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Over the past week, Leah and I have been listening to a lot of concerns, questions, and general complaints about NPC Sororities, what they would be at Davidson, and the types of women that join such organizations. We’ve heard the good, the bad, the harsh, the misinformed, and the reasonable. We anticipated this and wanted to compile the questions and concerns people had in one place so that the general campus could have access to what we’re saying instead of trying to do it piecemeal on Yik Yak.
The way this is organized is by a general, oft-repeated-in-different-ways statements and questions we got. So read them all, find the ones you’re most worried about, or just skim. All we are asking for right now is that PCC allow the general campus to continue having this discussion.
And just to clear it up, we are not misogynist, hateful people, we just want a space on campus that we couldn’t find and that we think would augment our and others’ experiences at Davidson, in addition to increasing national appeal for the school itself. Yes, there are others who would take on the charge after we leave. Whether the conversation goes well enough that they want to stick their necks out is an entirely different question.
THE CLAIM: Hazing will happen, and I’m concerned about that.
When it comes to hazing, an important thing to remember is that hazing is not exclusive to Greek organizations on our campus or anywhere else. Athletic teams of all levels, clubs, Greek organizations, and social organizations are all guilty of and culpable for hazing. Yes there have been incidents and accounts of hazing in NPC organizations, but there have been similar situations in all types of organizations, including on Davidson’s campus, and to some degree, through our Eating House system. We allow such behavior because of the tradition, because we are comfortable that the consequences aren’t problematic enough for us to be worried about. Remember that NPCs would not have that tradition to fall back on, and the traditions they make through their initiation processes would be created under intense supervision from the school and in the middle of one of the biggest national crackdowns on hazing in Greek organizations that there has been (led largely by NPC orgs). Their members would also have to sign a new member bill of rights that allows the college to hold organizations responsible for hazing.
THE CLAIM: There’s no housing for an NPC, so don’t bother.
You are correct. One of the great things about bringing NPC sororities to Davidson is that they are a type of organization that does not require a fixed space in order to exist. We already have organizations that are a part of PCC that do not have designated space on the court and are highly functional organizations. Physical space on Patterson Court is no longer a requirement for a Patterson Court Council organization. NPC sororities would not receive a house on the court. They would not receive a house anywhere. There is NO space on Patterson Court for an additional house or an organization that requires a house space. This is a solution for expanding options for women and creating more female organizations in PCC without the need for an additional house.
THE CLAIM: “Alumni networks in Eating Houses are stronger than in NPC sororities, so adding NPC organizations would be detrimental to networking for Davidson women.”
This is categorically and quantifiably false.
Not only do Eating Houses rarely have strong alumni networks that last (mainly due to administrative roadblocks to accessing alumni information), there is hardly a shared experience between Eating House members that employers can draw on. Eating Houses are also only centered around Davidson and don’t have the same reach as any national organization, let alone one built intentionally around creating opportunities for post-graduate life for its members.
When you meet a Davidson alumni, there is a shared understanding of the ~hell~ we go through on campus that makes us qualified candidates for any opportunity. That is not true for Eating Houses, and it shouldn’t be because they are casual and fluid community spaces that change over time according to members’ needs. (No, they shouldn’t change so much that they would replace NPCs.)
NPC sororities have vast networks of alumni and alumni chapters in major cities like Charlotte. They are handled and consolidated at a national level. At the end of the day, NPC sororities would offer our women a chance to be a part of a group that could lead to greater networking and leadership opportunities.
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