Sorority Boots Overweight and "Non-Conventionally Pretty" Members.

Posted by Alex in Everything Else on February 26, 2007 at 4:09 pm


Fat and unattractive, … er "demonstrating lack of commitment to meet recruitment goals?" Delta Zeta sorority doesn’t want you around:

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.

Link [free registration req] (Image: Andrew Hancock for the NY Times)


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COMMENT

15 comments to "Sorority Boots Overweight and "Non-Conventionally Pretty" Members."

  1. Andie
    February 26th, 2007 at 4:41 pm

    What exactly does a sorority do, anyway? I always had the impression that they were just dating pools for the frat guys.

  2. artschild
    February 26th, 2007 at 5:18 pm

    Um... how is this "neato" and not just infuriating?

  3. Creeped out
    February 26th, 2007 at 6:35 pm

    That is not right. Is anyone doing anything about this? Not that I'm a sorority girl (my school didn't even have them) but that exclusiveness should not fly.

  4. Solo
    February 26th, 2007 at 7:12 pm

    It sends a clear message "We're stupid and racist"

    That ought to prop up membership! Great move!

  5. NotSurpised
    February 26th, 2007 at 7:24 pm

    The only thing about this that surprises me is the fact that they were originally recruited into the sorority. Sad to say, and I'm not condoning it, but I'm not sure why anyone would be surprised by this.

  6. ted
    February 26th, 2007 at 8:34 pm

    Isn't what they're doing just a reflection of the attitudes they'll encounter in the real world?

  7. Tyler
    February 26th, 2007 at 8:56 pm

    Private organizations can do whatever they want. It might not seem nice, but as ted said, welcome to the real world.

  8. Samantha
    February 26th, 2007 at 9:42 pm

    As a member (and current president) of a sorority, I just wanted to say that not all sororities are like this. Nor are we dating pools for frat boys, although I understand where that stereotype comes from. I don't believe my sorority discriminates based on looks or weight (I'd consider myself a bit overweight so take that as you will). Also, our sorority (similar to most) is committed to developing members of poise and purpose, serving our community through philanthropy and service, fostering sisterhood, improving scholarship and providing leadership opportunities. We also promote athleticism/sports, social events and spirituality. We stress heritage and advocate our members taking advantage of leadership opportunities both within the sorority and outside of it.

    Sororities (and fraternities) offer a multitude of positive enrichment for college students, but, as with most organizations, you can only get from it as much as you give to it.

    Samantha
    President Zeta Phi Chapter
    Alpha Sigma Alpha

  9. ted
    February 27th, 2007 at 1:00 am

    Thanks to Samantha for the commercial, who as President of a sorority is not certain if her group discriminates based on looks or weight.

    How does one stress heritage, Mitzy?

    Oh, I'm not sure, Buffy. Let's go ask some boys.

  10. the gh0st
    February 27th, 2007 at 2:05 am

    No offense to Samantha, but I feel like I just read a recruitment flier.

    As far as the article goes, this is the first time I've encountered an organization that has kicked out it's members after recruiting them. Most of the time, they usually skip the recruitment part and just ban them from the group.

  11. Geekazoid
    February 27th, 2007 at 2:17 am

    Thank goodness I skipped all that sorority garbage, I attended college much later as a working adult and skipped all the formalities and was much better off for it.

  12. serotonin
    February 27th, 2007 at 9:45 am

    If the article is correct, and that sorority was at risk of going defunct as a result of a declining brand image and enrollment, then just like a company or organization they were clearly in need of a rejuvinated marketing campaign. Unfortunately, it backfired.

    Beyond that, if these women were admitted with the knowledge that they would present a certain image, then to not adhere to that agreement puts them at fault, regardless of whether its PC or not. If they were not informed of such an agreement, then yes, the sorority is at fault.

    As a society we need to realize that we don't all like each other, we aren't all attracted to each other, and most importantly, we don't always get what we want and can't just cry "victim" every time. Whether its a job or clique or even a family, sometimes thats just not where you should be for better or for worse. Clearly these women will be better off not part of this organization.

  13. Tempscire
    February 27th, 2007 at 10:36 am

    "Beyond that, if these women were admitted with the knowledge that they would present a certain image..."

    So the black, Korean and Vietnamese members would go about presenting that image how?

  14. Jason
    February 27th, 2007 at 4:06 pm

    Q: What degree does a sorority girl earn?
    A: An M-R-S.

  15. hmmmmm
    March 1st, 2007 at 2:54 am

    "As a society we need to realize that we don’t all like each other, we aren’t all attracted to each other, and most importantly, we don’t always get what we want and can’t just cry “victim” every time."

    Oh, ho ho ho ho ho. If you're a white boy and you get angry at some point in the future because some "minority" or "woman" has "taken your job", I can't WAIT to throw this one back in your face.


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