Last week, a former sorority member, a public relations major in the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, released a video. In it she bashed the entire women’s fraternity/sorority system for an “overwhelming lack of compassion for other women.” Her video went viral and she had her few minutes of fame on the Today show.
She did not enjoy her time as a member of a National Panhellenic Conference organization. In her own words, she “went to parties” and “did the costume thing for a while.” I am not really what she meant by the “costume thing,” but it really doesn’t matter.
Are each of the 3,000+ NPC organization chapters perfect? No, and I can say that confidently. Every chapter of every GLO, be it a men’s or women’s organization, from every council and umbrella group, is made up of college students, some of whom are juggling multiple roles. There are many variables which play into the day-to-day life of a GLO. A chapter that runs like a well-oiled machine one year can be on the skids the next. However, when done well, membership in a GLO can be one of the best learning experiences a college student can have. And many times the best lessons come from adversity and how a situation is handled. None of us learns very well when we don’t have to expend much energy or effort.
She joined as a freshman and resigned her membership as a senior. If the disgruntled former sorority member did not like what was going on in her organization why didn’t she try to do something to change the culture? Did she ever speak up? Did she ever run for an office? Did she ever volunteer to chair a committee? Did she ever make her views known to the alumnae advisors and headquarter’s staff?
If one expects an experience to be “perfect” on its own and without any effort, that person is quite deluded. In fact, I would argue that there are no “perfect” things or experiences. Despite the industry of television shows, magazines, and websites that try to find people the “perfect” house, the “perfect” bridal gown, the “perfect” job, vacation, spouse, and family, those things really don’t exist. Perfect is a matter of perception. A friend who has been married more than 50 years says that the secret of her happy marriage is that she and her husband have never wanted a divorce at the same time. Being part of a couple, being a member of an organization, being an employee, being a parent, none of that is going to be “perfect” 100% of the time. Nothing might ever be “perfect,” but how one deals with the situation is what matters the most.
The disgruntled sorority woman was part of the problem if she didn’t try to be part of the solution. I don’t think the going to parties and the “costume thing” qualifies as being part of the solution if there was indeed a lack of compassion among the members.
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An article about the National Panhellenic Conference Executive Director Dani Weatherford appeared in an Indianapolis newspaper over the weekend. She is a member of Delta Gamma. http://www.indystar.com/story/money/2016/02/05/s-not-your-mothers-sorority-anymore/79783668/
© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2016. All Rights Reserved. If you enjoyed this post, please sign up for updates. Also follow me on twitter @GLOHistory and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/glohistory/
