Letter to the Editor: Delta Zeta betrays ideals of sisterhood
Issue date: 2/6/07 Section: Opinion
The story run in The DePauw last Friday was unable to depict how personal the Delta Zeta situation is for many people on DePauw's campus. Several women who are no longer Delta Zeta actives believe they were asked to leave because of appearance and whether they were seen as avid partiers. They were led to believe the review of membership was to determine commitment to the house and the ideals of sisterhood, while it was more of a beauty pageant in the eyes of their national reviewers. According to one member I talked to, she was made to feel as though she wasn't pretty and should not have been allowed into the house in the first place.
In addition to the national office conducting itself in a manner disgraceful to any greek organization, they have further insulted the women who once considered themselves part of a sisterhood. Letters asking them for contributions to the alumni association were dated before letters informing them of the decision. The timing of the decisions couldn't have been worse for some whose academic standing were jeopardized, and one cannot push aside how it must feel to have "alumna" status as a sophomore and have 2 1/2 more years at DePauw.
Also, the Delta Zeta national organization has placed a gag order on its new class of student "alumnae." The order prohibits the girls with alumna status from speaking to the media, such as The DePauw, under the punishment of being officially kicked out of the sorority.
No one deserves that treatment. As The DePauw's editorial pointed out, the entire campus has a stake in what happens with Delta Zeta. Unlike The DePauw, I don't believe we need to look to the Community Covenant to condemn the actions of the national Delta Zeta sorority. Common decency tells us this is wrong.
Though we can find humor in a sorority busing in models from other schools to put on a façade for rush, the true irony is how Delta Zeta nationals contradicted the ideals they are preaching. Sisterhood is not exemplified by forcing out members. Each person in every greek house is there because the older members saw something in that person. DePauw has a rush process that allows both the greek houses and the people rushing to mutually select each other so that everyone can be part of the right organization.
James Updike, senior
In addition to the national office conducting itself in a manner disgraceful to any greek organization, they have further insulted the women who once considered themselves part of a sisterhood. Letters asking them for contributions to the alumni association were dated before letters informing them of the decision. The timing of the decisions couldn't have been worse for some whose academic standing were jeopardized, and one cannot push aside how it must feel to have "alumna" status as a sophomore and have 2 1/2 more years at DePauw.
Also, the Delta Zeta national organization has placed a gag order on its new class of student "alumnae." The order prohibits the girls with alumna status from speaking to the media, such as The DePauw, under the punishment of being officially kicked out of the sorority.
No one deserves that treatment. As The DePauw's editorial pointed out, the entire campus has a stake in what happens with Delta Zeta. Unlike The DePauw, I don't believe we need to look to the Community Covenant to condemn the actions of the national Delta Zeta sorority. Common decency tells us this is wrong.
Though we can find humor in a sorority busing in models from other schools to put on a façade for rush, the true irony is how Delta Zeta nationals contradicted the ideals they are preaching. Sisterhood is not exemplified by forcing out members. Each person in every greek house is there because the older members saw something in that person. DePauw has a rush process that allows both the greek houses and the people rushing to mutually select each other so that everyone can be part of the right organization.
James Updike, senior
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