DePauw's Chapter of Delta Zeta has raised even more issues reguarding the Greek system on college campuses. Delta Zeta according to MSN the sorority recently kicked out plus sized and some minority members.
According to reports, the executive director of National Delta Zeta, Cynthia Winslow Menges, 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.
As a alumni member of a sorority, I know how hard and competitive recruitment can be, so I think it's a poor excuse that Ms. Menges is giving for dismissing those 23 members. There are a lot of factors involved with recruitment and paying of dues is one of the biggest no matter what your economical status is. Also, there are hundreds of other things that could interest potential members on campus such as other student organizations, voluteer opportunities, sports, etc.
The 23 members included every woman who was overweight. They also included the only black, Korean and Vietnamese members. The dozen students allowed to stay were slender and popular with fraternity men — conventionally pretty women the sorority hoped could attract new recruits. Six of the 12 were so infuriated they quit (The New York Times).
The Greek system fosters a faux elitism around some college campuses which makes many think that they can do anything they want with no consequences, such as underage drinking, vandalism, etc. This is not helping the image of Greek organizations at all. A while back, MTV had a two shows called Sorority Life and Fraternity Life which not only showed the Greek System in a bad light but also resulted in lower numbers for recruitment following the run of those shows.
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