According to the George Mason University Student Involvement website, membership for Greek Life at GMU is “based on scholarship, leadership and community service.” Take a look at AnnCatherine Heigl’s resumé and you would assume she would be the perfect candidate for any sorority.
However, in a week that should have been full of excitement for rushing sorority girls, AnnCatherine, a sophomore at GMU, was left disappointed as she did not receive a single bid. Devastation rocked her and her family as they began to wonder why. Why had she, the first collegiate cheerleader in the nation with an intellectual disability, a member of Mason Life, and an avid volunteer, not been accepted by a single sorority? For a program that claims to be “a place for anyone who truly wants to be a part of our community,” something appears to be missing, especially at a university that is praised for its ideals of inclusivity.
The whole family is notably upset, as Greek Life has been a large part of their family history for generations. In a candid email to Phil McDaniel, the associate director of student involvement at GMU, AnnCatherine’s older sister Lillie expressed the family’s disappointment.
In her email, Lillie explained that AnnCatherine made a bold decision that many other students find difficult: she moved ten hours away from home for school. All she wanted was a home away from home, and as Lillie explains people are, “shocked and amazed that there wasn’t a single chapter that could provide that home away from home…”
There are specific standards set about by the Panhellenic Council, which is the governing body of Panhellenic Organizations (sororities) on college campuses. This includes the creation of a nationwide creed that is designed to outline what Panhellenic Organizations as a whole should stand for, including good scholarship, guarding of good health, maintenance of fine standards, and for serving the college community. Based on purely this creed alone, it is difficult to understand why AnnCatherine and others like her would be denied. However, the Panhellenic council can only do so much to set standards. Each individual campus, and then further each sorority has the final decision on recruitment.
Related: The Smoke and Mirrors of Sorority Recruitment
This decision however often becomes biased and excluding, especially for people who are neurodivergent. Neurodivergent defines people who have a developmental disorder and/or a mental illness. This is, however, a very broad term. Neurotypical is not completely the opposite of neurodivergent. These terms just help people better understand the difference in neuroactivity amongst people with developmental disorders and mental illnesses.
And sadly, AnnCatherine’s situation is well-known on campuses across the country. Many sororities uphold values such as scholarship and intellectual curiosity, which quite frequently appear differently in people who are neurodivergent.
The scrutiny during rush of everything from your intelligence to even your dress is overwhelming, for anyone frankly, not just people who are neurodivergent. However, expressing what one deems as “intelligence” can be difficult for people who are neurodivergent. In their cases, intelligence manifests itself in different manners and current Panhellenic expectations just simply do not recognize the different kinds of intelligence.
So, the question becomes, is there a guilty party?
Rose Pascarell, Vice President for University Life at GMU recently released a message in which she states that “Mason is proud of its reputation as an inclusive community where we can all thrive.” And while she does explain that Panhellenic Council sororities manage their own recruitment and determine their own membership; there still must be some kind of responsibility taken by the university for the well-being of their students– all students. And while the reason behind AnnCatherine’s denial is still up for debate, there is something to be learned on a larger scale from her experience because it is not just happening at GMU, but campuses across the nation.
Lillie put it best when she posed the question, “How do we challenge institutions and groups to be inclusive to people with intellectual disabilities?” Because that is the next step. Asking what can be done to ensure that inclusion is second nature for people, not “an act of charity.”
If a university is going to promote inclusivity, then its organizations should reflect that. And the current condition of recruitment in Panhellenic Organizations at GMU does not. Sororities can provide wonderful opportunities for young women to develop their philanthropic and leadership skills; however, by denying to be inclusive these organizations are in turn denying women who are neurodivergent of these opportunities. There is still a great deal of ambiguity surrounding inclusivity within Panhellenic Organizations on campus and steps need to be taken in order to further define how their standards apply to those who are neurodivergent.
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