Core Four" sororities, the "Duke 500" and countless other social exaggerations were exposed in the June 2006 Rolling Stone article "Sex & Scandal at Duke."
The article was, frankly, disgusting and anyone outside the Duke bubble who read it thought, "Those poor girls." Interviews with a few Duke women characterized the whole as helpless, socially constricted women-all at the mercy of frat boys and frequent prestige-boosting hook-ups.
I read the article, vomited a little, happily left our embroiled campus for a semester in Spain, and returned in January to more "Sex & Scandal" news: The national sorority presidents (the head honchos) were coming to Durham for a gathering. They were convening to determine how to best help Duke's poor, helpless sorority women-who as Rolling Stone thoroughly pointed out, were spiraling out of control in a booze-filled men-centric culture.
Although I had my doubts, the presidents did come with a genuine interest in our well-being. I saw this first-hand when I sat down with my national president to discuss the Women's Initiative. She was informed, articulate and sincerely wanted to help us regain our power. Despite my endless barrage of opinions (what, me opinionated?) our conversation went swimmingly... that is, until she told me the factors behind our ails: 1) Duke sorority women do not understand the importance of their sorority rituals and 2) Duke sorority women are not involved with their sororities once they graduate.
I was dumbfounded. She was right about our behavior-I don't care about ancient sorority rituals and I definitely have no intention of staying involved with my sorority once I graduate-yet she missed the problem diagnosis. Among other problems, like our lack of space, these national sorority organizations may be the real culprit. Each woman pays hundreds of dollars to them in dues every year. It is time that we asked, What have they done for us lately?
Not much. My national organization provides some scholarships, insurance (but our president and executive board can still get sued if we do something obnoxious) and advisers, whose presence often detracts from sisterhood rather than bolsters it.
Leadership training? No. Networking/job acquisition? No. Political mobilization? No. Antiquated rules about social behavior? Yes. For Duke women, who have serious professional and post-graduate ambitions, this means that the national organization is simply an institutional watchdog that provides minimal utility.
Since the national organizations impart no real professional benefit to Duke women, it should be no surprise that our sororities are viewed as a way to increase social mobility in the here and now-not a long-term female equivalent to the good ol' boys network. National sorority organizations have access to the largest network of college women in our nation, yet they are doing very little to disrupt gender disparities in the work place and churn out the female CEOs, senators and community leaders of tomorrow.
Given sorority history, this is particularly frustrating. Female leaders founded sororities as a feminist response to gender-based exclusion. They were pioneers, attending institutions that were previously all-male and did not accept women as educational equals. In this hostile environment, they sought a support system. For example, when a male fraternity told my sorority's founder that she could not join their group, she rebelled and founded her own rival organization.
Today's sororities attempt to honor this rebellious tradition with ritual, but singing a song from the late 1800s does nothing to capture this woman's boldness. How can the national sorority organizations help us regain this power and boldness? How can they help us to become leaders and not just the pretty girls who sit on the sidelines while the men play?
As sorority women, we must demand more.
So as some of the national presidents again gather at Duke this weekend for a "Sex & Scandal" follow-up, the Something of Value Duke Panhellenic conference, I ask them to think hard about how they can make the national sorority network of women-a network that extends far beyond Duke-something with which to be reckoned.
National sorority organizations need to unite toward a common goal, abandon antiquated programs, and enter the 21st century. They need to recognize that only 10 women run Fortune 500 companies and women hold only 16 percent of Congressional seats. National sorority organizations have a responsibility to change these trends and foster real leadership training (like The White House Project and 85 Broads).
They have a captive audience. It is time they use it. Our national dues should be used to do more than put us on social probation.
Rachel McLaughlin is a Trinity senior. Her column runs every other Wednesday.
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