An opinions piece published last week had many greek organizations asking themselves, “were we really so unsupportive of underrepresented groups?" Had we missed something that could be tied back to almost all of our individual organizations central tenets?
Looking at the Greek community, it is understandable to say that we aren’t as diverse as we could be. It isn’t that we aren’t trying to make strides in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion, but rather that we are a product of our environment.
When looking at the Longwood University community, as of 2016, only 9.2 percent are African American and 4.5 percent are LatinX. Within the Interfraternity Council (IFC) community, for example, 14 percent of the community is a part of those underrepresented groups. These numbers only take a look at diversity in terms of what is skin deep, which we know isn’t an accurate indicator of what true diversity represents.
The Greek community has a multitude of LGBTQ+ members and members who identify across platforms beyond just white and colored skin. We can't change who decides to accept or decline a bid, or show up for recruitment in the first place; what we can do is make sure that we present ourselves in a genuine light of welcoming to all and make sure no one feels judged for things they cannot change about themselves like their ability, the color of their skin, their parents' backgrounds or who they fall in love with because at the end of the day the Greek community knows that what really matters is "... the content of their character.”
Data aside, the Interfraternity Council, College Panhellenic Council (CPC), National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) and Gamma Rho Lambda, the younger and smaller multicultural greek organization, wish to use this opinions piece as an opportunity to stand in solidarity with the ideals of diversity, equity and inclusion.
We can’t atone for the sins of our grandfathers and their fathers since our nation’s founding, but what we can do is act, here and now. Going forward the IFC, CPC, NPHC, and Independent Greek Councils are here to foster the environment we want to see by supporting the student diversity statement.
As noted in the diversity statement crafted in 2016 by students, “we strive to foster an environment of respect and mutual understanding that moves beyond mere tolerance to the genuine valuing of diversity.”
We shall strive to attain this through our ongoing campus programming, recruitment of diverse and inclusive members and a holistic self-evaluation of our practices to ensure we are operating in an equitable way to all people.
Members of Longwood University Tri-Council at the Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values.
