By Yolanda Spivey
The Crimson White has released a disturbing report stating segregation still exists amongst fraternities and sororities at the University of Alabama.
Allegedly, an African American candidate who graduated at the top of her high school class with a 4.3 GPA was rejected by the sorority Alpha Gamma Delta. The young Black woman also “had an impressive record of public service.”
Melanie Gotz, a member of Alpha Gamma Delta, explained that the recruiter failed to admit the young woman because she was Black. When she questioned the recruiter’s decision to exclude the Black woman, the board’s alumnae association reminded her of the sorority’s “letter of recommendation requirements.” Other sorority members too voiced their opinions and shockingly supported the recruiter’s decision.
Gotz stated, “It was cool to see everyone willing to take this next step and be the sorority that took a black girl and not care. The entire house wanted this girl to be in Alpha Gamma. We were just powerless over the alums.”
In light of the developments, Alpha Gamma Delta released the following statement:
Alpha Gamma Delta has policies that govern its recruitment process. These include policies about the roles undergraduates and alumnae play in the recruitment process. In addition, Alpha Gamma Delta policy prohibits discrimination on the basis of race in all of its activities including recruitment. We take seriously any allegation that recruitment policy was not followed.
A current member of another sorority who asked to remain anonymous, stated that the chapter’s Alumnae interfered with the voting process regarding the Alpha Gamma Delta recruit. She told The Crimson White, “To my knowledge, the president and the rush chair and our rush advisors were behind this, and if we had been able to pledge her, it would have been an honor. However, our [alumnae] stepped in and went over us and had her dropped.”
To date, the University of Alabama has continued to fall behind other universities in the United States when it comes to integration.
As Gotz told The Crimson White, “People are too scared of what the repercussions are of maybe taking a black girl. That’s stupid, but who’s going to be the one to make that jump? How much longer is it going to take till we have a black girl in a sorority? It’s been years and it hasn’t.”
