Athens -- After she
heard her sorority sisters allegedly disparaging an
African-American who was seeking to join them, a member of
Alpha Gamma Delta said, she decided to listen to her
conscience and share her concerns with University of Georgia
officials.
In a letter, the sorority member said the African-American
membership candidate was discussed separately from other
potential members.
Sorority members who had given her a low score "attributed
their ratings to her race, making comments such as 'Why did
she want to go through White Rush?' [and] 'If we had a black
girl in our sorority, none of the fraternities would want to
do anything with us,' " the letter says.
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The letter set in motion a series of events that has led
UGA to temporarily suspend the sorority and launch an
investigation into possible racial discrimination in the
member selection process.
"This incident should prove a wake-up call for the entire
Greek system," said Richard Mullendore, UGA vice president for
student affairs. "We've focused on issues relative to
substance abuse, hazing and leadership more than we have
diversity. It's probably an issue we need to give a lot more
attention to now."
Julie Cretin, national director of Alpha Gamma Delta, said
her organization takes the allegations of racial
discrimination "very seriously." She and other officials will
be in Athens today to conduct their own investigation, talking
with the women in the UGA chapter, including the young woman
who complained.
The student addressed her letter to Rick Rose, assistant
vice president for student affairs. UGA would not identify the
student who wrote the letter or the African-American student.
"I was in shock and was extremely disappointed," the letter
says. "It is hard for me to believe that our society still
harbors cruel and exclusionary clubs that encourage their
members to embarrass and humiliate others in order to make
themselves feel superior. I am confident that the University
of Georgia would not knowingly permit such blatantly
discriminatory behavior on its campus."
As far he knows, Mullendore said, the allegation marks the
first time a UGA sorority has been accused of racial
discrimination. A contributing factor may be that few
African-American students choose to participate in membership
recruitment, or rush, which shepherds participants from one
predominantly white sorority to another.
The four predominantly African-American sororities at UGA
don't conduct a collective rush. Instead, each does an
"intake" once a year, usually in the fall or spring.
"It takes a lot of guts for a black student to go through
rush like this girl did," said Kendree Zaic, a sophomore from
Alpharetta who was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority last year.
"It surprises me that [discrimination] has never come up
before. [Alpha Gamma Delta] probably aren't the only ones who
do it. The systems are kind of separated here."
Though UGA doesn't keep records on the racial breakdown of
individual Greek organizations, some sororities and
fraternities are known to have members who are not of the
predominant skin color. But by and large, they remain
primarily self-segregated.
"You have to look at it from a regional perspective,"
Mullendore said. At large Southern universities like UGA, the
system is much more segregated that in other parts of the
country or at smaller institutions.
Because many Greek groups began in the South, they have a
longer history, traditions, many more alumni "and a certain
way of doing business that's been in existence for a long
time," he said. "As a result, it's a little more difficult for
them to embrace change."
The letter writer wanted to move out of the sorority house,
but found she couldn't get out of her housing contract at
Alpha Gamma Delta. Rather than continue to live with people
"who found outright prejudice acceptable," she withdrew from
the university, the letter says.
"Many of my sisters made insulting faces at me and made
insensitive comments to me," the letter says. "No one offered
to help as I removed my belongings from the house. They
accused me of overreacting 'to an issue that just wasn't that
important!' "
The student's comments "tear at my heart," Mullendore said.
"Judgments about people are rendered on a daily basis, but
shouldn't be based on the color of someone's skin."
While on temporary suspension, Alpha Gamma Delta cannot
hold social functions or participate in UGA activities as an
organization. Supporters said no matter what the investigation
yields, the damage to Alpha Gamma Delta's reputation is almost
irreparable.
If investigators determine the allegations are true, Alpha
Gamma Delta could informally resolve the situation by
admitting what occurred and coming up with a resolution, or it
could deny the allegations and request a judicial hearing.
Probation, suspension or expulsion are all possible outcomes,
Mullendore said.
-- Correspondent Andrew DeMillo contributed to this
report.
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