allow chapters to vote to resign, since a majority voting to disaffiliate would mean ALL chapter members would be required to disaffiliate INCLUDING those who desire to remain affiliated. This method forces those desiring to leave the opportunity to think about other chapter sisters before themselves.

[33girl]

I feel bad for the members who really don’t want to do this and whose voices are being overrode- or who are afraid to speak up at all, for fear of being called racist/misogynist/whateverist.

[carnation]

For sure!

[Sen's Revenge]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I feel bad for the members who really don’t want to do this and whose voices are being overrode- or who are afraid to speak up at all, for fear of being called racist/misogynist/whateverist.

I don't.

They're adults.

[33girl]

They are, but there are a lot of shy/unsure adults.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by 33girl

They are, but there are a lot of shy/unsure adults.

And if you're sitting in a business meeting and 75% of the members are up in arms and calling to disband, it takes a really strong person to stand up and fight back against that. And let's pretend you're the freshman who was just initiated and you're trying to stand up to juniors and seniors who have been members of the organization for years and may be holding executive positions. Do you say something?

I can honestly look at myself at that time in my life and acknowledge that I very well could have been the quiet one in the corner that didn't want to make any waves. I could have been fuming inside, but the thought of speaking out like that would have terrified me. That gradually changed and was not the case anymore by the time I hit my senior year

However, I also never had to face such a situation, so I can't really say what I would or wouldn't do. But I won't judge anyone for staying quiet.

[content.camille]

Originally Posted by 33girl

They are, but there are a lot of shy/unsure adults.

I'd also say that while it takes a lot of strength to stand up to one's enemies, it takes even more to stand up to one's friends.

When I was in university, my greatest fear was having no friends or having all of my friends leave me, I joined my sisterhood so I'd always have friends and sisters to depend on, especially because I was so far from home. When my eldest rushed, she was terrified that if she didn't rush and her friends did, they'd stop talking to her because she hadn't gone Greek or her friends that had decided to forgo rush would stop talking to her because she HAD gone Greek. When she did rush, she did lose friends. I think this is precisely the same thing, these children (and I say that because I wasn't an adult until nearly 25 and didn't know what I wanted until near 30) are faced with a decision of disaffiliating and "rising up" against their nationals to seem woke/progressive and "on the right side of history" or keeping membership in a chapter that they love and cherish.

I've come to a point where I honestly think that in a situation like this, there's truly no winning. You either disaffiliate and run the risk of losing your Greek friends or you stay affiliated and run the risk of losing your friends that have chosen to disaffiliate.

[Sen's Revenge]

Originally Posted by 33girl

They are, but there are a lot of shy/unsure adults.

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

And if you're sitting in a business meeting and 75% of the members are up in arms and calling to disband, it takes a really strong person to stand up and fight back against that.

Originally Posted by content.camille

I'd also say that while it takes a lot of strength to stand up to one's enemies, it takes even more to stand up to one's friends.

This language is utterly foreign to me.

Being established on principles of democracy in the first place, it fascinates me to hear that organizations would have members who are afraid to dissent.

C'est la vie, I guess.