Hispanic, Diversity-based Greek Organizations

Hispanic, Diversity-based Greek Organizations
Raising Cultural Awareness On Campus

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.
The University of Alabama, a landmark in the fight over racial segregation, is increasingly becoming a cultural melting pot, a fact very evident in the college’s Greek system, where none of the all-White fraternities or sororities accepted a Black student for decades.

Now, Phi Iota Alpha has established itself as the first Latino-based fraternity to be recognized under the University of Alabama’s Interfraternity Council on campus and Sigma Lambda Beta seeks to be the first multicultural fraternity in the state. This is just two years after the establishment of two racially integrated sororities, Alpha Delta Sigma and Delta Xi Phi.

“I feel it brings a lot more diversity to the campus,” says Gibran “BB” Hernandez, president of the group seeking to form Sigma Lambda Beta. “It’ll bring a lot more cultural awareness, which is what [the university] is seeking.”

Racial segregation in the Greek system at the university — where Gov. George Wallace tried to block the enrollment of two Black students in his 1963 “stand in the schoolhouse door” — drew critical media attention in 2000 and 2001, when Melody Twilley, a Black honors student, was rejected by all of the university’s White sororities.

That helped forge the creation of Alpha Delta Sigma, a local sorority that describes itself as “diversity-based,” in 2003. That same year Delta Xi Phi, a national sorority whose mission is to “increase multicultural awareness,” was established.

“We’re in the middle of making a lot of changes in our Greek organizations,” says Tim Hebson, associate dean of students. “We’re really excited about where we’re heading.”

The university has long wrestled with integrating its Greek system, once delaying rush from late summer until after classes started in the fall to encourage more students to take part and encouraging the White groups to seek out qualified minority members.

But the delayed rush was short-lived amid complaints from students and faculty that it created academic hardships for students dealing with rush activities while getting their first college classroom work.

Not long afterwards, two majority White Greek organizations, Lambda Sigma Phi, a faith-based group, and Gamma Phi Beta, an international sorority, accepted Black members. Since then, university officials say, some other majority White Greek organizations have pledged Black members. Precise numbers weren’t available, however, because the Greek Life office says it does not keep track of race.

The two integrated sororities that formed in 2003 are still small, compared to the longstanding Greek organizations at Alabama. But their size is similar to other multicultural sororities nationally. Alpha Delta Sigma has eight members, two of whom are Black, while two of Delta Xi Phi’s 13 members are Black.

Leaders of the 20-member interest group forming Sigma Lambda Beta say it attracted members because of its success nationally and because it was not exclusively Latino.

The interest group, which is the starting point to create a chapter, had dinner last month with traditionally White Chi Omega at its sorority house, marking the fraternity’s first formal social event on campus.
“I think it is a great addition to the Greek system,” says Chi Omega President Mary Ila Heard.

— Associated Press

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