CAMPUS NEWS March 23,2006 2
Sororities: □ Yes □ No
What is your opinion?
RIENEKE FARROW
Staff Writer
This is the second of a
two-part article on the de
bate on whether to have
sororities on campus. This
week I talked to women on
campus who are strongly
in favor of instating na
tionally known sororities
on Meredith’s campus.
Lori Dean Cooperand San
dra Utile are two women
who are strongly in favor
of having black sororities
on Meredith’s campus.
When I asked the two
women why they felt that
there was a need for black
sororities on campus, Lori
Dean Cooper responded
that “black sororities would
give the black students a
feeling of belonging that
they don’t aheady have at
Meredith.”
Utile’s reason for sup
porting sororities is “the
sisterhood and being con
nected to something big
ger, something that you can
actively take part in.”
The two women had many
reasons why they support
ed sororities on campus
but these two summed up
their reasons the best.
In the previous article,
many of the students inter
viewed were not informed
on how the sororities, if
allowed on campus, would
be organized and run. The
women with whom I talked
this week gave a little more
insight. As for the question
as to who could join the
sororities, boA women re
plied that all Meredith stu
dents would be welcome to
pledge. Just like any other
sorority or exclusive club,
there would be some stan
dards that would have to be
met.
Cooper said that “there
are already Greek-lettered
organizations on the Mer
edith College campus, and
no one makes complaints
about them.”
I was then informed that
pledges of both sororities
that are wanted on campus.
Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA)
and Delta Sigma Theta
(Delta), are required to
have and maintain a certain
GPA and to do community
service. According to the
websites of AKA and Delta,
both organizations strongly
believe in unity and not sep
aration as many who are op
posed to sororities believe.
According to the AKA site,
the sorority was founded at
Howard University in 1908,
and their mission in estab
lishing the sorority was as
an “instrument for enrich
ing the social and intellec
tual aspects of college life
by providing mental stimu
lation through interaction
with friends and associates”,
Since its establishment, the
mission has changed to the
following: “Alpha Kappa
Alpha is a sisterhood com
posed of women who have
consciously chosen this af
filiation as a means of self-
fulfillment through volun
teer service. Alpha Kappa
Alpha cultivates and en
courages high scholastic
and ethical standards; pro
motes unity and friendship
among college women; al
leviates problems concern
ing girls and women; main
tains a progressive interest
in college life; and serves
all mankind through a nu
cleus of more than 170,000
women in the United States,
the Caribbean, Europe, and
Africa,”
The Delta’s mission state
ment is very similar. This
sorority was also founded
at Howard University but a
few years later in 1913. The
Delta Sigma Theta official
website states that the ma
jor programs of the sorority
are based upon the organi
zation’s Five Point Thrust
of:
•Economic Development
•Educational Development
•International Awareness
and Involvement
•Physical and Mental
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• Political Awareness
and Involvement
As far as Utile and Cooper
are concerned, the Meredith
College campus is already
divided, and sororities will
give black students a place
to belong and life long con
nections to other women,
not just in North Carolina or
even America but through
out the world. Neither wom
an feels that attending Mer
edith without sororities will
give them the same opportu
nity. Some students, who are
opposed to having sororities
on campus, have asked why
students, who want to join
a sorority, would come to
Meredith knowing that there
aren’t sororities already in
stated. Utile said that she did
not know, when she decided
to attend Meredith, that the
college did not have sorori
ties, but as soon as she found
out this information she
looked into how she could
join a sorority.
Utile said, “I have always
dreamt of coming to college
and joining a sorority.”
Utile has looked into joining
a sorority off campus but
would like to be able to have
the full college experience
within Meredith.
Both sides of this debate
make compelling arguments
for their position. Now it is
up to the rest of the student
body and the administra
tion to take a look all of the
information and make an
informed and intelligent de
cision concerning this sub
ject.
For those of you who are
interested in learning more
about the Alpha Kappa Al
pha sorority you can visit
their official site at http://
www.akal908.com or for
the Delta Sigma Theta so
rority visit http://www.del-
tasigmatheta.org.
The
S Staff
Editor in Chief. Maria Santore
herald@meredith.edu
Managing Editor. Amber Littesy
Layout Editor. Megan Rice
Copy Editors Amy Kay Nickerson
Rita Hendrick
Staff Photographer. Terri Richards
Business Manager. Stephanie Harrington
Advertising Manager. Kristi Arthur
Faculty Adviser. Dr Rebecca Duncan
Staff Writers.
Christy Nash Rachel McElwain
Rieneke Farrow. Emelia Dunston
Jackie Bullock Lauren Stanfield
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