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I am so sorry that Your 2013 your kid has to face this. I thought that if we taught our kids well that their generation would be done with this crap.</p>
<p>dragonmom-I had certainly hoped so. But the experience had a profound effect on her in a good way too and in the end she landed ay an amazing middle/high school with a very diverse group of friends, excellent teachers, and the world is her oyster. What happened got her interested in certain topics of interest and form more of her life plan (she’s always got a plan). </p>
<p>What shocked me, though H says I shouldn’t have been, is the way some of the ADULTS turned on her-a kid. Once that happened, I understood why the kids acted the way they did.</p>
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<p>I can imagine that if a potential pledge were originally rejected, and there were strong indications that it was because of racism, that the potential pledge would not be particularly interested in pledging that sorority even if it later changed its decision and made an offer to her.</p>
<p>But the girls stood up for her against their (interfering, old-biddie) alumnae. That’s a pretty positive statement that “we really do want you.”</p>
<p>I hope the AA students join … </p>
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this … and hopefully the current members have made it clear they wanted these women as sisters and are recruiting them. The Bama young ones are showing the way.</p>
<p>Yes, I agree with PG. Melanie Gotz, at least, has put herself out there. The philanthropy chair who moved out of another house put herself out there.</p>
<p>I would hope that the AA students would join–AND that the sisterhood would go on their knees to the philanthropy chair and beg her to come back.</p>
<p>BTW, I got the impression that at some of these houses the dropping of the AA PNMs was done behind closed doors with the president and rush chair. I would think that a heart to heart with both of those young women will–or should–have happened within the sisterhood. If it is not crystal clear that they were only bowing to intolerable pressure and not complicit, I think they should resign. But of course that is a matter for the sisterhood to determine.</p>
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<p>But how much would a sorority sister have to deal with the racist alumni while in school and after graduation?</p>
<p>Like many alumnae (including dragonmom, who was a member of the same one I am a member of, though a different chapter), I was VERY heartened by our national organization’s response. This is one of the large national organizations and has a chapter at Bama, though not one of the ones cited in the article.</p>
<p>The “official” response was:
[quote]
Every year, the large composite companies send the XX Executive Office copies of the composites they have produced for our chapters across the United States and Canada. We always enjoy looking through them and noting how well our chapters are doing and how they have grown. I am always incredibly proud when I look through them to note the wonderful diversity among our collegiate membership. Since its inception, XX has always been a welcoming organization that has never turned a blind eye to discrimination. This steadfastness has been reinforced the last two weeks, as many of our alumnae across the globe have written in concern to ensure that XX remains an organization that is true to this ideal and have professed their personal support and reinforcement as well. ** On this issue we will not waiver. Ever. **
<a href=“Emphasis%20added%20by%20me”>/quote</a></p>
<p>I also received a response similar to dragonmom’s about Bama specifically which said that we don’t have the entrenched alumnae that the other groups do (as the chapter was recolonized a few years back), that all of the current advisors are from out of state so they didn’t anticipate the same issues, and (here’s the direct quote to my question about alum interference) “If I see anything that leads me to believe an alum is interfering in that way, I will have them removed.”</p>
<p>It sure was a clear message to me that they felt that having alumnae involved in current membership selection (beyond ensuring that general parliamentary procedures were followed) was odd and out of the norm. I was reassured by that. It reinforces the normal view of the world - where a sorority is for the current collegians to form friendships, not a place for alumnae to re-live their glory years by hand-selecting “only the right kind” for the collegians.</p>
<p>Which is a good thing, PG, but is it true that they still haven’t pledged any non-white PNMs? </p>
<p>In fairness, perhaps they have not had the opportunity. It is unclear to me how many AA or Asian or Latina girls have rushed in recent years. (I also realize that I do not know whether any of the UA sororities have Asian or Latina members.)</p>
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<p>UCB, you’ve been reading the thread, right? Obviously the racist alumnae were powerful enough that they overrode the girls’ desires to pledge certain people. To the point where the girls were crying over it, trying to figure out what to do, and finally taking it to the media to expose it. That means that it’s a system where the collegians are expected to defer to the alumnae, and the alumnae hang around the house like women with no lives reliving their glory days. (Otherwise, why would they care who was in the house?) And, these women threatened to cut off funding and so forth. (It’s odd to me that the funding from alumnae would be all that important – can’t they be self-sustaining on the current member dues?)</p>
<p>In a normal system, there wouldn’t be tons of contact between “everyday” collegians and alumnae. Some of the officers might have contact with alumnae advisors, particularly those officers who are dealing with legal or house management matters, contracts, etc. or those officers who are dealing with philanthropy where it would only make sense to invite the alumnae to philanthropic events. (For example, I just got invited to a local chapter’s 5K charity race. It’s not because they are dying to hang out with me; it’s just that the more runners, the better and I’m on a list.) </p>
<p>In more normal systems, the collegians hang around with the collegians, and the alumnae hang around with the alumnae because they are at different stages of their lives. For example, I would join an alumnae group if I moved to a new area. But I wouldn’t go hang around a college sorority house to chat up 20-year-olds. I don’t kid myself that they are interested in me. If I were there, I would be there as an advisor, which means I STEP BACK and offer words of wisdom in areas of expertise, not take over and try to run the show.</p>
<p>It’s very clear from what was described that there’s a lot of that “what sorority you’re in determines the Junior League you can join” nonsense down there, and in an area where people don’t move around a lot and everyone heads right back to their hometown, maybe there’s a lot of “power.” Whatever. It’s of note that this is happening at Bama at the same time that they are focusing a lot more in bringing OOS students in. Perhaps the OOS students don’t care nearly as much about the politics of middle-aged women in small towns in Alabama, and don’t ascribe “power” to it. That’s a good thing.</p>
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<p>Yes. And honestly, I don’t know if that’s due to any racism on their girls’ part, or just not enough non-white girls going through the system in the first place. But it at least gives me reassurance that they don’t consider alumnae weighing in on membership selection as being “normal” (mostly because it’s NOT) and that the president was pretty unequivocal that if she found an alum acting that way, she’d boot them. It was a stronger message than I anticipated, honestly; I was expecting some double talk about how we have to balance the desires of alums and collegians and many houses have history and blah-de-blah-blah and I thought the message I received was pretty strong - uh, no, we’re as appalled as the rest of you and won’t stand for it.</p>
<p>Different universities and different decades: I am an alum of an historically Jewish sorority. When I went through rush there was no choice for Jewish girls. Other houses dropped Jewish girls after first round. Although I attended a west coast school those were the unspoken rule. </p>
<p>Fast forward: My youngest went through recruitment at the same school…She had a near Perfect rush. She pledged a top tier house. She was not the first Jew nor were her sisters from different background and races. </p>
<p>Somewhere a long the line someone had to be “first”. Most nationals have a very strong non discrimination clause. But someone was first years ahead of my daughter. So if the bid was offered, take it.</p>
<p>As a first generation woman immigrant, I was first at many organizations and events. If I had turned down invitations because I was the first or got my feelings hurt because I was considered a token then I would have been sitting around sucking wind. As a minority woman, you grab the chance when it is given to you and use it to your full advantage.</p>
<p>My kids’ sorority (they are in the same sorority) has no alumnae involvement when it comes to recruitment. I asked D2 last week if they had African American girls in her pledge class. She said no, but they have Indians, Chinese and other Asian girls. She said she didn’t too many AA girls go through rush.</p>
<p>Looky here!</p>
<p>[Alabama</a> sororities break racial barrier: Black women accept bids (photos) | al.com](<a href=“http://blog.al.com/tuscaloosa/2013/09/alabama_sorority_breaks_racial.html]Alabama”>Alabama sororities break racial barrier: Black women accept bids (photos) - al.com)</p>
<p>Good news. I have the feeling they won’t be the last.</p>
<p>But still – 2013??</p>
<p>It is better, for me, 2013…than 2014</p>
<p>Ellie, there are historically Jewish GLOs? Who knew?</p>
<p>Yes, there are. I was an Alpha Epsilon Phi (AEPhi). Sigma Delta Tau and Delta Phi Epsilon (DPhiE). DPhiE is a house that was founded on Jewish principals (I think) it wasn’t a principally Jewish sorority. </p>
<p>The funny/sad thing? As houses opened the door to Jews many of the Jewish houses closed.</p>
<p>"She is planning on attending an HBCU "</p>
<p>Yay! ( Just for “planning”! My kids did not, and that’s okay). Once you do an HBCU homecoming, there is no going back! </p>
<p>sseamom, let her know I am very old, but come from a (short) line of HBCU folk, and would be happy to share.</p>