This week, the sisters of the sorority formerly known as Kappa Sigma Alpha were inducted as new members in the Epsilon Tau chapter of Alpha Sigma Tau, a national sorority founded in 1899 at Eastern Michigan University.
“What even changes when you go national?” my mother inquired over the phone one night as I illuminated my excitement about Kappa Sigma Alpha’s partnership with national sorority Alpha Sigma Tau. Her question revealed to me that she didn’t quite understand the gravity of belonging to an organization bigger than oneself – one even bigger than Kenyon.
My mother attended a college that, at the time of her studies, had no sororities; thus, her experience with Greek life is scant. Much of what dominates her understanding of it is stereotypes she’s seen portrayed in films, media reports, and word-of-mouth. The implications behind her question were clear – in her mind “going national” signified merely paying for a name, since the aims of local and national organizations are, essentially, the same.
Greek life, at its core, is the shrinking of a social circle to foster the growth of its members – no matter its affiliation. It is this exclusivity, however beneficial it may be for its members, that is perceived by others as one of the most contentious issues surrounding Greek life. The truth of the matter is that the type of person who fraternities and sororities attract – straight, affluent, and white – are those who do not need the safe cocoon that Greek organizations provide. We already live in a society that caters to these people. National affiliations institutionalize such inequalities. I believe that at Kenyon, however, we do a good job – in both our national and local organizations – of deconstructing these widely accepted assumptions. We work to promote inclusivity from all backgrounds, yet there is still more we can do.
The emergence of sororities at Kenyon, as well as other universities, I would argue, was one of the first steps in promoting such inclusivity. In fact, it marked a victorious historical juncture. I was recently enlightened on the process, and I came to find it was one characterized by extreme sexism. Sororities were put on probation from the get-go, though they had not violated any rules. Despite this, the women persevered, intent on seeing their vision come to fruition. Today, women at Kenyon have the potential to benefit from their predecessors’ determination. Transitioning to a national sorority would not, in my opinion, institutionalize the inequalities perpetuated in Greek life; it would honor the ingenuity of the women at Kenyon, and nationwide, who led us to this point.
We are lucky to attend a school like Kenyon, where students ask meaningful questions about privilege; where students do not take stereotypes at face value and refuse to let an organization define their character. We encourage ourselves to spend time outside of the blanket that our sororities and fraternities may swaddle us in. We are not defined by our Greek affiliations; instead, we are enhanced by them, and in turn, we enhance our organizations.
The sisterhood of Alpha Sigma Tau provides a larger support system. A national affiliation means that your sorority does not end after graduation. Maybe this seems juvenile, a means of connecting oneself to the glory days of college when we should have moved beyond them, but I would like to think otherwise. I would like to think it inexplicitly connects us to the women of Kenyon’s past who should serve as an inspiration to us all.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article do not reflect the beliefs of Alpha Sigma Tau. They are the views of the author.