I’m an Asian American, and i currently reside in Georgia. I’ve always wanted to rush in a Panhellenic sororities at UT. I am just a little worried because I’ve heard quite a bit of stories about UT regarding racism in the greek life and around campus. Also i heard a lot about how legacy is important for rushing but i don’t have any family members who were in a sorority. Is legacy really that important? Also i heard if you’re a minority, you’re automatically put on a “drop list” or something. i don’t want to rush and possibly get accepted and just get dropped a couple weeks later for my race. How big is the chance, if there even is one, for me to get in a Panhellenic sorority as an asian girl? Is it even something i should try doing because i don’t want to waste my money and time rushing if i don’t have a chance of getting in or just end up getting dropped.
i know about the Asian Sororities and while that could be an option i heard they don’t have housing which is something I’m really wanting/looking for in a sorority, so i don’t thing the Asian ones are for me.
I went to the UT Panhellenic site and followed the links to many of the chapters on campus because I was curious for my own daughter. Keeping in mind that these pages are how the chapter is choosing to present/market themselves, I was surprised at the lack of diversity at such a large school. Many houses post an All House photo and they all looked to be VERY white.
I didn’t look at all the houses’ pages, but you should. Choosing to rush is an important decision. It would be a waste of time and money to rush if UT sororities really operate the way you’ve heard. I’d be surprised if there are outright racist policies at houses, but attitudes are a different story. Hopefully, if you did rush you would be treated with courtesy and respect, but I would hate for you to have a horrible experience.
Just to clarify, prospective members go through rush to interact with members so everyone can get to know each other. Houses invite girls back to the next round’s party when they are interested in possibly giving them a bid later. Girls who don’t seem like a good fit aren’t invited back. On the other hand, rushees don’t have to accept all the invitations to parties. It’s usually a good idea to go to as many in each round as possible so you really get a good feel, but it’s a reciprocal process to an extent.
Getting “accepted” is when you get a bid, which is an offer to join a sorority. Bids are only given to young women who the members WANT as pledges and future initiated members. You wouldn’t be given a bid and then dropped later unless you were not fulfilling your obligations/misbehaving. In other words, you wouldn’t be invited to pledge a house, move in, and then be dropped due to your race. If the houses are that racist, they simply wouldn’t invite you to parties after the early rounds.
I hope that helps. I don’t know a lot about the specifics of UT rush, but if you have more general questions I may be able to help.
As a mom, I know several sorority members at UT from our town. I can tell you they are from all backgrounds. Rush can be a brutal process, but if you go in with an open mind, you may just find a sorority home. Please look into the process and do some searches at Greekchat.com. There are some good UT threads there.