Syracuse student leaves sorority, bashes "culture of cruelty"...

[AnotherKD]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...t-my-sorority/

It's such a shame that it seems for every one good thing that the public hears about Greek Life, there are a hundred bad things.

[gatordeltapgh]

One note the article left out is that Alex is a senior PR major. I disagree with the way she is spreading her message and I'm skeptical about those who dump, run and complain. Change happens from within.

What a project to show a potential employer. This is how I went viral and got in the today show....

[jolene]

Originally Posted by gatordeltapgh

One note the article left out is that Alex is a senior PR major. I disagree with the way she is spreading her message and I'm skeptical about those who dump, run and complain. Change happens from within.

What a project to show a potential employer. This is how I went viral and got in the today show....

I was also side-eyeing her tactics. This is an easy way to get attention and try to secure a job offer after graduation. Also, why deactivate your last semester in school? If you can't stand it, you've only got a few months left.

[GPhiBLtColonel]

I wonder if she will also post a video when she doesn't get hired by some company??
"Oh those big meanies at Company XYZ - they need to change their culture and be nice and hire everyone!"

[carnation]

Amen to what you all said!

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by jolene

Also, why deactivate your last semester in school?

Usually the real answer to that question is financial. Usually the reported answer to that question is something different. But if you've been in an organization with a "culture of cruelty" for 4 years and haven't been part of a solution, you were also part of the problem.

[PGD-GRAD]

I thought it was a good rebuke when Hoda spoke up for her sorority experience and mentioned Tri Delta on TODAY.

[amillionlights]

After playing basketball all through high school in Bethesda, Alex Purdy said she rushed as a freshman because she thought a sorority might provide the same sort of belonging and friendship she had enjoyed on a team. But the experience seemed a little … empty. She said that instead of promoting leadership, kindness and intelligence, sorority members encouraged each other to dress “sluttier” at a formal so the guys would like them, talked about dropping weight-loss products into a new member’s basket and, when describing the type of sister they didn’t want, used a vulgar term for a certain kind of overweight person.

Why do people always attribute this kind of stuff to sororities? Are girls on a sports team, girls in clubs, girls who live in the same dorm, etc., so much more loving, kind, thoughtful, and pure of heart than girls in sororities? I really don't think so. This behavior exists everywhere and I don't think it's fair to attribute it to sororities only. I was in band in high school and heard people use vulgar terms for overweight people. I was in SGA in college and girls talked about losing weight and what they would wear to parties. Is that right? No, not at all. But this behavior exists everywhere.

I'm not denying that there are definitely always changes that can be made to the Greek system, and that it's important to start a dialogue about those changes. But I think to say "I was on a sports team and it was great and then I was in a sorority and it was horrible and all girls are mean to each other and tear each other down" - just isn't the full story.

[33girl]

“It’s terrible to see girls crushed because they didn’t get invited back to certain chapters. "

Translation: It's terrible that closed-minded girls who thought they were above less popular chapters got cut by the more popular chapters because they really weren't all that and a bag of chips...and because they lacked self-awareness in spades.

From the video:

"I gave it a full try initially, but it wasn't attractive to me."

Translation: I went to 2 mixers and sat there like a bump on a log, only grudgingly showed up for meetings and never hung out with sisters to find out those silly inside jokes and people's personalities.

Case in point: the hydroxycut. She has no clue what that big and little talk about and that this might be a joke. She didn't mention whether the little actually had anything resembling a weight problem. One of my sisters and I had a running joke about Midol - if she'd been my secret sis I would have put some in her bag. According to this chick, I would have been shaming her about her PMS.

And finally....why on EARTH do you join a sorority as a substitute for a sports team? You build friendships on sports teams because you all play together but you have to have the skill to get on the team first. Joining a sorority is pretty much the complete opposite of that.

ETA: Her T.witter is basically all about makeup.

[ChioLu]

Originally Posted by PGD-GRAD

I thought it was a good rebuke when Hoda spoke up for her sorority experience and mentioned Tri Delta on TODAY.

Matt pointed out that both Hoda and Savannah Gutherie (Pi Phi) were in sororities. Savannah made a joke about Hoda trying to get her sorority handshake (or something like that).

If you go to all videos on the Today Show website, look up the title "Former Sorority sister speaks out about her "Greek' experience".
http://www.today.com/video

Other Greek Today Show hosts/reporters:
Willie Geist (co-host) - Phi Delta Theta
Erica Hill (weekend anchor & fill-in co-host) - Alpha Epsilon Phi
Craig Melvin (fill-in co-host) - Kappa Sigma
Sheinelle Jones (Orange Room fill-in host) - Alpha Kappa Alpha
Jenna Bush Hager (reporter/guest co-host) - Kappa Alpha Theta
Willard Scott (weatherman & centenarian birthday greeter/retired) - Alpha Sigma Phi

[Sciencewoman]

Originally Posted by PGD-GRAD

I thought it was a good rebuke when Hoda spoke up for her sorority experience and mentioned Tri Delta on TODAY.

Me, too. Hoda was speaking when I turned on the TV, so I must have missed a longer report, but I also appreciated Hoda mentioning her Tri Delta membership with obvious pride and that she had had a great experience as an undergraduate...Matt Lauer also mentioned Savannah's sorority membership, but she didn't give a shout out to Pi Phi by name. I've heard Hoda talk about being a Tri Delta previously on her show.

[FSUZeta]

Young people seem to have no senses of humor ( or tolerance for opposing views) anymore, aka "safe spaces" on college campuses. They have been indulged, coddled, and sheltered. How on earth will they cope out in the cold cruel world?

[Football Fan]

If she wished to bring up selectivity what about the top 25 elite colleges/universities in the United States? Some of these have admit rates of 6% to 10%. Potential freshmen with 2400 SATs, 4.0 grade averages, top awards and honors, rigorous course loads, many AP classes and outstanding co-curricular records are sent letters of regret from the most selective institutions. Talented musicians are turned down from prestigious music conservatories. Life today is not without competition and disappointments.

Her sorority membership may not have come up to her expectations, but some students who were ecstatic to be admitted to certain universities do transfer out or leave for other reasons. There is no perfect group/college/organization or business.

If this young woman is searching for inclusion and perfection in any organization, she is heading for more disappointments in the future.

[cinder1965]

This is complicated and I am not sure I agree with this young woman's tactics...however, I do think sororities are different from a sports team and other organizations because we DO promise during recruitment that our chapters are about sisterhood, supportive friends, home away from home, etc. Sports teams don't promise that or neither do many other orgnizations.

If our undergraduate chapter leaders and members aren't fulfilling that promise (and I think many aren't), sororities do have a problem. I am quite sure all of our founders would be appalled if they saw how sorority life has evolved.

At the same time, as a collegian, I participated in the parties, etc. and loved it.

As I said, its complicated.

[AGDAlum]

She says she understands and appreciates the principles underlying sororities. She says she hopes her video will help them change. So why didn't she stick with her chapter and work to change it from within? (As other people have pointed out, she is a communications major and is likely building her portfolio.)