When the University released its Women's Initiative report in late September, a notable portion of the section on undergraduate students focused on the dominance of the greek community over the mainstream social environment.
Despite an arguably harsh description of the effects fraternities and sororities have on undergraduate women, many greek leaders said they see the report not as a sign that greeks are being factored out of the University's future, but rather as an opportunity for greeks to take an even stronger role in campus life.
"I'm confident that greek men and women are wonderful leaders and can lead the whole campus--within their chapters and within the greek systems, but also beyond that," said Devon MacWilliam, president of the Panhellenic Council. "Greeks are involved in every other organization on campus, so it would be unfortunate if we didn't take the work we do within our chapters and councils beyond ourselves."
According to the Women's Initiative report, sororities and fraternities play a significant role in enforcing social norms that pressure undergraduate women into wearing certain clothes, dieting and exercising excessively and hiding their intelligence "in order to succeed with their male peers." Men also noted pressure to conform to certain physical ideals.
Many greek leaders resisted the notion that fraternities and sororities are responsible for cultivating harmful social norms on campus, pointing instead to a more widespread socialization process that begins long before students come to Durham.
"I'm not going to say that greeks are innocent, but then again independents aren't any more innocent than greeks are," said McKinley Melton, president of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
Katie Mitchell, president of Delta Delta Delta sorority, said she did not believe the greek system created the problems outlined in the report, but noted that sororities are "a convenient microcosm" for discussions on how to address some of the issues because they are such an integral part of the undergraduate body as a whole.
"Because the sorority system houses almost half the females on campus, it should be mentioned and taken into account as the largest female voice on campus," Mitchell said.
Instead of dwelling on the negative aspects of the greek system, as outlined in the report, many greek leaders chose to focus on the social benefits fraternities and sororities bring to their members and to the rest of campus. Both sorority and fraternity leaders noted that the greek system, instead of fostering conformity among undergraduates, does just the opposite.
"There aren't really any greek norms. In any individual chapter, women find very diverse ways of thinking and very diverse interests," MacWilliam said.
MacWilliam noted that what may seem like conformity from certain vantage points is in fact just a reflection of how much time greeks spend with each other over the course of a college career. This time spent together, she said, is a natural side effect of the solid support system women and men find within their chapters.
Shelley Garg, president of Theta Nu Xi, said fraternities and sororities can even help break down some of the social norms that the Women's Initiative report said were propagated through the greek system. "There's less of a need to meet social norms because you know you have your sisters backing you up and you're not trying to make it on your own," she said.
Mitchell highlighted some of the lesser-known activities in which sororities and fraternities regularly engage, which focus on personal development rather than on particular types of social interactions.
"If we're concerned about a girl for any reason... it is not ignored. It's not taboo. It's addressed," she said. She also noted the benefits of professional networking, mentoring opportunities from older to younger sorority members and the fostering of leadership within each chapter.
MacWilliam noted that the greek system has already come out with programs, such as a PanHel-sponsored mentoring program between graduate and undergraduate women, that are well-aligned with the University's goals for women at Duke.
"One of the most difficult obstacles for fraternities and sororities is expressing to [the rest of] campus the depth of our chapters and individual members," MacWilliam said. "The norms that the 60 percent of non-greek undergraduate women don't see are the study groups, the speakers we bring in, the sisterhood activities."
Although the Women's Initiative report could be interpreted as disparaging toward the greek system at Duke, many greek leaders said they are excited about the role their own chapters can take in creating a better campus environment for both men and women, based on the initiative's findings.
"[The report] encourages us to look at the [greek] system: what we want it to be, what we can expect of it, what we can demand of it," Mitchell said. "It's a challenge for us to step up.... I'm excited to see where it takes us."
Jared Newman, president of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, said he would like to see fraternities increase their role in women's awareness issues.
"This would serve the entire Duke community because it would showcase the fact that fraternities are not organizations which demean or debase women, but are brotherhoods which value women's concerns as major issues for everyone," he said.
Kyle Jasey, president of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, said he recognized the difficulty of solving the problems recognized in the report, but added that he sees a place for fraternities in future discussions about women's issues.
"I'm confident that if there are things that my organization or others can do to help make Duke a better place for women, we won't hesitate to do whatever we can."
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