The views expressed in this article reflect those of the writer(s) and do not necessarily represent the position of Her Campus Davidson. If you have any questions please feel free to contact the authors.
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: “Sororities are exclusive, which is bad. The recruitment process is superficial and shallow.”
Joining a sorority is a life long commitment that you make because you want to be a part of an organization that upholds similar values to your own and which in turn sees those values in you. Joining an NPC sorority on this campus would not be any more of a social symbol than joining an Eating House. The exclusivity of NPC sororities, and other Greek organizations for that matter, is important because it allows for mutual selection of members—which isn’t just about who looks ~cute~ but about creating space for a bond built on mutual buy-in and respect for an organization. Because members uphold certain values and commit to lifelong membership, it is important that a person believes in her organization’s values and also that the organization believes that this person embodies their values and believes in their members to represent them to the world.
It is also important to remember that Davidson itself is an exclusive institution, and the bond we all create under the shared Davidson experience speaks to the type of person each Wildcat is. We all (okay at least some of us) got rejected from other colleges and found happiness here, or this was our first choice and we’ve been able to relish in that satisfaction. Much like other exclusive organizations on campus (Greek, academic, leadership, etc.), the members will still be integrated into different parts of campus life and won’t parade around shoving their membership in others’ faces… especially without the capability to throw parties in the ways that many of Davidson’s social organizations already do, or organize around a space in the court.
Regarding the recruitment process: It does not have to be, and is not always, a superficial process. In a similar vein of leaving no place for hazing in these organizations (see #2), I can envision leaving no place for the “shallow, appearance-based, judgmental, superficial” rush process. By expecting the NPC recruitment process here to be catty, superficial, and shallow you are also saying that you expect Davidson women to act in those ways towards one another. We already allow men and women the ability to go through these processes on campus already, so this concern is valid to the extent that we address any issues we see in those rush processes as well. Adding additional organizations that engage in rush or mutual selection would be more likely to help address these concerns, as NPC sororities would be closely scrutinized by the campus community (administration and students) and not able to skirt any expectations. We also have a large say in the NPC organization that comes to campus, and just like IFC fraternities or NPHC organizations, the values and priorities of each differ.
Recruitment guidelines are agreed upon nationally by all 26 NPC organizations and have accountability for their respective chapters. Then each campus creates their own policies about recruitment, which would be values-based. Side note: NPC just voted against Skits so recruitment is very focused on values, service, and sisterhood.
If you are interested in writing an article for Her Campus Davidson, contact us at davidson@hercampus.com or come to our weekly meeting Tuesday at 8pm in the Morcott Room.