It all started with a survey. A psychology professor at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, surveyed her students, and the sisters of Delta Zeta were seen as "socially awkward". In an obvious effort to portray a more beautiful image, the Delta Zetas at DePauw University managed to evict 23 sisters and hopefully, improve their status. The evicted girls included every woman who was overweight, plus the only black, Korean and Vietnamese members.
Worried that a negative stereotype of the sorority was contributing to a decline in membership that had left its Greek-columned house here half empty, Delta Zeta’s national officers interviewed 35 DePauw members in November, quizzing them about their dedication to recruitment. They judged 23 of the women insufficiently committed and later told them to vacate the sorority house.
The mass eviction battered the self-esteem of many of the former sorority members, and some withdrew from classes in depression. There have been student protests, outraged letters from alumni and parents, and a faculty petition calling the sorority’s action unethical.
DePauw’s president, Robert G. Bottoms, issued a two-page letter of reprimand to the sorority. In an interview in his office, Dr. Bottoms said he had been stunned by the sorority’s insensitivity.
The twelve girls allowed to stay were physically attractive and would hopefully bring in recruits that would boost the image of the sorority. Six of them quit because they were angry about the way their sisters were being treated.
The president of Delta Zeta, which has its headquarters in Oxford, Ohio, and its other national officers declined to be interviewed. Responding by e-mail to questions, Cynthia Winslow Menges, the executive director, said the sorority had not evicted the 23 women, even though the national officers sent those women form letters that said: “The membership review team has recommended you for alumna status. Chapter members receiving alumnae status should plan to relocate from the chapter house no later than Jan. 29, 2007.”
Ms. Menges asserted that the women themselves had, in effect, made their own decisions to leave by demonstrating a lack of commitment to meet recruitment goals. The sorority paid each woman who left $300 to cover the difference between sorority and campus housing.
What were these girls thinking? Did they wake up in the 1950's and think that discrimination is okay? Have they watched too much Law and Order and think that any action can be justified? Two DePauw students who were former Delta Zeta members appeared live on Good Morning America to talk about the shocking actions of their former sisters.
Also, what about this survey? When I taught middle school, I remember one of our math teachers assigning a survey and graphing project. Some of the kids chose "favorite teacher" and "most popular students" as topics. There were hurt feelings when she posted the large bar graphs in the hall for all to see. Maybe teachers should direct their students away from projects that can result in pain for others. For some reason, this reminds me of a time in elementary school when a teacher seized a note and read it in front of the class. A girl had written some pretty mean things about me. The teacher read the entire note much to the amusement of the whole class. That sure knocked the teeth out of a great day.