The first 3 or 4 minutes of the video (when the girls are wearing their white dresses) are blindingly white. blonde and thin. It certainly gives the impression that that’s what this sorority is all about.
Why would a girl who didn’t fit this profile have the remotest interest in joining?
I haven’t read the thread, but I don’t care. I don’t understand why they had to take down the video.
They are a special interest group whose special interest is being cute and sexy.
But I also don’t think its ok to discriminate on the basis race, if similarly cute thin bouncy minority girl rushed (think a young Tyra Banks type) she should get a fair shake.
Sorry Bay, but that is an argument that has been rejected by the courts since “separate but (non)equal” was struck down. Just because other groups could and do form their own networks is never an argument for exclusion based on race. If it is a class that has been specifically designated for action regarding discrimination (race, gender, religion, etc. but not e.g. Ivy League attendance) then any discrimination is not allowed. Further, when one can demonstrate that there is a potential business/career advantage involved, ala Augusta National and any other all male conclave where business is conducted, discrimination against any of these groups, as demonstrated by disproportional representation, is not likely to be tolerated.
But sororities aren’t allowed to discriminate on the basis of race–and shouldn’t. FWIW, black/African-American PNMs who have gone through Alabama NPC recruitment in recent years have placed well, although the n is small. There’s still much work to be done, of course, especially in old, southern Greek systems, but it is starting to change, thankfully.
Every sorority I know has financial aid available, but not usually for freshmen and it usually isn’t a lot. All give scholarships, but usually for graduate school. Sororities really aren’t dripping in money. It costs a lot to have a house, especially at Alabama. Assuming that the fees of $3000 per semester (or whatever it is) is really the cost the sorority needs to pay the bills and cook the meals, then if the chapter gave a lot of financial aid they would have to raise that fee and the paying members would be subsidizing the girls on financial aid. Just like with tuition and financial aid, some members/students could afford to pay much more and not bat an eye, but it is those in the donut hole who can just barely afford to pay for themselves who can’t afford to pay even more for others to join. A university can spread that cost for scholarships among thousands of students when it raises tuition, but a sorority only has 200-300 members to share the increase. It would pinch some to the point that they couldn’t join.
I was shocked when I learned how much it cost to join a house in Alabama. If my kids went there, I don’t think they could have joined a sorority. At their schools, the cost of the sororities is less than living in the dorms or just a small fee for dues.
I’m joining this party late. Sorry, I haven’t read all 548 previous posts.
This is a recruiting video? The only message I get from it is: Don’t bother to apply unless you look like us. The only 2 non-white figures were a male football player and the mascot-- and the mascot wasn’t even a person; it was an elephant, lol…
Thisjis an anti-empowerment video. Empowerment would be watching these young women w hammers in their hands as they volunteered to build a shelter, or watching them fighting whitewater rapids on a river.
If these gals weren’t sporting their greek letters, I would have mistaken the entire thing as an ad for an escort service.
I don’t use hammers or like to do any kind of sports, but I see myself as a very strong woman. It is stereotyping to assume “strong” means physical prowess.
It could have been something non-physical like shepherding kids at a Special Olympics event. But this video just makes these young women look incredibly shallow. Maybe that’s the point. Maybe they just want to attract other young women who are similarly shallow.
“Empowerment” is defined by each woman individually. Isn’t that the whole point? How empowering is it to go white water rafting if that is not what you like to do?
As JHS mentioned up thread, this video looks pretty much like all the other recruitment videos out there from that type of school. Not sure why this particular one was singled out. None of them discuss scholarship, philanthropy, involvement in other extracurriculars, etc.
Alabama is sort of Ground Zero for the over-the-top, all-encompassing Greek life, though, that doesn’t resemble Greek life elsewhere at all.
I still note that this video was about sisterhood and female friendship, not about “if you join us, you’ll get to date the cutest boys on campus” or “this is a great way to meet guys.” The only guy interaction was the football player. Gosh, a SEC school has spirit that revolves around football - who’d a thunk!
“Thisjis an anti-empowerment video. Empowerment would be watching these young women w hammers in their hands as they volunteered to build a shelter, or watching them fighting whitewater rapids on a river”
But they aren’t the Philanthropy Club or the Outdoor Club. They are, fundamentally, a social / friendship organization.
I know that. But every time someone on CC criticizes the Greek system and how colleges should just get rid of it, the first thing defenders do is mention the philanthropy.
Hey , I get it that sororities & fraternities are private clubs. But this video is damaging to Bama’s goal to raise itself reputationally.
I started another thread on account of thinking about this thread:
When does an up & coming university finally become “elite”?
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1804740-when-does-an-up-coming-university-finally-become-elite.html#latest
Bama is spending a lot of money on merit scholarships to elevate itself reputationally. This video by a private campus organization just sets it back.
It’s a shame, because I’ve been rooting for Bama.
I do not understand your point, as I was not arguing in favor of exclusion based on race. OT, but note that the Ivy League does discriminate based on race, and admittedly so, by using race as a “factor” in admissions. Both Princeton and Harvard have recently been subject to legal challenge by Asian students in this regard. In addition, there are probably plenty of college sports teams that de facto discriminate by having no black or Asian team members, or even some that have no non-black members.
Sports teams are a pure meritocracy. There’s no racial discrimination.
Not me! I don’t “defend” Greek systems based on philanthropy.
To me, an “empowered” woman is one who devotes herself to whatever she wants, and not something someone else thinks she should do.
College sports teams are not “pure” meritocracy, and sorority membership is not devoid of meritocracy.
I agree Bama’s over the top Greek life in general is something that hurts its appeal outside the south. It’s just taken waaaay too seriously down there, and it becomes such a huge definer of identity. I really resent how the Southern “flavor” of Greek life gets projected to the rest. Alpha Phi was started at Syracuse. Almost all its single letter chapters were at Northern schools. Beta is at Northwestern, Delta at Cornell and so forth. All well before 1900. How come everyone associates the Johnny- come-lately chapters with the system?
At the same time, I know of three high-stats kids from D’s large midwestern high school who went to Alabama at least in part of because of its generous and widely-publicized merit aid…and one of them just pledged a sorority. (Not Alpha Phi, but they all look sort of interchangeable to me.)