In case you missed it, there was a video released this week of Alpha Delta Pi at the University of Texas performing a door chant during recruitment. During formal recruitment, chapters are almost always at their door singing/chanting as Potential New Members are waiting outside their door. Every university does this differently, and sometimes rather than being in lines, the sororities will do a door stack. It's cute and peppy and gets people excited- except for the internet. I hate to tell you, internet, door chants have been around for years and you're late to the party.
Comments are flying around social media and the video has been tweeted thousands of times with comments like "this is what hell looks like" and "this is why I don't want to be in a sorority" and "wow look at all that diversity!" are among the many. Naturally I am going to get defensive because I am a sorority woman and will do anything to defend the system I love so much.
1. "This is what hell looks like."
Yeah, we get it, it's pretty weird. A bunch of girls screaming at you, clapping and using overly high pitched voices is pretty scary. We think it's weird too, it's not just you. But there is this magical thing called choice that allows you to not go through recruitment if the chants/door stacks/fake smiles scare you. We don't need you.
2. "This is why I don't want to be in a sorority."
If a video of girls doing a chant scares you away from sorority life then there are clearly bigger issues here. So often members of Greek Life are stereotyped as being rude and judgmental and making assumptions about people just based on their looks. You placing judgment on sorority life based on a video is the same as sororities doing the judging you claim they are doing. If you don't want to be part of Greek life that is okay and it's okay to voice that. However, a simple "it's just not for me" is the respectful way to do it rather than "they're opening the gates of hell."
3. "Wow, look at all that diversity!"
Ah, the racist comments. All girls in sororities are racist and only accept white girls, preferably with long, straight, blonde hair. If you watch the video I can see where this comment gets thrown around because yes, all the girls in the video are white. I think a lot of people are confused on the actual recruitment process so I'll give you a crash course. In order to go through formal recruitment girls must sign up and pay a fee- that's pretty much all it takes. If you are not signed up, you do not go through the process, simple. If girls from different backgrounds/cultures/races don't sign up for recruitment then they can't take them. We do not cut girls from our list because of their race, we can only take what is given to us.
It's frustrating to be on the internet and see something you love so much continuously bashed on when we do so much. It's funny to be told that we pass judgment onto others when the majority of the time it is being passed on us. Look back on yourself before you start pointing at other people. If you don't like the way we do things, that's okay, we don't need you anyways.
