Alabama's search for diversity sorority continues

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Students seeking diverse sorority at UA explore options


01/28/03

TOM GORDON
News staff writer

Those involved in the multicultural sorority movement at the University of Alabama are exploring two options.

One group of women is looking at joining a national multicultural sorority, Delta Xi Phi. Some others are leaning toward starting their own sorority. Some male students took that second path a year and a half ago and founded UA's newest fraternity, Lambda Sigma Phi. A Christian-oriented organization, Lambda Sigma is UA's only otherwise white Greek group now with a black member.

Earlier this month, a Delta Xi Phi representative met with UA officials and students who were interested in forming a Delta Xi chapter. UA Dean of Students Tom Strong said as many as 10 women could be initiated into a UA chapter before the end of the current semester.

"The administration is very supportive of this," said Kelli Knox-Hall, assistant director of marketing and development at UA's Ferguson Student Center and an adviser to the multi-cultural minded women.

Founded in 1994, Delta Xi Phi has at least nine chapters at universities around the country, one of which is at Mississippi State University. Some members of the Mississippi State chapter have met with women at UA.

The UA movement to form a multicultural sorority has been under way for about a year. The students who were interested in the idea have called themselves The United Capstone Women.

Melody Twilley, a black honors student whose two unsuccessful efforts to pledge one of UA's traditionally white sororities made national news, is part of the movement. Twilley, from Camden, was among students who met with the Delta Xi Phi representative, but she said last week she plans to be part of a brand-new organization.

"Women from both groups (have) become sisters to me," said Twilley, who will graduate in May 2004. But she added: "Some of us were not comfortable with everything that Delta Xi Phi does. It wasn't quite structured enough for some of us."

On the fraternity front, Lambda Sigma Phi came off probation in December and became an officially recognized Greek group subject to the Interfraternity Council, which oversees all of UA's fraternities except the historically black ones.

Nathan Vaughn, Lambda Sigma's vice president for recruitment, said the fraternity has more than 30 members and expects to have a fall pledge class of about 20. The fraternity has one black member and had a black pledge for part of last year. The pledge left the fraternity to join another campus Christian organization, Vaughn said.

Vaughn also said the fraternity, which rents its house from the university, is talking about building its own house. Members of the chapter also have been meeting with students from Middle Tennessee State University who are interested in forming a Lambda Sigma chapter on their campus, he said.