Opinion | Legacy prohibits equal opportunity from sorority recruitment
Katie Reul, News Editor
In trying to be a better ally to the BIPOC community, I’ve found it critical to self-reflect and see the places in which I may be unconsciously contributing to the systemic racism that remains ever-entrenched in our nation’s history. One example is in my participation in sorority life, a current topic of controversy among many progressive activists who believe that Greek life’s roots in gender discrimination and exclusion of people of color is counter-intuitive to the very initiatives it claims to promote.
While the visible flaws in both the origin and modern practice of sororities do not go unnoticed, I firmly believe that these groups hold the potential to create inclusive club environments on campus rather than elitist ones, using their platforms as opportunities to uplift BIPOC voices within their own chapters. The first step required is to stop teaching selective pieces of history that paint our nation’s current institutions in the most positive light.
The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), an umbrella organization that overlooks all sorority life portrays a glamorized perception of the founding of sororities in its 2020 Manual of Information, glossing over its historic exclusion of the LGBTQIA+ and Black communities. Beyond the whitewashed history, the legacy system is perhaps the most harmful contributor to the continued oppression that people of color face when it comes to sorority recruitment.
While the NPC’s 2020 Manual of Information cites that “being a legacy of an organization does not ensure membership in that chapter,” there is an evident hypocrisy that exists with how this manifests in practice. Various sororities across the nation and on Chapman’s campus have recruitment policies in place prohibiting them from dismissing legacies until at least after the second round. In summary, privilege is given to girls simply because their relatives were fortunate enough to attend a university, afford Greek life fees and be accepted into a sorority in an era that lacked racial inclusivity.
Kappa Alpha Theta, also known as Theta, is one of the forefront leaders of changing the legacy policy, taking initiative within their own organization by acknowledging that “many women are not legacies because their mothers, sisters, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers simply did not have the same access to higher education or the means to join.” The July 23 policy update addresses that the term “legacy” is used to cover-up privilege allotted to young women based ultimately on race, connections and socioeconomic background. Theta is joined by Alpha Phi, who also recently removed their legacy policy following open discourse.
The Pew Research Center identifies that while the racial discrepancies in household income and college graduation rate have improved between white and Black people since the 1960s, considerable gaps still remain. For as much as the NPC claims to be working towards fostering a more diverse and inclusive image for sorority life, these statistics are truly a reminder that the problem circles back to the racism that exists within the institution itself, as opposed to simply the microaggressions its members may display.
This is not to say sororities should not be allowed to celebrate legacy to any extent within their sorority, but rather, legacy should not be used as a relevant factor in recruitment in order to avoid giving privilege to some potential new members (PNM) over others. Even Theta clarified they would still celebrate legacy bonds to the sorority, but only if and after a bid has already been extended to the PNM. Not only does this new policy ensure that white students with the luxury of legacy are not guaranteed a spot over another woman purely because of family ties rather than actual values, but it also allows for a more transparent recruitment experience rooted in equal opportunity.