  |
|||
|
|
|
||
|
Posted by Susan Carney Mar 14, 2007 |
I heard yesterday that DePauw University has officially given Delta Zeta sorority their walking papers. This decision to cut ties with the national sorority came after a media storm that characterized the sorority’s ousting of most of its members as an obvious incident of lookism and perhaps racism as well. (In a nutshell, the women were reportedly more of the purposeful, brainy types rather than the superficial Stepford-esque variety). Also see the blog News Stories That Make Me Mad.
Hooray! The only complaint I have is this: What took them so long? One wonders if the removal of the sorority was more about damage control and less about doing the right thing. At any rate, it is a victory. The university stated that their values and those of the sorority were “incompatible.” (“Troubled Sorority Cut From DePauw”, Associated Press, NY Times Online, March 13, 2007.)
It’s nice to see that an educational establishment is choosing to focus on, well, education. Schools everywhere should take note. Most schools in this country engage in activities that promote stereotyping, help define social strata, and encourage elitism and, frankly, snobbery. (Think homecoming court, “most popular” yearbook contests, some cheerleading squads…you get the point). Because they are part of our traditions, no one really questions them that much, and if they do, they are dismissed as overprotective killjoys or envious over reactors.
But here’s the bigger problem: kids emulate what they see. When adults and institutions support and take part in activities that promotes this kind of one-upmanship, they model for kids that it’s perfectly okay, even expected, for them to do the same. It encourages the kind of exclusionary attitudes that can lead to, among other things, alienation and disenfranchisement. Kids feel justified in assuming social superiority over other kids, and lauding it. (Case in point: the sorority saw nothing wrong with its actions, and in fact seemed insulted that anyone dared question them). We are supposed to helping kids build relationships, not giving them reasons to tear each other down.