[ASTalumna06]

http://www.davidsonian.com/open-lett...sigma-chapter/

On February 17th, we voted to disaffiliate from our National Organization of the Kappa Alpha Order. We have since been suspended by the National Organization after notifying them of our intention to disaffiliate. As members of the former Sigma Chapter of the Kappa Alpha Order (known as KA on campus) currently attending Davidson, we want to build on the dialogue that Sherwood Callaway ‘16 initiated in his February 10th Davidsonian Perspectives piece and encourage you all to read it if you have not. We agree with Callaway’s opinion that the KA “promotes racism through its deeply unsettling values and traditions,” and that the Kappa Alpha Order should not be represented on any college campus. We waited to voice this truth publicly until after we officially declared our disaffiliation in fear of backlash by the National Organization, which suspended the Xi Chapter at Southwestern University this past summer in response to an open letter denouncing KA. We also waited because of the college’s procedures surrounding disaffiliation. Davidson has no clear path that would allow us to remain a social organization on campus without giving up our membership in Patterson Court Council (PCC), the ability to participate in the rush process, and the many other advantages that come from being a member of PCC. Ultimately, we decided these losses would be trivial in comparison to what the campus could gain without the presence of the Kappa Alpha Order.