http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2907511&page=1
Basically this article is about a sorority at DePauw University who dismissed 23 of it's members for what many said were unknown reasons. The girls they dismissed claimed to be admirable students, well rounded individuals and in good standings with their chapters. After speculation as to why they were all dismissed, they came to the conclusion that it had to be because they did not fit into the image that their sorority wanted to convey; tall, blonde and skinny.
I do not know whether what these girls said is true and they were kicked out for being overweight or of a different race, but I do know that the media has a frenzy when it gets a hold of something like this. It is something that many people think all sororities do anyways, so they love to highlight isolated cases to make it seem like it is something that happens ALL the time. The truth is, we don't know why these girls were kicked out? There is nothing from the Delta chapter of Delta Zeta saying they have no reason for being dismissed, we are only shown what these girls assume. The piece portrays not only this sorority in a bad light, but greek life as a whole. Once again, it only picks up the negatives and fails to seek another side. No where in the article does it say they reached out to DZ for a comment or spoke with members who weren't asked to leave, so regardless of the truth, it appears as if they are a shallow group of girls who wanted to make their sorority more appealing to fraternities.
Incidents like this are so damaging to sorority life. They make girls think they have no place in a sorority if they aren't built like barbie and made of money. The reality is I laugh when a girl says "I don't know if greek life is for me" because I know there is such a diverse group of women on this campus and there is more than likely some place she can find a home. Articles like this make it seem like she is right. If discouraging people from rushing and ultimately decreases the amount of people involved in greek life. I think this type of thing could be avoided if there wasn't such a bias in the media and if a spotlight weren't shown onto every negative thing a greek organization does. It makes it seem like we are shallow individuals who don't care about what we stand for, only what we look like, and I think that is a grave misrepresentation of the greek life I know and love.
I agree with how absurd this is. Especially since they didn't reach out to the people in question, or the organization. The fact is that media plays into what people want to hear. And unfortunately lots of people want to hear that Sororities act that way, although many people who are in the organizations know it's usually not true.
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