<p>The decision to bring back the sorority was a pretty controversial one and illustrates the importance of dialogue at Swat. The proposal was… definitely a surprise. Last year, there were several “Occupy Sharples” open forums where the sorority issue took precedence. Some groups proposed a Women’s Union instead. Others decried the Greek life institution as a whole. And others still supported the sorority to at least be given a chance. </p>
<p>Ultimately, it was decided that (especially in accordance with Title IX laws against gender-based discrimination) it would not be fair to deny an organized proposal for a sorority, since there are already fraternities. I’m an alum and I’m interested to see how the sorority’s presence affects the social sphere. My guess is that it won’t affect things any more than the fraternities do - Greek life makes up a pretty small percentage of the Swat population, but of course they’re Swatties too.</p>