Greek life at Alabama

<p>@InvolvedmomFL Black people have been historically disenfranchised and excluded from society by Caucasians. (Actually, this has happened to every single race by Caucasians at some point in time, but that is beside the point) Should they not participate in school activities because of the students on campus who will reject them because of their race? The only reason they exist is because they are deliberately excluded from white sororities on campus. If you think about it, most institutions of higher education in America are “historically white”, they just don’t have that official name. </p>

<p>That’s my point- all of these organizations need an overhaul. Anyone who wants to belong to a club that is “historically” anything is living in the past. Any organization, that in this day and age, is still clinging to a policy of exclusion, should be shunned by everyone. It doesn’t matter whether the racists are black or white- they are still racist.</p>

<p>According to the article linked below, the 21 black women who accepted their sorority bids this year represented 100% of the black women who went through recruitment. Granted, this is a relatively new phenomenon, but I truly believe that things are changing for the better and that this change will be sustained. <a href=“21 black women, 169 other minorities accept bids during University of Alabama sorority recruitment - al.com”>21 black women, 169 other minorities accept bids during University of Alabama sorority recruitment - al.com;

<p>The historically black sororities on UA’s campus have indeed accepted women of other races through the years. There may be no white members now, but there have been in the past and there will be in the future.</p>

<p>Any legislation telling people who their friends should or should not be is unconstitutional.</p>

<p>Your chances are great if you have good grades, bare minimum 3.0, you keep an open mind about the houses, and you are social enough to carry a conversation with a stranger. My daughter is white, not from the south, and did have some concerns about racism within the greek system, UA, and the south in general as this is not something she has been raised to tolerate. Ultimately she decided if she did encounter racism that it is better to lead from within than to judge from the outside. What she has found as a UA freshman and greek pledge is that, as someone else on this thread mentioned, there is much more interaction between blacks and whites there than she ever had the opportunity to experience at home. She heard more racist comments at her progressive high school than she has heard at UA, and the very few she has heard at UA were shot down so quickly by other students that the perpetrator was thoroughly humiliated. Is there racism at UA? Sure. Will some of it be directed at hispanics? Sure. Is there racism in the greek system? Sure. Are there sororities that are reluctant to take minorities? Probably a few still exist. But in my DD’s experience they are pockets that are steadily shrinking, and no worse than anywhere else in the country. The URM friends she met while in rush had great experiences. If anything URM’s are actively being sought out by most groups because the majority truly are not racist and want diversity. UA is now 60% OOS students and changing fast. So, while being hispanic (or any URM) won’t get you a bid - you have to have the grades, activities, and personality - being hispanic will possibly get you a second look from many of the sororities. We are from a state with a lot of hispanics, and my OOS daughter, for one, is missing her hispanic friends. So, get recs for EVERY house, keep your grades up, participate in worthwhile EC’s, educate yourself about greek life and the recruitment process, plan your wardrobe and then go through rush! It will be intense and scary and exciting. There will be disappointments, and maybe some tears, but it usually all works out. Good luck!</p>

<p>^^^I am assuming original poster is female, sorry if you are not^^^</p>