Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities

[33girl]

I think it all depends on how you interpret things. "Drugs" could be someone who smoked one joint and never touched it again. "Racism" could be someone saying "those A & F shirts really are sort of cute."

Let's send her a bunch of emails and ask her.

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by 33girl
I think it all depends on how you interpret things. "Drugs" could be someone who smoked one joint and never touched it again. "Racism" could be someone saying "those A & F shirts really are sort of cute."

Let's send her a bunch of emails and ask her.

Haha! She probably came to my chapter and saw me and my roomie sitting around eating ice cream out of the carton and talking about boys.

[ThetaGrrl]

Originally posted by MoxieGrrl


drugs, psychological abuse, extreme promiscuity, racism, violence, and rampant eating disorders are just a few of the problems. But even more surprising was the fact that these abuses were inflicted and endured by intelligent, successful, and attractive women.

This is when I want to welcome everyone to what goes on in live *everywhere* and not just in sororities!

[kricket]

Here's a review from bn.com:

From The Critics
Publisher's Weekly
Robbins, who previously researched Yale's Skull and Bones Society for Secrets of the Tomb and also coauthored Quarterlife Crisis, went undercover for the 2002-2003 academic year to investigate the inner workings of "Greek" (National Panhellenic Conference) sororities. Sororities are far from anachronisms; there are presently some 3.5 million women in almost 3,000 Greek chapters on campuses across America. After the national office forbade locals from cooperating with Robbins, she disguised herself as an undergrad and found four sorority women willing to risk expulsion to help her. While Robbins structures her narrative around the year's ritual cycle-the rush, the bid, pledging, initiation, Greek Week, etc.-the timeless soap opera of sorority life occupies center stage. And although battles between girls can be wrenching, there's nothing like a date gone wrong to bring out the tears-and the thermos of vodka. Beyond romance, Robbins's informants have their own issues, among them, being black and poor in a rich white sorority and recovering from date rape by a frat brother. These problems are worsened by an environment that encourages binge drinking, drug abuse, eating disorders and blind obedience to what their pledge masters or sorority elders tell them to do. Historically black sororities, which are not the focus of this book, do have a reputation for promoting community service and sisterhood; "historically white" sororities, Robbins concludes, are really just social groups for making friends and meeting guys, despite their claims to academic and service values. Robbins makes suggestions for reforming sororities-more adult supervision, ending pledging, etc.-although the demystification that comes from reading her front-line account may be the best prescription. Agent, Paula Balzer. (Apr. 14) Forecast: Robbins is mediagenic and has lots of connections (she's written for the New Yorker, the Atlantic Monthly, USA Today, Self and other publications). A Today appearance will boost sales, although it's hard to pin down this book's audience. Those interested in joining a sorority probably won't pick it up, and it's not particularly addressed toward feminists. Do university policy makers watch the Today show? Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

[DolphinChicaDDD]

I'm interested in how she pretended to be an undergrad...that seems like a lot of work. I don't know about everyone else's school, but before we even extend a bid, we have to file paperwork to the Greek advisor, who with the signed paper from the PNM, releases to us her birthday, the number of credits the girl earned, her last semester GPA, and her overall GPA.
If other schools are like this, and I think they are, that means this woman had to at least enroll full time in a school, therby forging documents that would make her 'normal' college age (18-22), a la Joise Grossie from Never Been Kissed.
I smell a rat.

I am interested in who interviews her on the Today show, because Katie Couric is a Tri Delta.

I think I will be ordering this book and watching her publicity apperance on the Today Show.

[HelloKitty22]

Apparently it can't be too hard to impersonate yourself as an undergrad since Vendela Vida did it too at USC for her book. However, she did what I felt was a very well balanced portrait of the rush experience in a book which was about various community's coming of age ritual for girls rather than a expose on "sorority life."
What I find most disturbing about this new book is the conclusion the author comes to, that historically black sororities are paragons of community building and philanthropy while NPC sororities are just an excuse to socialize and meet frat guys. She completely ignores the many important positive things that NPC sororities do for their communities and their philanthropies. She does not acknowledge the role that NPC sororities play in helping their members develop as women and leaders in a supportive environment. I find her conclusion especially disturbing considering the fact that there have been a number of severe hazing incidents involving traditionally black sororities that I have read about since I've been on GC. Clearly no group of organizations is without their "bad apples." To declare one set of organizations as completely worthless and another as completely benevolent is irresponsible journalism and completely ridiculous.

[33girl]

Originally posted by HelloKitty22
Apparently it can't be too hard to impersonate yourself as an undergrad since Vendela Vida did it too at USC for her book. However, she did what I felt was a very well balanced portrait of the rush experience in a book which was about various community's coming of age ritual for girls rather than a expose on "sorority life."

However, Vida was taking part in a before-school rush and dropped out before she even started pledging. She didn't take a spot that some other girl who really wanted it could have had.

It's one thing to be a 60 Minutes person and pretend you are buying a car. But to pretend to be something you're not for A WHOLE YEAR?? Did she go to class? If not, how did she explain that away? I smell a rat too - it says 4 sorority members were willing to risk expulsion to help her. If she was undercover, how did they know they would be expelled for talking to her?

I'm betting this is something that she and the other women conspired on and is totally false. I hope Katie Couric rips her a new one.

Edited to add this link, don't know if it is real, but LMAO if this is part of her "research."
http://www.stophazing.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000258.html

[bruinaphi]

Actually Vendela Vida went through rush at UCLA, not USC. She went through my senior year I believe. She's not the only writer or journalist to have tried this over the years.

[Little E]

semi related, yet very interesting. one of my sisters sent it out on our listserve

http://www.bluejeanonline.com/featur...rity070903.htm

[ASUADPi]

Wow, I just don't understand how someone managed to fool an entire greek life system for a year.

I remember reading an article in Jane magazine probably about four years back. A undercover journalist decided that she wanted to know what the big deal with sororities were. She went to a small college with no greek life. She went through all of UCLA's rush. She even recieved a bid to Tri-Delt (if I remember correctly). She eventually up and left because Tri-Delt and UCLA would want to see her class schedule and grades (since she was claiming to be a transfer student, that was her cover story).

The article was actually very positive she spoke about the first sorority being a literary society (which we were). She didn't say anything bad about the houses or the fellow PNM's (which were still called rushee's at the time). She even stated how much she enjoyed the process and how she loved her 'sisters'.

With that said, how could this woman pull off not showing her grades or transcripts for a whole year? That is what gets me. The four sorority girls who supposedly helped her can only do so much.

[mu_agd]

does anyone know when her appearance on the today show will be?

[Lil' Hannah]

Originally posted by ASUADPi
I remember reading an article in Jane magazine probably about four years back. A undercover journalist decided that she wanted to know what the big deal with sororities were. She went to a small college with no greek life. She went through all of UCLA's rush. She even recieved a bid to Tri-Delt (if I remember correctly). She eventually up and left because Tri-Delt and UCLA would want to see her class schedule and grades (since she was claiming to be a transfer student, that was her cover story).

Originally posted by Lil' Hannah
You may be thinking of Vendela Vida, who wrote Girls on the Verge: Debutante Dips, Drive-bys, and Other Initiations. She pretended to be a student at UCLA, and got a bid to a sorority.

[KillarneyRose]

Does anyone know if the sorority profiled in the book is NPC?

[CarolinaCutie]

Originally posted by kricket
Historically black sororities, which are not the focus of this book, do have a reputation for promoting community service and sisterhood; "historically white" sororities, Robbins concludes, are really just social groups for making friends and meeting guys, despite their claims to academic and service values.

Wow. I would not even BEGIN to claim that the NPHC's "reputation for promoting community service and sisterhood" is false. But WTH? This is an untrue statement regarding "white" sorority members. There are many differences between NPHC and NPC, but I don't really feel this is one of them.

Edited to clarify that this was part of the critic's review, not kricket's actual statement.

[XOMichelle]

Does it say which University she went to? I imagine her life in a sorority is particuaraly high drama if some girls are risking expulsion for her.