X-Tra Rant

Full Disclosure: I know someone (Erin) connected to this issue and she is referenced in the following article. But being even this close to the situation or not, this story would appall me. I’m not sure how much detail I can/should get into so I will make my own commentary brief and quote liberally from the story.

Sorority Evictions Raise Issue of Looks and Bias

Worried that a negative stereotype of the sorority was contributing to a decline in membership that had left its Greek-columned house here half empty, Delta Zeta’s national officers interviewed 35 DePauw members in November, quizzing them about their dedication to recruitment. They judged 23 of the women insufficiently committed and later told them to vacate the sorority house.

The 23 members included every woman who was overweight. They also included the only black, Korean and Vietnamese members. The dozen students allowed to stay were slender and popular with fraternity men — conventionally pretty women the sorority hoped could attract new recruits. Six of the 12 were so infuriated they quit.

“Virtually everyone who didn’t fit a certain sorority member archetype was told to leave,” said Kate Holloway, a senior who withdrew from the chapter during its reorganization.
…
Despite those incidents, the chapter appears to have been home to a diverse community over the years, partly because it has attracted brainy women, including many science and math majors, as well as talented disabled women, without focusing as exclusively as some sororities on potential recruits’ sex appeal, former sorority members said.
…
In September, Ms. Menges and Kathi Heatherly, a national vice president of the sorority, visited the chapter to announce a reorganization plan they said would include an interview with each woman about her commitment. The women were urged to look their best for the interviews.
…
A few days after the interviews, national representatives took over the house to hold a recruiting event. They asked most members to stay upstairs in their rooms. To welcome freshmen downstairs, they assembled a team that included several of the women eventually asked to stay in the sorority, along with some slender women invited from the sorority’s chapter at Indiana University, Ms. Holloway said.

There’s plenty more so, as they say, you should Read The Whole Article. It’s an appalling situation and really highlights issues that go beyond this one sorority. it goes into a whole raft of women’s issues including body issues and what makes a woman “worthwhile” (i.e. intelligence and service vs. sex appeal).

I couldn’t be more proud of Erin and all the women of Delta Zeta at DePauw for how they are handling this very, very stressful situation. The media circus that has attached itself to this isn’t making it any easier.

A couple other blogs that have mentioned/covered the situation:

• Bitch PhD: Heroines of the Week; or, Sisterhood is Powerful
• Taking Down Words: DePauw Sorority Winds Up In The National Limelight
• Grabapple: Last Of The Geekhicans
• Feministing: Sisters of Substance
• Shakespeare’s Sister: My Sisters

Update: Local news getting into it.

• WTHR Channel 13: DePauw students angry over sorority ousting. Video (this link may or may not work. I think you need Windows Media PLayer 11 for this to work)

Channel 8 and channel 6 also did interviews but their stories are not on their websites yet. Still not a peep from The Star.

Update II: The story finally makes the Indianapolis Star. The article frames the story around larger greek issues at DePauw and it seems like they relied on other reporting more than their own. I’m still amazed that it took the New York Times covering this story plus more national media attention for the State’s largest newspaper (only 50 miles from Greencastle) to say anything about it. Ahhh The Star. Quality. :\

Update III More links.

• Good Morning America had two ex-members on and other taped interviews. The video is behind ABC’s “premium video” wall, but there is a story online about it.
• The story appeared on CNN’s Paula Zahn show last night. Video link here (works on with Windows Media Player 11 and Internet Explorer)

  Update IV Local news stations Channel 8 and 6 have both posted videos

  • Channel 8 (CBS) WISH Link to video (again, idiots only make it work in Internet Explorer)
  • Channel 6 (ABC) WRTV Text story and video. It didn’t work in my Firefox, but it did work in someone else’s so worth a try.

  I’m sure there are more links around the blogosphere. If you know any, post them in the comments.

  Erin is also a regular at the Indianapolis chapter of Drinking Liberally that I run.

  Erin, you and all of the other brave women of DZ at DePauw are an inspiration. I couldn’t be more proud to know you.