Sisterhood

Monday, March 05, 2007

I'd hate to be a member of Delta Zeta sorority right now. If you haven't heard the story, several of the sisters of the sorority's chapter at DePauw college were kicked out for not fitting in with the image of the sorority. Essentially, they were kicked out for not being pretty enough or for being non-Caucasian.

I'm guessing that they had no idea that the story would get the national attention that it did. After all, DePauw is a small college right here in Indiana, where very little national news takes place. Unfortunately for them, a writer for the New York Times happened to be visiting the campus around the time it happened, and wrote a story about it. Needless to say, the story's gotten plenty of attention since then. The girls have even been featured on CNN.

What I think is especially sad about the story, though, is that I've only found one story, the original New York Times article, that's very specific about mentioning that it was the national headquarters of the sorority that made the decision, not that particular chapter. In fact, of the 12 girls that didn't get kicked out, 6 of them were so outraged that they quit the sorority as well. That's a good example of the type of sisterhood I think sororities should try to cultivate. If I were another sorority with a chapter on that campus, I'd be making serious efforts to try and recruit all 29 of the ex-Delta Zeta ladies. Just imagine what a PR victory that could be.

*On a side note, since I just mentioned his hit song the other day, I thought I'd shout out to Eddy Grant, who's birthday is today.*