As I was scrolling through my Instagram feed, I stumbled across a reel from user @piperphillips captioned: “The [Current Administration] cut funding for my sorority’s philanthropic cause (and why it really matters).” Phillips explains how during college, she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, and how despite her not being a “ra-ra sorority girl, the organization Theta did [their] philanthropy for is incredible.”
For those who don’t know, it is common for Greek organizations—such as sororities and women’s fraternities—to have philanthropic causes that they in some way give back to, that align with their individual organization’s values. But, as Piper goes on to state, “the [current administration] cut the funding to this the federal funding for this organization…because they said it does not match the program goals or agency’s priorities of protecting American children.” Despite the purpose of this agency is to protect American children by providing them safe adults in court, a complicated and stressful experience for anyone—not just a child.
Kappa Alpha Theta—referred to in Phillips’ reel as simply, “Theta”— is a Panhellenic women’s fraternity dedicated to “Leading every member to personal excellence through lifelong sisterhood.” (Kappa Alpha Theta) Their philanthropy benefits National CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children/GAL (Guardian ad litem)
What is CASA?
National CASA/GAL is a national network of programs and volunteers dedicated to providing safe adults to children undergoing court proceedings who do not have a parent, guardian, or otherwise qualified adult to represent them. National CASA/GAL’s goal is to “strategically establish, promote and support the formation, recruitment, training, development and activities of highly effective member programs.” (National CASA/GAL) This is done through providing standardized resources and curriculum for training volunteers, spearheading a national advocacy movement for children to raise awareness and recruit volunteers, and maintaining relationships with federal legislators and private partners in order to secure funding sources to support the mission of the organization and the children it serves.
Kappa Alpha Theta has been one of these private partners “For more than three decades…[partnering] with National CASA/GAL state and local programs to give a voice to these children… Through fundraising millions of dollars, volunteering at local and national levels, and even becoming National CASA/GAL volunteers themselves.” (Kappa Alpha Theta) This aligns with what Piper tells us, how once some of her sister’s graduated, they went on to become CASA volunteers themselves, so they could continue to serve and advocate for the children who need it the most.
Kappa Alpha Theta Takes a Stance
From Kappa Alpha Theta’s official statement on the funding cuts, it is clear to see that they have an incredible amount of dedication to CASA/GAL, stating: “We were saddened to learn about National CASA/GAL’s federal funding termination; however, we continue our unwavering commitment to National CASA/GAL and its critical mission of improving the lives of children in foster care…please utilize the template provided there to contact your Senators and Representatives to ask them to immediately inquire about the funding terminations.” (Kappa Alpha Theta) To be clear, Greek organizations recruit members of many different communities and political leanings. This statement effectively serves as the organization taking a political stance by criticizing the funding cuts—and continuing to commit financially to their philanthropy because of them—displaying bipartisan support for the cause in spite of their members potentially having different positions politically on the current administration.
But on her initial reel about the funding cut, not all viewers displayed the same impartial support for CASA. Phillips began receiving responses picking apart how, when, and why she spoke up. These responses included viewers stating that sorority girls will not speak up about political issues until it personally affects them, accusing Phillips of being performative, as well as questioning how many of the members of Kappa Alpha Theta supported this administration prior to the funding cut—citing that Panhellenic organizations consist of mostly white women, and the majority of white, female voters voted in favor of the current administration. From the other end of the political spectrum, some viewers claimed that federal funding to a sorority’s philanthropy was government waste, and that CASA is not entitled to taxpayer dollars no matter who they benefit.
Phillips responded to all of this by calling for unity from both sides of the aisle, as CASA’s cause should not be controversial due to its purpose of protecting children undergoing court proceedings without a safe adult to represent them. Phillips states: “we need to talk about how we treat people…who are brave enough to come out and say ‘yeah, this is bad…’ If you come out and attack people…that are trying to raise awareness…I—out of everyone—understand the issue and the anger that we feel…but less people are going to come out and talk about [things they believe are wrong.]”
Conclusion
Sororities are diverse groups of young women that have a variety of different backgrounds and perspectives—all things that inform their own personal political views. But, this situation can contribute to a larger conversation about how what is going on in the federal government affects the lives of college students no matter what side of the aisle you’re on, and as how Greek life allows for those with differing opinions and perspectives to come together for a common cause in a uniquely bipartisan way when philanthropy comes with taking a stance. But from what it looks like, the sisters of Kappa Alpha Theta are committed to CASA/GAL’s cause no matter where they stand politically, because protecting our most vulnerable—children—is not a left or right issue, but one that we all can somehow find common ground on.