<p>I think we need a pro-active thread. One that includes good ideas that we can pass on to the school.</p>
<p>1) reward the “good”. Provide fabulous incentives for Houses that do integrate. Provide incentives that are so appealing that the “powerful Alums” will look stupid for holding onto silly notions that cause their Houses to get denied these fab bennies. </p>
<p>2) Significantly raise the price of land leases of Houses that won’t integrate. Then Bama should use that money in ways that benefit the integrated Houses (won’t that be a bite in the hineys of the crazy Alums?? …their “penalty” money would go to the integrated Houses to help with their building funds or whatever. ) The lease amounts would have to be raised very high…six figure amounts…in order for the Alums to realize that they’ve been licked. </p>
<p>3) do not allow Houses that won’t integrate to use the stadium on Bid Day.</p>
<p>Let’s keep this thread to productiive ideas for Bama to consider…</p>
<p>While the Crimson White’s work on this story is likely to put it in the running for the National Pacemaker Awards for student journalism, the UA administration could make a statement by nominating these reporters for a Pulitzer in the public service category. A student newspaper has never won, but it’s eligible.</p>
<p>Let us not forget that there is still a young girl that wanted to join a sorority. Can UA encourage Panhellenic to allow a quota addition and give the 3 houses that the sources in the CW indicated really wanted her an opportunity to pick her up?</p>
<p>Good ideas…keep them coming. I’ll forward the ideas to the right folks at the school when we have a good list.</p>
<p>Yes, those houses should be allowed to now offer that young lady a bid, even if exceeds bid quotas. Bid quotas are not set in stone. My House often was allowed to go over quota because it was the most popular house on campus.</p>
<p>Let’s keep this thread focused on suggested good ideas for Bama to consider.</p>
<p>So far:</p>
<p>1) reward the “good”. Provide fabulous incentives for Houses that do integrate. Provide incentives that are so appealing that the “powerful Alums” will look stupid for holding onto silly notions that cause their Houses to get denied these fab bennies. </p>
<p>2) Significantly raise the price of land leases of Houses that won’t integrate. Then Bama should use that money in ways that benefit the integrated Houses (won’t that be a bite in the hineys of the crazy Alums?? …their “penalty” money would go to the integrated Houses to help with their building funds or whatever. ) The lease amounts would have to be raised very high…six figure amounts…in order for the Alums to realize that they’ve been licked. </p>
<p>3) do not allow Houses that won’t integrate to use the stadium on Bid Day.</p>
<p>4) School nominating the CW article for a Pulitzer</p>
<p>5) Houses be allowed to exceed Quota and extend this young lady a bid.</p>
<p>6) Do not allow Houses that refuse integration to have Group Seating at Football Games.</p>
<p>The definition of the word integrity comes to mind here.
True integrity comes from doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do…not because someone forced you to do it, either through financial means or strong-arming.</p>
<p>Again…let’s keep this thread to productive ideas. </p>
<p>And, yes, sometimes change comes from incentives, negative consequences etc. The gov’t does that, businesses do that, PARENTS do that, etc. Human nature isn’t always perfect. Incentives and negative consequences do work.</p>
<p>The leaders need to have the integrity to make these changes, and do so by whatever legal means they have.</p>
<p>Besides making what happened right - offering the pledge a bid if she still wants one, and ensuring there are no repercussions to any of the girls who spoke up - what UA needs to do is to implement a system where students can report this kind of activity - discrimination, hazing, etc - via the web or an anonymous hotline phone number which should be be monitored 24/7 by UA senior management. Complaints should be acted upon immediately. There should be a way for the reporting student to anonymously receive follow-up on the complaint reported. These complaints should be a matter of public record. </p>
<p>Had such a system been in place, the girls could have gone to UA with their concerns that night. UA would have had a chance to act on the information received before the girl was cut. </p>
<p>This is what I want to see as a parent. A way to empower the students.</p>
<p>I would suggest, for all campuses in the US, not just yours, a convention weekend in which all Greek organizations- AA, Panhellenic, and honors, and multi cultural get together and have diversity speakers, talk about the history, whatnot. </p>
<p>Understanding quells fear. It leads to natural integration. </p>
<p>This should be national and mandatory, imho</p>
<p>And while we are at it, how about rewarding Greek chapters for bringing in students of more modest means, via “scholarships”? These chapters could benefit from economic diversity as well, whether students are Black, White, whatever. The less affluent pledges would still need to have the grades, the reqs, etc, but why not encourage economic diversity as well?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Require every fraternity and sorority to submit to the University a written, proactive plan to actively recruit and make welcome students from underrepresented populations. The plan must include measurable/auditable action steps that the University can monitor. The plan must be published (e.g. on the Internet) and a hard copy given to every student who applies for membership. All published action plans must include a prominent hotline phone number to facilitate reports of noncompliance/violations. No fraternity or sorority will be allowed to recruit or add to their membership until their plan is approved by the University. The University will only review revised, substandard plans once every few months and those organizations who are required to submit revised plans will be charged the administrative costs of such reviews.</p></li>
<li><p>Every sorority and fraternity must submit to the University measurable, auditable data verifying that they have complied with with their approved plans. Those who are out of compliance will be banned from recruiting or adding membership to their organization for one year and will be required to submit to the University a remedial action plan for training its membership in proactive minority recruitment practices. Remedial action plans must be approved AND implemented to the University’s satisfaction before affected organizations are permitted to recruit and/or add membership. Affected organizations will bear the administrative costs of the University having to monitor their remediation. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>OK, that’s the best I can do at 3 a.m. Roll Tide.</p>
<p>BTW, I want to add that my son, who is part Filipino and East Indian, belongs to a fraternity at UA that welcomes minority membership and has extended a bid to an AA student who declined solely because his family couldn’t afford the fraternity fees.</p>
<p>*And while we are at it, how about rewarding Greek chapters for bringing in students of more modest means, via “scholarships”? These chapters could benefit from economic diversity as well, whether students are Black, White, whatever. The less affluent pledges would still need to have the grades, the reqs, etc, but why not encourage economic diversity as well?
*</p>
<p>this is a good idea. After all, belonging to these Houses (any of them) usually requires some affluence. The “integrated houses” aren’t really integrated if they consist almost exclusively of kids who can afford to pay thousands of dollars per year in dues, activity costs, fancy clothes, etc.</p>
<p>Each House should offer some “dues free” scholarships for those who can demonstrate “need” (a la FAFSA or similar).</p>
<p>While I like positive incentives, I don’t think UA should be spending any additional money supporting the Greek System on Campus. From everything I have read, the racism problem is systematic in the UA Greek System (which isn’t to say that all frats or sororities are racist or that all Greek students are racists). Raise the land leases on all of the houses until the Greek System cleans itself up, and take the money from the increase in the land leases and use it to reward other organizations at UA that are not systematically racists and to fund scholarships for people who stand against racist behavior and exclusionary clubs. </p>
<p>Also, make it clear that any Alumni who behaves in the manner alleged in this incident are no longer allowed on campus or at UA events, and that their prior association with UA will be formally renounced. </p>
<p>The suggestion above that Houses that won’t integrate still be allowed to be part of UA, just with extra payments for a land lease and/or penalties on where they do their bid doesn’t fly with me. If a house won’t integrate, UA should kick them off campus and provide them no formal recognition or association with UA.</p>
<p>Keep this up. I’ll be thinking, but y’all have come up with some good ideas. If there was a like button, I’d press it for most of these. Nice job.:)</p>
<p>^^^ I highly doubt that they are the same folks. Most is coming from CT Athletics. And the money that’s coming in from donors is much smaller and not all/most is from crazy folks.</p>
<p>^^crimsondude, if what you assert is true regarding funding, so be it. Sorry, but I am not interested in perpetuating racist behavior just to save money. Shame on them if there are Alumni or current students associated with UA who think that their money should allow them to behave in a racist manner.</p>