Friday, October 10, 1997
You can’t judge a person by their shirt
PANHELLENIC: Assumptions, negative stereotypes influence fund
allocation
By Jennifer Drane
Walking through campus on an average Monday at UCLA, people
acknowledge my existence with a nod or maybe even a smile. If I’m
lucky I might exchange a couple of hellos from friends I see on the
way to class. I take diligent notes during lecture, participate
during discussion and assist my boss with daily tasks at work. If
time permits, I head to the library or campus coffee shop to get
some last-minute studying in before heading back home. I’m your
average Bruin woman and recipient of a base budget via USAC.
Tuesday, I wear a shirt which reads Alpha Delta Pi and suddenly
people’s perceptions of me have changed. I am a Sorority Woman.
Despite what some may think, I am still that same Bruin who goes to
class, work and studies. Yet one day later I am no longer entitled
to that same base budget I got yesterday. How is it that one day I
can walk across campus as an average Bruin, but the minute I put on
that shirt, I am judged by what is written across my chest. Why is
being Greek at UCLA such a bad thing?
My answer … it’s not! Panhellenic is based on providing a
support network for women. Our programs address issues which not
only affect sororities, but the entire UCLA campus. We extend
beyond our membership by providing programs which promote knowledge
in such areas as AIDS, breast cancer, alcohol awareness, rape
awareness and campus safety. Every year Panhellenic provides all
students with opportunities to get involved in community service,
scholarship, and a supportive environment.
Movies like "Animal House" and "Revenge of the Nerds" tend to
discredit what sororities and fraternities are really about. These
films only strengthen the stereotypes plaguing today’s Greek
system. The negative images do not stop there, however. Let’s not
forget those all-too-familiar after school and Monday night
specials which depict sorority women as rich, elite daddy’s girls
who haze one another with degrading remarks and alcohol. Our own
Daily Bruin has given Greeks bad press. As a freshman, some of you
were given fliers depicting Greek Life as one big party … not
true! The worst part about all this negativity is that our own
student government has denied funding to Panhellenic and
Interfraternity Council for the past six years.
It has occurred to me that all of the hostility directed towards
the Greek system has a lot to do with ignorance, misinformation,
lack of knowledge and refusal by some to accept the fact that being
Greek is not a bad thing! I have decided that the only way to put
an end to negativity is to tell the UCLA community what being a
sorority woman is all about in 1997.
Panhellenic Council represents the 10 national sororities at
UCLA. Our combined membership consists of over 1000 women,
collectively the largest women’s group on campus. It is an
organization which attracts women of all religious, socioeconomic
and ethnic backgrounds. The bond which holds this diverse group of
women together is based upon the goal to provide every woman a
supportive, educational and safe environment.
The 10 individual chapters located on Hilgard encourage their
members to take part in all aspects of UCLA life. The sorority
system encompasses all aspects of university life: philanthropy,
diversity, friendship, community and scholarship. Sorority women
are highly motivated, involved members of UCLA life and this is
exemplified by the fact that the all-sorority GPA has been
consistently higher than the all-women’s average at UCLA. Thus,
being a member of a sorority allows women to explore their
strengths and talents, while maintaining a high standard of
excellence.
Why is it then that USAC can refuse us funding again and again?
What other organization comprised of the largest minority group on
campus, women, is denied funding?
I understand that the university is facing budgetary
constraints, but who isn’t – you’re talking to college students! If
student government is so worried about monetary issues, how can
they justify giving themselves a stipend increase? Student groups
who did not receive a base budget should have been given funds
before a pay increase was allowed.
I did not become Panhellenic president because money was
involved. I did it because I believe in my organization and respect
all its individual members. It is my duty as a leader to represent
all of my constituents regardless of the differences we may have. I
do not know each member on an individual basis, but they are
students whose needs deserve to be met. I can guarantee that if the
same budget had been submitted by a student group whose members did
not wear letters across their chest, a base budget would have been
granted.
So … being a UCLA sorority woman in 1997 is a lot different
than some might have imagined. We are not what the media or some
peers portray us as being. What makes us different? The shirts we
wear, the pins we possess and the street we live on.
Letters, pins and a street …that’s all they are.
Don’t be fooled by the past, it’s history. We go to one of the
most prestigious universities in the nation, lets start acting like
it! We are all intelligent individuals, if we don’t understand
something we should ask before conceding with false perceptions and
negative stereotypes.