Or given that the black applicants are slightly more likely to receive bids than the white applicants to these houses, it seems more likely that the black girls are rushing at the D9 instead, and enjoy that novel experience.
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I believe those percentages are for bids. It’d be interesting to hear about attrition.
Regardless, it says something about these institutions if so few African Americans want anything to do with them.
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I think it is more nuanced than cut and dry why people want to join a particular group or not.
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Or it says wonderful things about the appeal and health of the D9 in providing a special and novel experience to some young women.
Affinity groups can be very worthwhile.
I wonder. I was watching a soccer practice tonight.
They were in groups of four. Looked like four black players. They were all in one group.
A lot of society self segregates. It’s not good but it just happens.
Perhaps it’s the same with Greek life.
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Many famous African American leaders and celebrities were in D9 houses. They have a rich history of socialization and service, including voting rights drives. Michelle Obama joined one long after college.
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IMO, when we are talking less than 1%, the excuses and justifications ring hollow. Maybe I’d feel differently if these institutions weren’t segregated 10 years ago.
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As I’ve commented upthread, walking into a house where the traditions, everything hanging on the walls, 99% of the current members and all of the history do not look like you if you are not a wealthy, straight, white, Christain woman is not exactly welcoming. While the system no longer overtly excludes women of color, it is based on a system that did.
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There are no justifications. However, at some point, when people or groups start to change wrong thinking, accepting that change is crucial for everyone; Otherwise, we continue to look back and never move forward.
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I found that getting involved in student engineering associations and the honors engineering fraternity to be very useful in developing confidence as a woman. I became an officer in multiple organizations and traveled to national conventions. I thought that was much more useful than being in a social sorority.
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Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as just saying “hey, really, we want POC to join our group”. While the current members may be all about changing the system to be more inclusive how much can they change when its foundations were based on the social “protection” of wealthy, white, Christian women and the catalyst for them to meet the “right” families and husbands? While I have no numbers in front of me, I suspect that the heyday of sororities at UA was during desegregation for those very reasons.
How many country clubs, social groups or civic organizations that started based on seclusion do you know of that today have reached successful levels of social integration? While their members today may be working hard on changing the wrong thinking of the past, the scars are still there. And I also have to ask if blaming people for not wanting to join those organizations because it is looking back and not forward is a form of gaslighting. It is not up to POC or those that never bought into those systems to correct those systems. So, perhaps, in many ways, there is no unscarred future for a system that was built on a faulty foundation from the beginning.
Note: I was a member of a sorority so I have really mixed feelings about this. I was also a Jew in a non-Jewish sorority. At times the rituals were VERY uncomfortable. While my sorority was definitely a home away from home for me at a large OOS university and I have lifelong friends, knowing what I know now, I am hoping my kids do not join the Greek system (and it doesn’t look like that will happen).
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Changing historical patterns is difficult; but if all sides are trying to move forward a positive, progressive outcome can happen. I look at the government in my city. 100+ years ago is was run by one racial group. Now it is very racially diverse. I am not ready to throw up my hands and give-up because 70+ years ago segregation was the status quo. Everyone has choices and if the history of an organization makes one uncomfortable then I understand that too.
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One can do both. My daughter’s friend was president of her social sorority and president of the mechanical engineering fraternity. She had a perfect 4.0, was on the jet car team, and received 4 full ride scholarships for a masters degree and chose Columbia. Yes, a little bit of an over achiever. Definitely traveled to national conventions for both the social and engineering groups.
It’s been 45+ years so I don’t know for sure, but I believe my sorority sisters were also involved in engineering fraternities. A few of them had very notable careers. Really extraordinary people and I’m glad they chose the social sorority too so I got a chance to know them.
And it doesn’t hurt to have a few engineers when you are designing those homecoming floats.
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that system is embedded into our country’s history; not just in sororities. Look at east coast women’s schools’ old pictures; look at ivy league school’s old pictures; look at pictures of country clubs throughout the US. some places are trying to change; i’d hope all are. but as i mentioned above . . . look at the pictures of NESAC athletes over the years . . . so little diversity there as well. Not just bama sorority thing.
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Times change. In the recent past most of those photos would have been male only. Now women are the majority at most colleges and professional schools. It is nice to recognize the changes that have occurred.
A government affects everyone, so it is different from a voluntary membership organization like a sorority or fraternity, where characteristics not related to racial segregation or lack thereof may matter in whether one chooses to participate, even if there is no “baggage” relating to a history of racial segregation.
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I just didn’t see the point of doing both. I would rather work on the design of buildings than parade floats. And I got a full scholarship plus a generous stipend to one of the top structural engineering grad programs in the country. Everyone can make their own decision, fortunately.
Why would you rush a sorority where you knew you were not wanted?
Huh? Who is not wanted? Never rushed myself, but 92% seems like a pretty good acceptance rate there. No idea how it compares to the acceptance rate at other large state schools.
The acceptance rate for African-American girls was greater than that for white girls.
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Sorority rush is a little different than fraternity. Sorority is run by the Panhel at the school, so everyone who signs up for it goes to all the houses over 2 days. At Alabama there are 17-19 (of the possible 26 national organizations). After that first day, the PNM receive invitations back to houses for the second round and they can decide at which they want to continue the process and can drop any houses they aren’t interested in.
So yes, a girl will go to several houses she might have no interest in, but she could also learn something new. (like that she does like them)
Last year there was a trans student who participated in rush at Alabama. She received return invitations to 2 houses for the second party but then did not receive any more invitations. I think that’s pretty rare and that most are receiving invitations to a number of houses through the last party.
I don’t know how it is now, but it used to be at Bama (and other schools) that you could move into the dorms early if you were going thru rush, so people would do it just to move in early. Now I don’t think Alabama in early Aug sounds all that much fun, but young college kids want to get started.