The Orbis

Greek life is a fundamental component of many Vanderbilt undergraduate experiences, and to elaborate upon that would be redundant, so I won't. But, what is the function of Greek organizations on campus? Many would say that these organizations provide an excellent opportunity to meet new people and make new friends as well as give something back to the community. Having said all that, it would seem as though Greek organizations would be an excellent way to foster multicultural interaction on campus. However, with an extremely small percentage of minorities in Pan-Hellenic and IFC organizations, that does not seem to be the case. But why?

Last semester the SGA Multicultural Committee sponsored a "How Far Have We Come?" program and panel discussion that explored the progression of diversity at Vanderbilt in the last 40 years. The faculty panel included a variety of professionals including the Director of Admissions, the Director of the Black Cultural Center and Assoc. Provost Lucius Outlaw. Among the Vanderbilt big wigs present was Greek Advisor Kristin Torrey. Torrey, who was relatively ignored for the majority of the program, did eventually receive one relevant question that I will paraphrase – "Why is Greek life so white? And couldn't those organizations foster a bit of diversity, too?"

Torrey mused for a minute and replied that Pan-Hellenic and IFC organizations are just the way they are, and that perhaps they are not really avenues for diversity, not because the organizations themselves have discriminated, but because a relatively small number of minorities actually participate in rush. Furthermore, those who do are placed in houses.

Torrey is right. If these organizations are white washed, it's no fault of organization. So then who are we to blame? Is it those damn self-segregating minorities who always complain about diversity but also make no effort to connect with others outside of their own ethnicity (I say this sarcastically of course)? No, it's not them, either.

Essentially, the answer is complicated. There exists a wide variety of Greek options available, and a substantial percentage is represented here. Seven of the nine NPHC organizations have representation on campus, and Vanderbilt also has a traditional Latino fraternity and sorority. This reality definitely affects the minority rush numbers.

For the purpose of this article, I asked an African-American friend why she joined a NPHC organization to which she simply said, "Because I'm black." This response may seem curt to some, but I understand it, and I would venture to say that most of the black community would as well. As an African-American who was entrenched in my own culture as a youth, joining a Pan-Hellenic sorority would have (and still is) alien to me. I think the various minorities represented in Lambda Theta Phi and Lambda Theta Alpha would tend to agree with the previous sentiment. In fact, it could be argued that if Vanderbilt had traditional Asian organizations, which are beginning to crop up all over the West Coast, then the numbers of minorities entering rush would continue to drop. Nevertheless, there are minorities in "white" sororities and fraternities. Pan-Hel and IFC organizations appeal to others.

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