<p>It seems like this particular football scandal happened because the college DOESN’T pay the players. It creates an incentive for these agents to move in.</p>
<p>I, too, was stupefied by the sorority article. I don’t expect residual racism to be so brazen.</p>
<p>Since you are an attorney, Hunt, can you tell me if this is even legal? My understanding is that these Greek houses pay the university 1$ in rent. </p>
<p>What is the law in this?</p>
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<p>Can’t because the rule is based on collective bargaining (aka NFL Players’ Association).</p>
<p>Ditto the NBA rule of one year after HS – also collectively bargained by the players union.</p>
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The difficulty, I think, will be in proving racial discrimination–even though it’s obvious. You see, the young lady didn’t have a recommendation, apparently. I think the publicity will be so bad that the University will have to do something about it.</p>
<p>Nationals should come in and threaten to revoke the charter.</p>
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<p>Exactly. They need to take there Mrs degree and go get a job.</p>
<p>Beyond the alums, what is really shocking to me is the University’s response (or lack thereof), even when one of the University Administrative staff is a voting member of one of the Greek houses:</p>
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<p>I think the University should promulgate a rule saying that only current students get to vote on who can join campus organizations. Any organization that doesn’t like that doesn’t have to stay on campus. If that were done, eventually some of these students will do the right thing and the logjam will be broken–probably sooner rather than later.</p>
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<p>That sorority article was horrifying and even worse than I thought.
First off, what are the alums doing voting on the new members? How very odd. I’m involved as an alum in my house, but that is bizarre.
Second, you’re darn right I still feel that the northern way of doing this is far superior, and I don’t apologize for it. “We’re afraid of the repercussions if we let in a black girl”? SERIOUSLY? What year is this? 30 frickin’ years ago, my house and my H’s house both had black presidents and no one blinked an eye and the topic of race would NEVER have come up during membership selection, and now 30 years later these people are still yammering about “repercussions and who wants to be the only house that lets a black girl in, oh that’s so very daring” – and we’re supposed to pretend that there’s no difference between the north and the south on race relations? SERIOUSLY? </p>
<p>Hey, Alabama, get a clue. Your reaction to black people in your social circle isn’t normal. Do you wonder why the rest of the country thinks of you as backwards? Do you want to shake off that stereotype and play with the big boys and girls and be seen as having a decent university system? Well, there you go. Here’s your answer.</p>
<p>As I said, I was just flat out wrong. You are right</p>
<p>I’m really unsure if this can be legal. The university leases this land to these groups for a dollar a year. Seems like there have to be questions of equal access.</p>
<p>^^more importantly, this is University-sanctioned housing. </p>
<p>(Where is Eric Holder or the Dept of Educ?)</p>
<p>My house wasn’t one of those mentioned in the article, but if it had been, I would have no problem with our nationals taking action. Any alum who stands in the way of a prospective member getting in solely because of her race should be booted out of an advisory role and out of membership, end of subject. That’s not what we stand for. There is no circumstance in which mentioning someone’s race is even appropriate during membership selection. I’m really sorry that there are still stupid Southern belles – who apparently think they are paragons of refinement or something – who think that way, but my national doesn’t need to sanction them or keep them on as members / advisers or let them “advise” current members.</p>
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<p>Thank you! :D</p>
<p>A very well-done article, BTW. And kudos to Ms. Goltz for speaking out, and for the sorority philanthropy chair who simply packed up and left.</p>
<p>It’s interesting that back in the 60s fraternities (and probably sororities, I don’t know) at some schools were disassociating themselves from nationals because the nationals were segregationists. I know that this happened at S’s school. Now it would appear that the reverse might have to happen for things to improve.</p>
<p>"I’m sure that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There probably isn’t a big football program in the US which isn’t engaging in similar conduct. "</p>
<p>+1. It goes on every day even in the so called “clean” programs.</p>
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<p>“Thirty frickin’ years ago” your sorority had a black president and no one blinked an eye? Well, “thirty frickin’ years ago” two of my friends were black males in a mostly white fraternity and no one blinked an eye. They were just two of the guys. And yes, this was in North Carolina. So please, don’t try to take the moral high ground on this one.</p>
<p>Good grief. You can’t judge the whole South by what a few sorority alums at the University of Alabama are doing, and you can’t say that the North is somehow superior. I’ve been to communities in the North where race relations were awful. One of my friends, a black woman, faced frequent disparaging comments about her race and gender at her New York university, far worse than she’d ever heard in the South. She moved back here and vowed to stay. If I judged the whole state of New York, or even the whole Northeast region, based on her experiences and what I’ve seen, then I would have to conclude that New Yorkers/Northeasterners are racist and sexist. Protests against an Islamic community center near Ground Zero? So, Northeasterners are religious bigots as well? Am I supposed to take the ridiculous actions of a few and take them to represent the whole region?</p>
<p>At my children’s very Southern, fairly rural high school, interracial friendships and yes, even dating, are common. A number of students are biracial. Guess what? No one cares! I guess that’s not your idea of race relations in the South, but it’s the reality in communities across the region. Then again, in my little community, most people would barely know what a fraternity or sorority is, so the situation at the University of Alabama would be irrelevant on more than one level.</p>
<p>There are racist people across the country. Some are in Alabama. Some are in New York, Wisconsin, California, Missouri, Idaho, North Carolina – you name the state.</p>
<p>I agree. But I’m pretty convinced that North Carolina is described as mid-Atlantic for a reason, now. </p>
<p>JMO</p>
<p>“The North isn’t perfect either” isn’t a very good defense. No one has said that there aren’t racists everywhere.</p>
<p>And I also think you know that NC is a little different from other areas, due in part to an excellent state university and a better educated populace.</p>
<p>Beyond the obvious, did anyone else notice this line tucked away in the article?</p>
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<p>One wonders whether not participating in formal recruitment is a choice or another “tradition”?</p>
<p>Yeah. The traditionally Jewish sororities (AEPhi and SDT) participate in formal recruitment alongside with and identical to the non-traditionally Jewish sororities. Why would there be any distinction whatsoever? They’re competing for the same girls – oh wait. I guess they aren’t. Everyone knows her place. Bless their hearts.</p>
<p>At plenty of schools the traditionally Jewish houses do not participate in formal recruitment. It is normally the choice of the chapter. The Christian sororities (such as Sigma Alpha Omega) are the same way on a few campuses. Not all houses shine the same in formal recruitment and at schools where PNMs are required to go to all the houses, it isn’t always effective to reach your target members. I believe SDT does not participate at University of Southern California or Purdue either. Formal rush is expensive and requires a lot of people to do well. If your chapter doesn’t want pledge classes of 100 members then why would they put themselves in a situation where they can’t reach those people that are interested in them?</p>
<p>SDT doesn’t participate at UGA really-- there is rush, but the house doesn’t cut. It is open to all who want to join.</p>
<p>There are many Jewish girls at UGA who aren’t in SDT (the only Jewish house). </p>
<p>However, when I went to UT Austin, both SDT and AePHI cut and were pretty cut throat about it. I think it can vary from school to school.</p>
<p>At UT Austin, many Jewish girls pledge sororities other than the Jewish ones. Things have definitely changed since I was there.</p>
<p>The article from Bama was disturbing in that the alumni have so much influence. I am proud of the young woman for telling her story and frustrated that these alums seem stuck in such a different time period.</p>