Rejected black rushee starts "multi-cultural" GLO at AL

[ZTAMiami]

Originally posted by IvySpice
>
That being said, the article about the biracial Gamma Phi was a real eye-opener. She's got one heck of a strong ego (or a wild imagination) if she can feel "very, very accepted" in her sorority with sisters using the n-word around her. I would be extremely upset if my 'friends' started referring to women as c--ts, or to Jews as vermin, and then explaining that they don't think of me like that, even though I'm a female Jew.

Ivy

Exactly, it seems that they were just ignoring her "other half"! There was NO acceptance here.

[Kevlar281]

Originally posted by neicy81


FYI this wasn't playing dress up.Making a mockery of a black fraternity and putting on blackface circa 1920 is not funny.I could care less if no one initially knew, the fact was they did it period.Albeit outside or inside a room or house.Whatever is done in the dark eventually comes to light.

FYI your opinion of what is deemed funny and what is not should not dictate to the rest of the world what is socially acceptable.

[Kevlar281]

Originally posted by neicy81




It's NOT funny.Blackface isn't funny at all considering this isn't 1920.I guess I should put on whiteface and go to Abercrombie and Fitch, use the word like no less than 20 times in one sentence and walk around with a surfboard and sandals in 20 degree weather.Yes that would be funny FYI.

That’s your right.

[Kevlar281]

Originally posted by neicy81



Thanks I'll go ahead and try it and see how long it lasts before the police take me in

Well considering the legality of freedom of expression I doubt they would have much of a case. Of course it would be difficult to use that defense when you feel it doesn’t apply to similar precedence.

[PotentialPledge]

I have a few questions. So this fraternity in Alabama put on a black face for halloween and paraded around? Out of all the costumes in the world why would they want to put on a black face? Also whats funny about the black face? Obviously this fraternity needs some diversity/sensitivity training.

[hoosier]

Last Halloween. a GLO at Auburn had a Halloween party, and people dressed up in various ways.

A couple of guys wore black face and one had the Greek ltrs. of a black fraternity written on an old shirt he was wearing.

There was a professional photog at the party, taking pictures and hoping to sell them to the members in the pictures. Some of these photogs send proofs, which are passed around and members can order.

This photog posted his on a website, so the members could order prints.

Someone spotted the offending pictures, and campus hell broke loose.

Then similar pictures from a second fraternity were found, and more hell was unleased.

The chapters involved were Beta Theta Pi and Delta Sigma Phi.

The campus dean suspended the chapters, and I think the nationals did too.

One of the chapters hired a lawyer, and established their American rights, and the univ. reduced their penalty to a slap on the hand.

The situation, and the pictures, made all of the national newspapers and TV shows, but in the end PC was given the boot and our constitutional right to dress up was preserved.

[FuzzieAlum]

I'm just glad that Greek Life is expanding at Alabama, and I do hope the groups will voluntarily de-segregate themselves.

[PotentialPledge]

"A couple of guys wore black face and one had the Greek ltrs. of a black fraternity written on an old shirt he was wearing."

Ok, I dont know the situation, but thats very insensitive. Would the Betas put on a SAE shirt for halloween? Why the BGLO? Obviously this was done to be offensive. Free speech is wonderful, Im all for it, but have some tact when expressing it.

[Bama_Alumna]

Frankly, I've had enough of the Alabama-bashing. I am a member of an NPC sorority and, as you can see by my user id, I am also an alumna from The University of Alabama. I am not a racist or a white supremicist or a nazi. I wasn't around when the Jim Crow laws were upheld or when Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote his Letter from a Birmingham Jail.
I am 27 years old. I have black friends, white friends, hispanic friends, jewish friends, asian friends and friends who are of "mixed" origin. I was at my chapter's house last year when Melody Twilley came through the door, and although I can't disclose the details of our voting procedures, I can assure you that skin color had nothing to do with the reason she was dropped from my house. She was a junior, she had a bad reputation on campus and she was rude to my sisters. Any one of those things would have ruined anyone else's chances of getting a bid on that campus, yet she cried "racism!" and here we are today, still discussing it. There are dozens of girls who get cut from rush for any number of reasons.
To see the comments of you who do not live here, have never even visited, and only know about Alabama through the eyes of Hollywood say that "Alabama is one of the most racist states in the world," or that you shouldn't be surprised if an Alabamian is a racist, is not only offensive to me and the other people on this board who are active members and alumni from UA and Auburn (not to mention Samford, Jacksonville State, UAB, etc.) but should be offensive to anyone who is against stereotyping.
I would also like to add that I know of three bi-racial members of NPC sororities at UA right now, and that if an African-American woman chooses to go through NPC rush, she would be given the same chance as any other woman. (Possibly even more so, because of the opportunity for good PR for the house extending the bid. Just look at the good press Gamma Phi Beta has gotten this year and Christina Houston isn't even the first bi-racial woman to pledge an NPC house at UA!) As of now, no African-American woman has even registered for rush at UA, with the exception of Melody Twilley. How can we extend a bid to a woman who doesn't even want to go to a recruitment event?
So, I'm sorry if I offended anyone with this rant, but I am so sick of hearing how awful Alabama is and how racist I am supposed to be just because I live here. I don't have a rebel flag in my yard, I don't drive a pickup truck, I don't know anyone who talks like Forrest Gump, and the usual Hollywood portrayal of the south is about as realistic as the Legally Blond portrayal of sorority life.

[bluethunder]

listen, no matter how you slice it, what those fraternity members in alabama did was DEAD WRONG; they weren't dressing up for halloween-- having a noose around you neck and wearing another fraternity's letters IS NOT DRESSING UP. it is disrespectful, it is dehumanizing, and it is explicitly stating how little those people think of african-americans AND members of omega psi phi fraternity, incorporated. the fact that people on this thread have the NERVE to defend what they did as "dressing up for halloween" is illustrating why such bigotry still exsists: because people allow it, protect it, and defend people who demean others. foget expressing yourself--that's your right. but the fact that they did it in their own house, for their own amusement only shows how they REALLY feel about black people. AND FOR THE RECORD, I AM A MEMBER OF A HISTORICALLY BLACK ORGANIZATION AND TOOK GREAT OFFENSE FOR THE DISRESPECT THAT WAS SHOWN TO MY BROTHERS OF OMEGA PSI PHI and even if i wasn't in a sorority, I'M BLACK, DAMN IT.

[Bama_Alumna]

"A couple of guys wore black face and one had the Greek ltrs. of a black fraternity written on an old shirt he was wearing."

One of the fraternities in question had old shirts that a member of the NPHC fraternity had given them. One of the reasons that the penalty wasn't too severe is that the NPHC fraternity had voluntarily given them the shirts.

(I have a close friend who just graduated from Auburn, is an NPC sorority member and knows men from this fraternity. That is where I got this information.)

[Kevin]

BlueThunder,

I don't think that people were necessarily saying what these folks did was right, smart or in good taste.

I gather that these "defenders" are defending the right to freedom of expression.

When society starts limiting us to certain things we can't express ourselves on it sets a very dangerous precedent.

It is also the right of anyone that is offended by the actions of these morons to show them what they think of these actions.

If you're upset enough about it (and it's something you can reasonably do) you should go there and excercize your right of free assembly in front of their fraternity house. Have a rally or something. Rhetoric accomplishes very little.

[FuzzieAlum]

I think that what those guys did was wrong ... however, regardless of whatever the climate at UA actually is, I don't think we should take their behavior as typical of the entire Greek system. We can all probably think of one org on our campus that doesn't uphold itself well, and we would probably cringe if they were publicly declared to represent all of us.

Whether the sororities are integrated or not, and if not why, is a separate issue from the blackface fraternity incident. Clearly there are some members of campus with racial issues. I'm also just as sure that there are people who strive to be open-minded about race. At least, I hope there are!

As Bama Alum said, the first sorority to give a bid to a black woman will be honored beyond all reason. The PR bonanza that will result if a chapter bids an African American should be an incentive to overcome any racism a chapter might or might not have. Whether or not Melody Twilley was a deserving rushee (and since I don't know her, I'll consider her innocent until proven guilty), her lack of a bid has certainly galvanized the sororities on campus to examine their attitudes toward race, which should be a good thing.

What I find interesting is that until now there were no MCGLOs on campus. They are certainly the trend of the day (I don't mean that disrespectfully - they are what is making Greek Life expand today) and a school that large "ought" to have had a few by now. I find this to be more illustrative of how separate black and white are at UA than the merits of one particular rushee, which I as an outsider will never know.

[IvySpice]

To denounce the blackface Halloween costumes is not to denounce freedom of expression.

I don't believe that anyone has suggested putting anyone in jail because of their expression. Certainly these men had a First Amendment right to wear the clothes they wanted to wear, and we don't want to the government to prevent them from doing so. (As long as the expression is not a threat; threats are not covered by the First Amendment.)

Those of us who are denouncing these ignorant, cruel young men want, instead, for the world to hear a thousand antiracist voices for every racist voice. We want racists to know that these expressions will earn them the moral contempt of thinking people.

They have a right to wear blackface (or a white sheet); we have a right to condemn this choice, and the chooser, as racist and worthy of our disgust.

Ivy

[auakl]

Who hasn't heard what life is like in Alabama?

I'm sure you are not so naive as to not know that Alabama is one of the most racist states in the world.

You can base it on personal experience or knowledge if you want but the history as well as what's going on NOW can't be erased or denied.Do you watch that news?

neicy81,

Aren’t the freedoms we enjoy as Americans great? Hold on for a moment while I remove my “I’m a Georgia Voter” sticker from today’s primary elections from my shirt…there. The same freedom of speech that you enjoy to rip my family’s cherished home state, the home of my wife, the home of my beloved alma mater Auburn University, the state where I will one day be proudly buried, in such assine fashion is the same freedom that allows me to say that your comments are some of the most prejudiced and stereotypical I’ve ever had the displeasure of reading on GC. How have your inflammatory comments helped heal the wounds of 300 years of racial division? I join Bama_Alumna in roundly condemning your degrading comments of Alabama and by extension my family and everyone who ever lived there.

For someone who once lived in the state you sure have a bitterness and hatred I’ve rarely seen. Despite my opinion of how you went about it, you do raise some very valid issues that deserve a calm, reasoned discussion among adults. Does Alabama have problems with racism now? Has Alabama historically had tremendous struggles with race relations? You better believe it. Now neicy81, please name me a state that doesn’t have ANY problems with racism. Not less, but none. I’m still waiting. Alabama still struggles with the same tensions and issues that have created division within our country for centuries. Does Alabama have more problems than Kansas or Utah or Illinois even? Probably. Are there people both white AND black that still nurture hatred toward the other? Yes, I’ve seen it in both its ugly forms. But for you to come out and spout your garbage about Alabama as if everything in the entire state is based on race, that there are angry mobs waiting to pounce at the state line, that as a white person my entire goal in life is to keep minorities down is outrageous and offensive to me. But that’s why I am so glad we live in America and have the freedom to say what we think. Your right to free speech doesn’t negate my right to stand up and say I firmly believe you are wrong. I oppose what you are saying with every fiber of my being, but if I had to die tonight to defend your right to say it, I would, just as millions of other Americans and yes, Alabamians would.

As noted earlier, I am a white male, a proud member of a IFC fraternity and an Auburn alum. I will be the first to acknowledge that the Greek system at Auburn and the University of Alabama is still largely divided along racial lines. Are we moving towards a more integrated system? Most certainly. During my time as an active I saw changes that I personally didn’t think would occur just a few years earlier. For the first time my senior year, Greek Week was integrated. My fraternity was paired with historically black Omega Psi Phi. Going into Greek Week I didn’t know a single brother of Omega Psi Phi, there just were not any brothers that I encountered on a day to day basis in my classes, etc for me to get to know. You know what? I found them to be great guys. Funny, competitive and proud of their fraternity and its ideals. My eyes were opened a little wider into the world of historically black sororities and fraternities and that has helped me understand their point of view that much better, hopefully they feel the same about my fraternity. It was a growth experience for us all. A step forward. Second, for the first time, my chapter had a black rushee and you know what, he was welcomed just the same as any of our other rushees. Many rushees did not receive bids, he was one of them. Did we fail to extend a bid to him simply because he was black? No. He was not extended a bid because he kept hitting on a Brother’s long time girlfriend even after being warned. His response, “he’s not my brother.” Is that the attitude you would want in your chapter? Among your brothers/sisters? Others were rejected for grades, inappropriate actions (i.e. disrespect of women), etc… the reasons people get dropped every day during Rush. I don’t know the young black lady who rushed at UA. However I do know that women are cut every day of Rush in every Greek system for reasons that have nothing to do with race. The insinuation by some on GC and in the media that she was cut from every sorority simply because she was black is sickening to me and I for one am tired of it. I’m tired of reading about it from out of state journalists who have no idea what rush is like, how competitive it is, how your class standing (fresh, soph, jr, sr) affects your chances of receiving a bid (take a look at some of the Rush board questions on this very subject), who only consider race as the issue and the entire state as being the poster child for white bigots. Was it an issue in some individual sister’s voting? I’d be willing to bet so. But did her race decide her fate before she ever signed up to go though rush? I for one have my serious doubts.

Folks from outside Alabama, please learn from our mistakes, and they are many. We are constantly under a microscope from our past sins, but don’t forget to take a look in the mirror, you may see racism where you live too and I hope you act positively to end it. Neicy, some event(s) have obviously soured you on Alabama and I probably could not relate to the wrongs you have received; I hope after your studies are complete (and I sincerely wish you the best), you will return to Alabama to help end some of the conditions you so oppose.