Students disavow discrimination in Greek Life during recruitment: “Disaffiliate. Abolish Greek life.”

When calling for the abolishment of Greek life during recruitment weekend at Elmhurst University on her Instagram story, Emily Densmore believed that she was joining an ongoing nationwide conversation about widespread discrimination in college fraternities and sororities. 

Greek life cannot open its doors to students who identify with minoritized groups without the risk of “tokenizing POC” according to Densmore, a disaffiliated member of Phi Mu. 

The post, which read “Abolish Greek Life” in bold yellow letters, was met with notable backlash, namely because it purportedly revealed information about sorority recruitment processes at EU.

Densmore shared that her reason for publicly bringing attention to these practices is rooted in an outright rejection of legacy admissions and the selective structure of Greek life. 

“The concept of legacies is inherently exclusionary because those past members are overwhelmingly white,” asserted Densmore. “Special considerations for legacies mean that less space is available for prospective members of color since Greek life has always been a white space.”

“I have a hard time seeing a way to create reform without completely uprooting the racist, classist, elitist system that holds it [Greek life],” she stated. “Disaffiliate. Abolish Greek life.” 

Densmore touched on the particular personal experiences with Greek life that have influenced her position. 

“At my first [Phi Mu] function, my Black boyfriend and I ended up sitting in the hallway for the last hour and a half because we were hearing the n-word being sung with complete disregard for the feelings of the Black man in the room,” alleged Densmore. 

“It’s been frustrating to see Greek life members express concern for equality for BIPOC while simultaneously being a part of a system that is rooted in white elitism,” she said.

Another Greek life affiliated student at EU, who asked to remain anonymous, was reportedly met with resistance when asking a chapter to release a Black Lives Matter statement this past summer. 

“I was told [by leadership], ‘it’s hard to make a chapter statement when we have people in the chapter that disagree with these views,’” the student stated. 

They added that “the blame carries over to the whole chapter.” 

Numerous colleges are witnessing a mass exodus from Greek life, including Vanderbilt University which lost about 200 students from fraternities and sororities over this past summer according to NBC News. The Daily Northwestern similarly reported that 75% of pledges dropped out of the university’s Sigma Nu chapter only weeks into the academic year. 

Of the 8 active fraternities and sororities at Elmhurst University, only 1, Sigma Lambda Gamma, was nationally founded as a multicultural Greek life organization. 

Viviana Verga, president of the Sigma Lambda Gamma chapter at EU, celebrates the efforts made by Black and Latinx students to establish societies focused on cultural awareness.

“It is because of brave and motivated individuals that multicultural Greek life is here,” said Verga. 

“People of color made their own organizations so they can participate and experience Greek life in a diverse and inclusive environment,” she continued. 

For Shawndell Young, president of the dormant Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. chapter on campus, measures that ensure a larger presence of non-traditional students in Greek life should be introduced. 

Young said that he holds a “lifelong commitment” to Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the first Black-founded Greek life society in the United States. 

“There’s a fraternity that I know… almost all of their members are white and the majority of the Black members they have had in their organization only stay for about one semester and then they end up dropping,” he said.

“They don’t feel comfortable because they don’t feel represented,” Young suggested. 

At the same time, the EU chapter for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity has not been revitalized this year as a result of decreasing interest from students. 

Amanda Santucci, coordinator of sorority and fraternity life at EU, hopes to address the disparity in representation by marketing to students of color and gender non-conforming individuals. 

“Many people are unaware of the historically Black organizations, or even Sigma Lambda Beta, the Latino fraternity,” explained Santucci. 

Santucci acknowledges that barriers beyond race or gender, such as financial restrictions,  prevent students from pursuing memberships in Greek life. “One downfall of the historically Black organizations is that they cost a lot more than the social sororities and fraternities that we [Elmhurst University] have.” 

The current president of EU’s Phi Mu chapter, Holland Kosiek, told The Leader that members can be offered monetary aid if faced with extenuating circumstances. 

Kosiek expressed that “finances can be a stressful thing” so, in response, students are briefed about chapter dues and referred to possible scholarships. 

“We do everything in our power to hope financial status does not impede on someone’s membership,” she noted. 

Lillian Solis, a recruitment officer on the Panhellenic Council, joins her colleagues by maintaining that Greek life organizations can make an increased effort to be regarded as inviting environments. 

“Greek life has made progress to being more inclusive, but I do believe there is more work that can be done and that we are doing,” she said. “It is important to recognize the problem to make change.” 

“Greek-letter organizations need to keep conversations on these topics open and honest in order to maintain relevance to their members and stay up to date with the world around them,” Kappa Kappa Gamma President Ashley Gabrielsen wrote in a statement on behalf of the chapter. 

Current leadership from Lambda Chi Alpha, Alpha Sigma Phi, Sigma Kappa, Alpha Tau Omega, and Alpha Phi did not respond to The Leader’s request for comment.