script.src = 'https://us.commitchange.com/js/donate-button.v2.js'; first.parentNode.insertBefore(script, first); OH And I'm just not sure which decision people will make.”. Director of the Center for Student Involvement Alison Keller did not respond to The Collegian’s request for comment. var first = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; An Abolish Greek Life movement began to form, and it took root at Vanderbilt University where nearly a third of students participate in the Greek system. 44115, (function() { Our small but mighty local team works tirelessly to bring you high-quality, uncensored news and cultural coverage of Cleveland and beyond. An Instagram account calling for the abolition of Interfraternity Council fraternities and Panhellenic Council sororities at the University of Richmond surfaced Monday evening and has posted more than 50 anonymous quotes about Greek Life. This account is a reflection of a growing movement calling for the abolition of white Greek life. © 2020 Cleveland Scene: Confidential on-campus resources for survivors of sexual violence are CARE Advocates, Counseling and Psychological Services, the Office of the Chaplaincy and PSMAs, who are accessible through email and Zoom meetings during this time if desired. This must happen for … I hope so, but … I think people have a choice to either go down with the ship or be on the right side of history in my mind. The account’s purpose is to highlight issues within predominantly white Greek life. var script = document.createElement('script'); I believe Pi Beta Phi can demonstrate to these women and others, we’re committed to doing better. Nationwide, students are rallying around the slogan “Abolish Greek Life,” establishing Instagram accounts that display anonymous student testimonies and … Tags: Case Western Reserve University, Sexual Assault, Title IX, Education, College, Image. Missy Carlson, the president of Tri Delta, wrote a statement to The Collegian July 9 regarding the Abolish Richmond Greek Life account. Our Mission. Then, send us your story. “It breaks my heart that these are students in our community calling us to take action and stop something that is harmful,” Carlson wrote. UR Curious: Why does UR have the Coordinate College System? In the wake of our nation’s moral reckoning with racism, a movement to Abolish Greek Life was born. Due to Greek life’s considerable presence on our campus, the University could hardly stave off such a movement long. 75 percent of the chapter’s members have disaffiliated following calls on Northwestern’s campus to abolish Greek life. Dean of Richmond College Joe Boehman declined to comment. He’s had conversations this week with his fraternity brothers and friends about the structural issues of Greek Life, he said, but he was unsure if those he talked with would disaffiliate. “I think it's really important to address that the Abolish Greek Life Instagram account is bringing forward important experiences that have happened on our campus," Carlson wrote, "the voices on the account are heard, the posts are being read, and it is sparking important discussions in the entire community.". “We do not post submissions that invalidate the experiences of others previously posted on the account," the direct message continued. We’re here to improve. Three UR students created the account, Abolish Richmond Greek Life, according to direct messages sent to The Collegian by the account. In an email to The Collegian on July 9, IFC president Peter Corsiglia wrote that he cannot comment on the calls to abolish Greek Life at UR. “I can't say that I know people will [disaffiliate]. Abolish Greek Life. ... @abolish_greeklife on Instagram | greeklifeabolition@gmail.com. Max Wallach, a rising junior, also said he did not believe that the Greek Life system could be reformed to a point of a “net neutral” or positive effect on campus. "Additionally, we do not post vague generalizations or assumptions, and prioritize specific personal experiences.”. This article was updated because The Collegian was not able to get in contact with Kappa Alpha Theta president Lauren Halloran. We look forward to using the money we raise to further our mission of providing honest and accurate information to students, faculty, staff, alumni and others in the general public. What We Do. Cleveland Scene works for you, and your support is essential. Some of the posts on the account came from anonymous sources with no affiliation to an IFC fraternity or Panhellenic sorority, others came from sources affiliated with IFC or Panhellenic. “A lot of people were pretty aware that Greek Life was this kind of bastion of white privilege — white, straight, cis[gender], rich, privilege — on campus," Cummins said, “and that it was fairly representative of a lot of the social problems that we’ve had on campus for a long time. Suite 4100, Similar “Abolish Greek Life” movements have sprung up at other universities around the country, including at the University of Richmond, Duke, Emory, American University, Northwestern and … About. Multiple posts detail acts of sexual violence by unnamed members of Greek Life and a culture that silences survivors, which provides cover for people who commit sexual assault, according to posts published on the account. For a better tomorrow, we must #AbolishGreekLife. On July 20, an NC State student created an Instagram account known as @abolishncsuifcandpanhel. Anyone else following “Abolish Greek Life at Vanderbilt” on Instagram? Other posts were critical of the UR administration and the Center for Student Involvement. “We have received messages of support from many students and alumni of [UR] on how this movement was [long-awaited.]”. Abolish Stanford Greek is a growing coalition of Stanford students and alumni committed to ending the presence of Interfraternity and Inter-Sorority Council Greek chapters on Stanford’s campus. The Collegian was not able to give her the opportunity to comment in time for this article's publication. Wallach disaffiliated from his former fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha, on July 9, he said. Thompson and a number of other disillusioned students, both ex-Greeks and not, began to organize. “No amount of diversity initiatives and training sessions can resolve a system established and rooted in inequality and racism,” according to a direct message from the account. script.setAttribute('data-npo-id', npo); The posts are accurate of her experience going through Panhellenic recruitment, she said, and she saw the anti-Greek Life sentiment growing particularly after racist graffiti was found on three students' dorm room doors this past January. Abolish Emory EPC & IFC (@abolishemorygreeklife) • Instagram photos and videos 528 Followers, 105 Following, 34 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Abolish Emory EPC & IFC … 2,733 Followers, 112 Following, 258 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Abolish Richmond Greek Life (@abolishrichmondgreeklife) Ashley Klippenstein, president of Panhellenic sorority Delta Gamma, did not respond to The Collegian’s request for comment. “Though I understand my words will never be enough, I wish to offer at the very least a personal, sincere apology to those this organization has hurt. The culture of sexual assault and the emphasis on conforming to fit into this system was unappealing to me from the start, but recently, as the Abolish Greek Life … A Lehigh specific Abolish Greek Life Instagram account, @abolishgreeklifelehigh, has recently become active, serving as a platform for students to voice their experiences or concerns regarding Greek life on Lehigh’s campus. The statement went on to cite past instances of overt racism including when members appeared in blackface in 1953 and when the fraternity advertised a "Lambda Chi Slave Sale" in 1978. What We Do ... @abolish_greeklife on Instagram | greeklifeabolition@gmail.com. To abolish Greek life, the University must first give students a strong sense of belonging and community without subjecting themselves to stressful rush processes. UR students fundraise to support people affected by hurricanes Eta, Iota, Spiders suffer first loss against 11th-ranked West Virginia. I do not think it can be reformed.”. Image from the Abolish Greek Life Instagram. "We acknowledge that right now we are a part of the issue; however, we would like to change that," according to the statement. “In statements our chapter released in early June, we committed to becoming a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive sisterhood. According to the Abolish Richmond Greek Life account, the account has received more than 100 responses through the Google questionnaire form. To dismantle the fraternity and sorority system on every campus, expelling the exclusivity, discrimination, and violence Greek Life brings with it. According to the statement, Tri Delt does not yet have an action plan in place, but Carlson expressed a desire to change in an effort to stop harming other students. Honoring this request, The Collegian cannot confirm who operates the account. Coordinator of UR Greek Life Lisa McCoy did not respond to The Collegian’s request for comment. It will be a test for Greek life and the Abolish Greek Life … An Instagram account calling for the abolition of Interfraternity Council fraternities and Panhellenic Council sororities at the University of Richmond surfaced Monday evening and has posted more than 50 anonymous quotes about Greek Life. “In seeing the accounts like Abolish Vandy IFC and Panhellenic, we were inspired to take the route of attempting to abolish greek life [as opposed to reform, which] that would not be able to ultimately make the changes necessary to ensure a better environment for all students at UR.”. Unlike many newspapers, ours is free – and we'd like to keep it that way, because we believe, now more than ever, everyone deserves access to accurate, independent coverage of their community. I do not attend Vanderbilt but I do have a friend that recently dropped her chapter due to the environment she was in as well as social pressure to do so. ... Over the summer, Emma Pinto created an instagram account that anonymously shares students’ negative experiences with Vanderbilt’s Greek system. As increasing numbers of fraternities have been accused of misconduct, calls to Abolish Greek Life have swept across campus. Screenshot of the account, @abolishrichmondgreeklife, on Instagram. President of the Panhellenic Council Maggie Castelli did not respond to The Collegian’s request for comment. Emma Yarger , Reporter September 20, 2020 Whether it's a one-time acknowledgement of this article or an ongoing pledge, your support helps keep Cleveland's true free press free. Join the Cleveland Scene Press Club. Even if you aren’t in the roughly 40 percent of undergraduates who join a fraternity or sorority, their influence can be hard to escape, since they often dictate when the parties are, where the parties are, and exactly who’s invited. The Collegian was denied access to the coming meeting. Features editor William Roberts contributed to reporting. Being in Greek Life, knowing what I know, experiencing what I experienced – I have had my fill of exhaustion and pain to keep me tired and outraged for a lifetime. “We do not post submissions that are solely pro-Greek life or only focus on the highlights/benefits of greek life as we feel it is important to amplify the stories of those hurt by greek life since greek life has multiple platforms to promote their benefits on,” according to a direct message to The Collegian. The page is set up to receive contributions in whatever amount you designate. "We take full responsibility for our Chapter's active and passive role in perpetuating racism, homophobia, and sexual harassment on Richmond's campus, and we acknowledge that the history of our Chapter and Greek Life at large is intertwined with discrimination and intolerance.". 737 Bolivar Rd., Abolish Greek Life. We’re never going to be perfect.’ But ... we’re never even going to be net neutral.”. Advocates for abolition accused the Greek life system of promoting elitist and racist attitudes, according to an anonymous Instagram page that publishes stories about the fraternity and sorority system at Northwestern. Dean of Westhampton College Mia Reinoso Genoni did not respond to The Collegian’s request for comment. In a post published on July 7 on the account, an anonymous, unaffiliated source wrote: “As a student involved with LGBTQ+ campus organizations, we have been constantly mistreated by CSI, to the point of being denied information about SOBAC until after the deadline, leading us complete without funds for next year. script.id = 'commitchange-script'; About. 459 Followers, 48 Following, 10 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Abolish at Mississippi State (@abolishmsstategreeklife) "Lambda Chi Alpha at the University of Richmond ... recognizes the problematic history of Greek Life and in particular our own fraternity's contribution to these issues," according to the statement. Damian Betancourt, president of IFC fraternity Kappa Alpha Order, did not respond to The Collegian’s request for comment. At Northwestern, the Greek system is the absolute authority on social life. The process of Greek life recruitment, during which offers of membership are decided and extended, is the basis of many posts on the Abolish Richmond Greek life Instagram page. And many students in sororities, including survivors of … A group of students at Northwestern University, including fraternity and sorority members, want to see the abolition of Greek life on campus. Meanwhile, Greek orgs have their own buildings, their own weekly parties that the whole school revolves around.”. An “Abolish NU IFC/PHA Greek Life” Instagram account, created earlier this month, has accumulated a large following, with some posts receiving hundreds of likes. One post published on July 8 from a source who participated in recruitment but did not join a sorority stated, “The forced structure and awkward[ness] of Panhel rush creates disingenuous and impersonal conversations which lets sororities judge them on a surface level because there is limited room to get to know them.". “I have a new sense of how wrong [Greek Life] is,” Wallach said. People have had such bad experiences with Greek life and this upcoming semester with (hopefully) no parties or big events can maybe be the perfect time to change the dynamic on campus. Students at other colleges, like Northwestern University, Duke University and the University of Richmond, created accounts in the … The account, @abolishrichmondgreeklife, requested to remain anonymous in its discussions with The Collegian for its safety. “I can only speak on behalf of Tri Delta, but I know that greek life as a whole NEEDS to change.”, Grace Miller, president of Pi Beta Phi, wrote in a statement to The Collegian on July 10 that she supports any conversations that aim to make UR “stronger and healthier and more inclusive.”. News Read Me Take Action Open Menu Close Menu. “I’ve seen the term ‘open secret’ thrown around, which I think is pretty accurate to describe a lot of what’s coming up on the page,” she said. You can make a tax-deductible donation by clicking the button below, which takes you to our secure PayPal account. A large portion of the posts submitted to the account discuss the Panhellenic recruitment process. Editor's Note: This story is about an Instagram account created on July 6. The action plan we outlined at that time has been and will continue to be a priority for our chapter.”. if(document.getElementById('commitchange-script')) return; Projects. “As chapter president seeing the anonymous negative comments about Pi Beta Phi is difficult,” Miller wrote. No attachments will be considered. Contact opinions and columns editor Conner Evans at conner.evans@richmond.edu. “I knew that there were problems with Greek Life, but there is this overwhelming sentiment in fraternities that: ‘Hey, we’re here to be better. An Instagram account under the handle @abolishgreeklifebucknell was created over the summer, sharing submitted anecdotes that detail unique student experiences with the Greek … All parts of this site Copyright © 2020 Cleveland Scene. Will Sanchez, president of IFC fraternity Phi Gamma Delta, did not respond to The Collegian’s request for comment. Cleveland, Non-confidential resources include the University of Richmond Policy Department, Title IX deputy coordinators, the Office of Common Ground and the Westhampton College and Richmond College deans’ offices. We welcome readers to submit letters regarding articles and content in Cleveland Scene. Start by signing the petition. Subscribe now to get the latest news delivered right to your inbox. Writers of letters selected for publication will be notified via email. Because No News is Bad News. })(); More Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog », Radical Christian Cultists Clash with American Indian Movement at Ohio's Serpent Mound Burial Site, National Association of Black Journalists Gives Cleveland.com/PD Annual Thumbs Down Award for Layoffs That Drove Minority Exodus, Tinnerman Lofts Showcases a Site-Specific Sculpture From Dana Depew and Michael Loderstedt That Pays Homage to the Building's History. 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