The University of Alabama has recently been in the news for their policies in relation to Greek life. Discrimination is said to have occurred this fall with two black students being excluded from joining Panhellenic sororities. One of the students that was denied membership happens to be the step-granddaughter of University of Alabama trustee, Alabama state court judge, and former member of the Alabama Supreme Court, John England Jr. Unwanted attention has been brought to the university and the situation serves as a reminder that blatant segregation still exists in the twenty-first century.
In a video statement released by the University of Alabama, President Judy Bonner stated that the attention on the university now is just as it was when desegregation happened there over fifty years ago because "(their) Greek system remains segregated and chapter members admit that during the recruitment process that ended a few weeks ago decisions were made based on race." Bonner has instituted "systematic and profound changes" to better the racial outcome of the intake process. These amendments target the Alabama Panhellenic Association, which is composed of 18 white sororities. Revisions alter the recruitment process now permitting the addition of new members at any point in the semester and also authorizing the increase of organization size to 360 members. Both policy changes are to hopefully decrease the chance of discrimination by increasing the chances that students are given to join these organizations. Only time will tell.
A black professor of the University of Alabama was asked whether or not the policy changes would affect the culture at large. She responded that they were not enough to cause great change. What do you think of the President's actions? Could Bonner have done more to dissolve the segregation that exists, or is the cause hopeless? How would organizations themselves be held accountable for integrative gains?
Greek letter organizations have an aged history and remain a staple of the college experience for students. Many, if not all, sororities and fraternities were arguably founded on the principle of exclusion; they were founded as a way to bring people with common values and skills together. In preserving unique values, Greek letter organizations may have over time fortified cultures that have inadvertently pushed the division of Americans by color of skin. Is there truth to this? Are there exceptions?
The University of Alabama this semester enrolled 34,852 students. An estimated 13 percent of students are black (over 4,500 students) and 1,896 young ladies joined a sorority this fall.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/17/university-of-alabama-sorority-discrimination_n_3943824.html
I too saw this on the news. However, I don't think that the University of Alabama is the only school whose Greek system demonstrates discrimination--they're just the only ones who have been caught. At nearly every school with Greek organizations, including Rhodes, the Greek community is largely monolithic. As you stated, Greek letter societies were founded to bring individuals with similar characteristics and values together. Therefore, it is no surprise that fraternities and sororities continue to exclude minorities (both racial minorities, and members of the LGBTQIA community). Rhodes continues to struggle with this: most of the NPC sororities and NAIC fraternities have very few minority members, and I am unaware of any openly gay people in fraternities or sororities on campus (I could be wrong, however). As a member of a fraternity myself, this is troubling. I truly wish fraternities were seen as liberal organizations where people of all faiths, sexual orientations, and racial backgrounds are welcome. Instead, the perception is that Greek letter organizations are conservative groups of individuals who aren't interested in expanding their diversity.
ReplyDeleteWow this is quite revealing but honestly it doesn't come as a surprise that something like this has happened. I feel that at all schools even Rhodes have some level of racism in the bid process. When I say that I don't mean that it does happen or I know anything about it but I am sure in some cases there is racial discrimination. It is of course more evident in the larger schools as they are much more selective in the process and have way more people to choose from. I don't feel that by increasing the amount of members in the system will help at all in deterring racism. Also one thing to think about is there are Greek systems that are primarily African American. Is excluding White students racist?
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DeleteYes, excluding white students from any organization greek or non-greek is racist. Excluding anyone on any premise is deemed as a racist act. However, to imply that those sororities and fraternities who are affiliated with the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), those that are “primarily African American” are influencing and promoting the exclusion of white people is erroneous. Yet, to respond adequately to this, I must have a bit of clarity on the subject. Perhaps, incorporating a news article or other indications which suggest that racism may have occurred during the recruiting process of the fraternities and sororities affiliated with the NPHC, may provide me with better insight to fully address your question. However, as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, I can attest that these historically black organizations are welcoming to anyone from any diverse background who is interested in joining.
DeleteMerrill's question "is excluding white students racist" in predominately African American Greek systems is a very popular question of today, not just referring to sororities and fraternities, but also historically black colleges and universities (HBCU). The idea of progression versus regression in terms of segregation and exclusion definitely exists when this question arises.
ReplyDeleteSome argue that these institutions are set as a way to preserve and appreciate African American culture, whiles others see them as just another example of discrimination in today's society. To answer Merrill's question, I believe that yes, excluding white students is just as racist as excluding black students would be. However, I think that people tend to overlook the progression of today's society and focus on instances of continued discrimination for publicity and media benefits. This is not at all to undermine discrimination that exists today, but it is to explain that discrimination varies depending on the institution, circumstance, etc.
For instance, students are allowed in historically black colleges, sororities and fraternities no matter their ethnicity. However, news articles about a student of a minority joining a sorority of a majority does not typically capture the attention of the intended audience, thus it is not made public. Furthermore, I think that while we should constantly remember and appreciate African American history, I think it is just as important to focus on developing and progressing as a society based on intellect, diversity, and creative thinking, rather than the physical appearance.
I can see your point in that media would take more interest in an article of a black girl being denied entrance to a PWS's Greek organization more so than a white girl joining a historically African American Greek organization. In all honesty, I don’t know many who would read the latter article. But I think you are touching on a very interesting topic: colorblindness. This goes beyond appreciation of African American history.
DeleteWhile I would love to believe that people are seen as humans and not be judged by the color or their skin, I live in the US. We know that a colorblind ideology leads to ideas such as blaming individuals for their own success/failures, we know that it provides whites with a sense of relief by being “off the hook,” as well as a feeling of being progressive and living in a “fair place.” Additionally, it also makes current forms of discrimination invisible; it silences discussion and protects white privilege. I am not saying that these are conscious decisions, people benefit from privilege even if they don’t want to. While it is not necessarily an active form of racism, white privilege has taken over our culture and institutions, leading to the vicious cycle that leads to events such as what occurred at the University of Alabama. As a result, it becomes extremely difficult to focus on individual merit, intellect, and creative thinking while living in a society where inequality in education is a fact of life. Falling into the colorblind ideology would be to ignore existing inequalities.
I agree with Jeff that the racism demonstrated by the University of Alabama Greek system is representative of a much greater problem in college sororities and fraternities across the country. I happen to think that Greek life is most discriminative towards those of lower socio-economic class because such organizations usually require brothers or sisters to have the substantial economic funds in order to join, but that is an entirely different issue. As far as race is concerned, I have seen other diversity-seeking solutions put into place in certain Greek houses that have been effective. Prior to coming to Rhodes, I spent all of my life growing up in Fayetteville, Arkansas,home to the University of Arkansas. Many of my friends and former high school classmates are members of a fraternity that has seen increased diversity in recent years due to self-imposed sanctions after racist actions in the 1990s. After "cutting" a handful of African American students the week of initiation and receiving heavy negative criticism, the fraternity was required to take a certain number of non-white students in each pledge class and ultimately initiate them as members of the chapter. While open minds and want for diversity cannot be forced upon college students, the requiring of brothers of different race has ultimately altered the makeup of this University of Arkansas fraternity. The current Vice President of the fraternity is African American, something that I think is rare of executives in fraternities at SEC schools. Obviously, this is not a perfect example and there is no clear solution to the lack of Greek life diversity, but I do think it makes sense. If Greek organizations were required to take at least a few students of different race, eventually there might not be any forcing them to do so. Rather, non-white students could recruit students of similar race and even attain leadership positions that shape Greek values without breaking from tradition. Ultimately, the universal traditions of Greek life are brotherhood and sisterhood; things that could be preserved, and also strengthened, through diversity.
ReplyDeleteIt is very difficult to separate the issue of socio-economic class from race because typically minorities populate the lower socio-economic class bracket. This is why I mentioned the status of one of the young ladies that was excluded. As the step-granddaughter of a U of A trustee and state court judge, she appears to be able to afford her membership fees. On what other grounds could she have been excluded?
ReplyDeleteMandating the matriculation of a certain number of minorities into these organizations could also be socially problematic. These students could be viewed as the "chosen ones" or be called a "token." (If you have ever watched "South Park," you may have encountered a black child who was named "Token." The writers of this show satirically named him that as a play on the term reflecting his apparent privilege and affluence exhibited by being the only black child in a predominately white suburb.) The admitted students could face discrimination from members of their race.
I present these perspectives only to broaden the argument. This a very complex issue that may have one answer.
Jennifer, thank you for adding a comment, I would agree that the intersectionality and complexity of this event is too great and a mere post will not do it justice. With that said, I will attempt to add my thought process as I read this article.
ReplyDeleteIncreasing the cap for membership and allowing for new members to essentially join at any point through the year is not combating discrimination. This merely increases enrollment and allows the Greek organizations to work with a bigger budget.
Personally, what makes this story more devastating is the intentional manipulation by the alumnae in blocking the women of color from receiving bids to their organization. Being alumnae, these women have not only the potential to reduce/discontinue their annual donations to their chapter, but abused this power to exclude these two women. I would not be surprised if this was not the first time that any alumnae had done this. Let’s not forget that one of the girls has strong institutional ties to the university. I’m sure, had it not been for the color of her skin, all the sororities would have been fighting over her.
The University of Alabama was caught and it forces us to analyze, if only for a few days while the story is still a hot topic, how racial inequalities have been institutionalized. It is true that the Greek system creates a divide among its members by their SES as result of its member fees, but in this case, the girl does not appear to lack the funds to join a Greek organization, but was denied a bid according to her race.
Looking forward, I believe that as an institution the UofA SHOULD take further action than merely taking away a membership cap. I fear the measures that President Bonner took will have no impact on the make-up of membership (no put intended). Whether it’s the own Greek organizations creating a space to discuss this event or whether it be organized by the university, I feel that some form of talk of race and the way that racial inequality has become institutionalized is needed. Of course, I would prefer the initiative come from the student body as a means to demonstrate to the university that this is not something that can be ignored. To my knowledge there have been no further actions but I look forward to seeing further news on this case.