Sad situation at Alabama Recruitment

[CaseyBat]

I've been lurking this thread too. As a lifelong Alabamian, I am saddened but not surprised. The University is a good one, but racism is still VERY prominent. As someone mentioned earlier, it's curious that they worship the football team, but would never dream of pledging a Black person.

I go to an SEC school not too far from UA, and I'm proud that our Greek system is beginning to embrace diversity. In my pledge class alone, we have a couple international women and several that are non-white and/or non-Christian. They bring their perspectives from their respective cultures and our chapter is better for it.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

Read the story on Jezebel and had to come see what greekchat said about it. I'm not surprised at all at the backasswards behavior by alums unfortunately - I remember clear as day the one who came to our rush my sophomore year, stood in front and said (in a deeply southern accent, by the by) "If she's gonna MOO on the LAWN, CUT 'ER!" I will never, ever, ever forget that. It pissed me off then that this old bitty was in our place telling us what to do, it pisses me off remembering it now, and it pisses me off no end that the national org still lets alums go in and try to poison the attitudes of the undergraduates 30 years later. The orgs need to get control over those alums or keep them away from the process all together. They're a national embarrassment.

Hi!!

[KDCat]

Originally Posted by badgeguy

Ok, I'm gonna be the one to say it, and take what comes, but isn't the whole issue sort of moot about what the reasons are for someone not getting bids?? Isn't this country a free country and aren't all fraternities and sororities private organizations that are able to select whomever they like, regardless of reasons?

From a historical standpoint, this was basically the questions asked back in the 1950s and 1960s back when the so called "white clauses", which almost all organizations had were brought out into the publics eyes.

I feel this issue is ethically and morally wrong personally, all humans in my eyes are equal as humans.....but we all have our differences and sometimes those differences are what make us stronger.....

The point I'm making is that as far as "membership selection" goes, hasnt it always been the idea that each chapter and group woul be allowed to choose its own members? That's what our organizations have been professing since the beginning of the whole system back in 1776.... The issue here is black and white, literally, but what if it had been based on religious or political? Whenever people are turned away from a group there will surely be hard feelings.....

Honestly, I wish in the history of America slavery never happened, I wish that the "genocide" of the native Americans and all the other ethnical atrocities never happened, but sadly, they did and we need to hope that they never happen again.

This issue, IS in my opinion strictly a "membership selection" issue dealing with private organizations, and as bad as it is, unfortunately it is the groups right, legally so far, to do so.

This isn't even applicable in this situation.

There are members of these chapters on this board and members of these national organizations on this board. It's our business what happens in chapters of our sororities and fraternities. The criticism is coming from inside the organization. It's collegians' business when an alumna prevents them from bidding a woman that they want for a stupid, evil reason.

You are a guy, so you may feel like you have no say, but I'm a member of a sorority with a chapter at Alabama. I emailed my national VP-membership to say I hope that KD wasn't involved in this behavior. I encourage other alumns to do the same for their nationals. We are members of these private organizations. It's our mess to handle and we should be putting pressure on our nationals to handle it.

[nittanyalum]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Hi!!

Hi, old friend!!!!

[nittanyalum]

Originally Posted by KDCat

It's our mess to handle and we should be putting pressure on our nationals to handle it.

So THIS.

Handle it, national orgs. Swiftly. Drag the bitties out of the membership room and into the 21st century, kicking and screaming if you have to, or cut them off like a diseased limb.

[PersistentDST]

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

So THIS.

Handle it, national orgs. Swiftly. Drag the bitties out of the membership room and into the 21st century, kicking and screaming if you have to, or cut them off like a diseased limb.

I love the visual this creates...

[Titchou]

"Bitties?" Is that like little bitties?????

[nittanyalum]

Originally Posted by Titchou

"Bitties?" Is that like little bitties?????

No you're thinking of ittie bitties.

You may call them biddies, I call them bitties. Small-minded people get a bitty word.

[SWTXBelle]

I think it is more like "biddies".

[DrPhil]

This thread is awesome because nittanyalum is here.

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

No you're thinking of ittie bitties.

You may call them biddies, I call them bitties. Small-minded people get a bitty word.

No, that's "itsy bitsy".....

[badgeguy]

Originally Posted by KDCat

This isn't even applicable in this situation.

There are members of these chapters on this board and members of these national organizations on this board. It's our business what happens in chapters of our sororities and fraternities. The criticism is coming from inside the organization. It's collegians' business when an alumna prevents them from bidding a woman that they want for a stupid, evil reason.

You are a guy, so you may feel like you have no say, but I'm a member of a sorority with a chapter at Alabama. I emailed my national VP-membership to say I hope that KD wasn't involved in this behavior. I encourage other alumns to do the same for their nationals. We are members of these private organizations. It's our mess to handle and we should be putting pressure on our nationals to handle it.

I agree. I don't like the whole issue either. I was being devils advocate becuase in similar discussions not on this board, I've heard that being said that organizations have a right to choose who they want regardless of reasons. Unfortunately this issue is becuase of race....which I totally agree is an idiotic and ass backwards thinking in this day and age, and in the south this stuff needs to be halted, and NOW!

[badgeguy]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Since you are the historian for this thread, do you want to address what else was happening in 1962 that set a context for Texas Senator Tower?

I know, it was a plea to try and desegregate organizations, and a plea to judge candidates on a human level and on their merits, not on their color or superficial aspects.

It's just that I can't understand why this is STILL an issue today?? Didnt we get past this stuff back in the 1960s?

[WestcoastWonder]

Originally Posted by badgeguy

I know, it was a plea to try and desegregate organizations, and a plea to judge candidates on a human level and on their merits, not on their color or superficial aspects.

It's just that I can't understand why this is STILL an issue today?? Didnt we get past this stuff back in the 1960s?

As a an African American woman, all I can do is laugh at that statement. Racism has not died and is still alive and well.

Step into a black persons shoes and try getting a job, finding a partner walking into a store or in this case joining a sorority without the fear of being rejected solely based on something you have no control over.

We have come a long way, but not long enough.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by badgeguy

I agree. I don't like the whole issue either. I was being devils advocate becuase in similar discussions not on this board, I've heard that being said that organizations have a right to choose who they want regardless of reasons.

They do. But the problem is one faction of an organization running roughshod over another faction with money as a weapon. This is the real issue IMO, and would be just as serious if it was alumnae at Evergreen State cutting girls over the wishes of the collegians because they weren't hippie-fied enough.