Alabama ΑΦ sorority expels student for racist rant

Parent Cafe
121

I think Cal has a system where everybody rushing is guaranteed a bid somewhere, although not necessarily their top choice. It’s not a true lottery, but it sounds better than systems where a lot of kids get no offer at all.

Anyway, with regards to segregation in sororities and certain chapters wanting a certain “look” - that’s how they get their “ranking”. It’s a strange and bizarre thing, but some people want to be part of a sorority that’s ranked #1 for having all the “hottest” girls, and others want to rank sororities on that basis. I don’t see that changing for a very long time, if ever.

Since we’re discussing freedom of speech, this type of freedom of association is also part of that right (at least at public institutions). If skinny white girls all want to hang out together, can UA really deny them that right, or does that conflict with anti-discrimination laws?

122

Favorite comment I’ve read today, @JHS

Probably more actually do have HOC, but they are blond-passing.

123

Way back when, my D started college at UDel, which was much less diverse than the HS she went to. For the first few months, she thought that not only was everyone in Delaware white, but that they were all blond.

124

It was discussed extensively on these forums.

http://www.cw.ua.edu/article/2013/09/the-final-barrier-50-years-later-segregation-still-exists
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1552777-sorority-racism-article-crimson-white-p1.html

125

It gets messier when the public university extends some sort of official special recognition or endorsement to the organization, as is common with sororities and fraternities.

126

Delaware has two public universities, which were previously segregated by race. University of Delaware is the historically white one, and its current undergraduates are about 72% white. Delaware State University is the historically black one, and its current undergraduates are about 70% black.

https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=130943#enrolmt
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=130934#enrolmt

Segregation takes a long time to go away, even after it was officially abolished.

127

S2 calls them copy/paste blondes and has trouble telling them apart. His HS was 60% Asian descent. Even my D, when describing a scene from The Bachelor the other night, said, “… one of the blondes. I can’t tell them apart.” Oddly, W and D both have blonde hair.

I’m another not surprised that this came from a NJ student. I grew up in a small town in upstate NY with a lot of racists but very few minorities of any type. While living in VA, the locals were more racist but more practiced at phrasing things in a way that were racist but acceptable in an all-white setting or ways that were more subtle in mixed company. Transplants lacked practice, thus had much less of a social filter.

128

I went to a big SEC school. Sororities definitely had preferences for a certain “look.” My SIL pledged by quit before initiation. They didn’t approve of her missing frat socials because of pharmacy school labs. The sorority one of my college roommates joined held weekly weigh-ins. Sororities and fraternities are still heavily segregated.

I found a 2013 article from my school in which the Director of Greek Life was asked about the racial background of all sororities and fraternities at the school, and replied that her office does “not collect any data related to that.” This is from 2013. Hard to deal with a problem if one doesn’t acknowledge its existence.

129

Based on the videos folks are passing around, maybe the diversity they’re looking for are redheads?

130

Seems that more racially/ethnically segregated systems or chapters appear to be easier to find at large residential schools; racially/ethnically diverse smaller schools or those with smaller residential populations seem to be the usual examples of more integrated systems. Perhaps it is just more possible to fill a sorority or fraternity house in a racially/ethnically segregated manner at a large school than at a small school.

131

The question in my mind is why that would be desirable.

132

Most people who prefer racial segregation are unlikely to express their preferences in polite company, although this is changing somewhat as it becomes slightly more socially acceptable. But unstated preferences for racial segregation are probably fairly common, given the visible results of people’s actions (segregated sororities and fraternities in college, segregated neighborhoods in general, historically segregated colleges still being poorly integrated, etc.).

133

WaPo article states that Alabama did indeed expel her; civil rights activists criticize the university:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2018/01/19/she-was-expelled-from-college-after-her-racist-rants-went-viral-her-mother-thinks-she-deserves-it/?utm_term=.1d8f6751c5e9

134

@ucbalumnus, thanks for the link. Breaks my heart.

My D pledged a sorority and there was a girl in a head scarf in the pledge class picture. Unfortunately, she didn’t elect to finish the process and become an active. I never heard any detail about why but I think about her periodically and hope that she felt welcome and elected not to join for other reasons.

135

Re: #133

That Washington Post article contains no quotes or confirmation from either Barber or a University of Alabama representative stating that University of Alabama expelled her (similar to the earlier New York Post article).

Based on what has been reported, it is pretty easy to believe that University of Alabama expelled her, but there is nothing that actually confirms that.

136

I really don’t think there was enough time for Alabama to expel her. She might have been suspended, but I believe this was posted/forwarded to the university on Monday. She was dismissed from the sorority on Tuesday night, and she was posting she was expelled by Thurs morning. I don’t think the university could have followed all its rule to issue a suspension by Wednesday - notice, hearing, appeal rights? I just don’t see how it could have happened that fast.

137

Agree that big public university bureaucracies are unlikely to move that fast.

But would both Barber and University of Alabama benefit from people thinking that the school expelled her, even if it did not?

138

“Agree that big public university bureaucracies are unlikely to move that fast.

But would both Barber and University of Alabama benefit from people thinking that the school expelled her, even if it did not”

Yep. I think she’s saying they expelled her and UALABAMA is just keeping its mouth shut. Nothing to be gained by saying “ well actually we didn’t”

139

I’m curious about the sorority’s reaction to all of the girls who surrounded her and were yelling in the background, possibly egging her on, not no mention the one clearly seen taking the video in the bathroom mirror. Were they, as seems likely, her sorority sisters? They aren’t going to be disciplined?

140

@Consolation My dd goes to UA. She does NOT know and have never met video girl even though were both freshman. She is not in the same sorority or even the same tier of sorority. The reaction of video girls’ sorority sisters is the same reaction as the rest of the campus and the country; disgust, outrage, anger, and embarrassment. Now their reaction also includes fear as they are being targeted, threatened, and harassed. I find it interesting that everyone is so quick to judge and project their assumptions. These pile on assumptions about an entire sorority, an entire campus, an entire state, and entire region of the US are typical and just expose a different kind of bias, judgement, and prejudice.

The other girls in the car are likely NOT in her sorority. It is known that video girl did not socialize nor hang out with her sorority (girls she has known for only months) - at least recently. It is a sorority sister/sisters who saw the first bathroom video that elevated it (instantly) to the conduct board that prompted the rants in the second video. This should be a glimpse into the reaction of her sorority sisters, they immediately turned her in and acted, prior to any publicity, public outcry, or social pressure. In fact, turning her in made it the public issue that is is now. Immediately after the posting/discovery of the second video her sorority met and she was expelled, and the local and national sorority issued a statement condemning her words and actions. Again,these ACTIONS were taken before there was widespread knowledge of this video and not in REACTION to any pressure or scrutiny. And yet, they entire sorority (over 400 young women) is being vilified and assumptions are being made. Similarly, the University met, issued a statement, and worked to have video girl removed from the campus (although it is not conclusive if this was voluntary or compulsory) the very day they saw the video, hours after the posting. This was all on a day that the school was not open or operating due to a weather closure. Again not reactionary and not in response to news reports or calls for statements and there was never an attempt to hide from or diminish the vile words/actions of this student.

It is not lost on anyone that there were other girls in that car witnessing and participating. Through social media and who she was out with that night, it is believed (but not confirmed officially) that one of the girls was a sister in another sorority although not confirmed that she is currently. I am happy that there was not a rush to name suspected names until it is investigated as to not falsely accuse people. Also present and likely in the car were at least 2 other girls who are independents not affiliated with any UA sorority who regularly hung out with this girl and were with her earlier before the video was posted. At least one of the other girls in the car indicated that she too was from New Jersey. Again, my dd does not know this girl or the people that hang out with this girl this is just from word on the street.

No one has taken this lightly or diminished this at Alabama. Horrible people are in every institution and no school is immune no matter how many people want to make this a sorority thing or an Alabama thing. Harvard cheating scandals, Berkeley sexual misconduct scandals, Notre Dame tutor-sex scandals and football scandals, Penn State - too many to list, racism scandal at American University, UT admissions scandal, Baylor sexual assualt… This does not begin to scratch the surface. Cheating, sexual assualt, racism, criminal activity, drugs, alcohol abuse, self harm, suicide are all unfortnately a part of our world and that includes our institutions of higher learning. All different regions of the US and all world class institutions that have amazing, talented, smart young adults growing up and preparing for their futures.