Sorority Evictions Raise Issue of Looks and Racial Bias: Recriminations, tears, protest

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT: Sorority Evictions Raise Issue of Looks and Bias
By SAM DILLON
Published: February 25, 2007


(Andrew Hancock for The New York Times)
Women at DePauw University in Indiana who were either asked to leave the Delta Zeta house or resigned in protest hold a sorority photo.

GREENCASTLE, Ind. — When a psychology professor at DePauw University here surveyed students, they described one sorority as a group of “daddy’s little princesses” and another as “offbeat hippies.” The sisters of Delta Zeta were seen as “socially awkward.”

Worried that a negative stereotype of the sorority was contributing to a decline in membership that had left its Greek-columned house here half empty, Delta Zeta’s national officers interviewed 35 DePauw members in November, quizzing them about their dedication to recruitment. They judged 23 of the women insufficiently committed and later told them to vacate the sorority house.

The 23 members included every woman who was overweight. They also included the only black, Korean and Vietnamese members. The dozen students allowed to stay were slender and popular with fraternity men — conventionally pretty women the sorority hoped could attract new recruits. Six of the 12 were so infuriated they quit.

“Virtually everyone who didn’t fit a certain sorority member archetype was told to leave,” said Kate Holloway, a senior who withdrew from the chapter during its reorganization....The reorganization has left a messy aftermath of recrimination and tears on this rural campus of 2,400 students, 50 miles southwest of Indianapolis.

The mass eviction battered the self-esteem of many of the former sorority members, and some withdrew from classes in depression. There have been student protests, outraged letters from alumni and parents, and a faculty petition calling the sorority’s action unethical....

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/25/education/25sorority.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[Mojorabbit]

1. I belonged to a sorority for about a month years ago

I was not into hanging with frat guys and it seemed that is all the women wanted to do. I quit.
Edited to say, the whole system is a weird dynamic. I am not sure I understand it or the need for it. I ended up joining an informal group that did community service and it was a much better fit for me.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. When I went to U. of Denver...

Sororities and Fraternities were banned from campus and not tolerated in off-campus settings.

It was a very good atmosphere. The faculty loved it. Said it made a much better situation for all.

[DeepModem Mom]

3. I think the trend is toward banning fraternities and sororities, but alums are powerful...

and the school's administration always faces one heck of a fight.

[BlooInBloo]

4. Hey - it's *theoretically* possible that the "undesirables" all simultaneously freely chose to leave

... of their own accord - therefore we should obviously give them the benefit of the doubt.

(Just jump-starting the DUBDeB.)

[longship]

5. The school I graduated from.

Had no sports (other than intermural fun stuff), no fraternities or sororities, and focussed solely on academics. Small school, by state U standards. The best part about it was the fact that the charter forbid both sports and frats.

Along came a new U president who decided that fraternities and sports were more important than academics. They simply rewrote the charter and my school lost a lot of its academic standing.

Not good.

[WorldResident]

6. There's a reason why they call them the easy DZes

I'm referring to the national organization.

[newyawker99]

13. Hi WorldResident!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Blue_Tires]

7. ttt

shameful

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[redacted]

11. Didn't know they were sluts, but they had zero status at my university

They were bottom trawlers in every respect except Mommie and Daddie's bank accounts. (But then again, that description might apply to just about ANY greek gang.)

[redacted]

9. Greek houses are fabulous training for corporate life

After all, their "values" and attitudes are identical. They are also a means for corporate alums to exert influence over universities that is undeserved and inappropriate.

Since I believe that a global insurrection against corporate occupation is long, long overdue, I also believe that these houses have zero place in modern higher education.

[Porcupine]

10. The Greek clubs are known for killing their members here....

in Chico CA.. Our local university CSU Chico has had nothing but trouble from the greeks. Hazing deaths, arson, rapes, rioting, and a young lady who killed her newborn while her friends partied downstairs are just the start.

The concept that they represent anything other than drinking clubs for the overprivilidged is just a fraud. The area of town they occupy is filthy with broken glass, beer cups and bottle littering the streets. They destroy the buildings they live in sometimes literally burning them down.

The craziest part about it is when they get in trouble their mommies and daddies fly up from the south and drop a pile of cash and let them continue. The whole situation is insane.

They should just be banned from campus. If people want to form their own social clubs fine. But the schools should strictly seperate themselves from the Greeks.

You want to look for a real threat to the US. Fraternities and Sororoties.

[redacted]

12. Hear Hear Porcupine!

:yourock: :yourock: :headbang: :headbang:

[question everything]

14. I thought that we were done with sororities and fraternities

in the 70s when we were going to treat each as equal, not segregating on bases of gender.

With all the attention to Anna Nicole, and Paris, and Britney and the others, with all the cleavage shown on the Oscars and by so called "professional" characters on TV shows, seems that we are now back to the 50s.

Betty Friedan is turning in her grave.