Black sororities divide University administration wary of Greek life

Aside from the Greek letters in their names, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta and Zeta Phi Beta have little in common with other fraternities and sororities. Entry rituals don't feature alcohol or hazing. Members must have a Grade Point Average above 2.5 as well as a commitment to community service and two strong letters of recommendation. And most significantly, all members are black.

There are several such Greek organizations that claim a special place in campus life at the University. Members say they are a sanctuary for black students who feel uncomfortable in eating clubs and joining other fraternities or sororities.

"It's tough for any minority to exist here," Delta Sigma Theta Sorority member Theri Pickens '05 said of Princeton. "It's vitally important that we all have a way to get through the University. It's tough socially and a lot of people realize they need guidance."

But the role these groups play on campus creates a tricky situation for Princeton. As the University explores ways to curb the influence of Greeks on freshmen through a new committee on "the freshman experience," administrators remain torn over how to support the mission of historically black sororities on campus.

Some say they appreciate much of what the black Greeks do on campus, such as attracting minority students and delaying rush events until after students have settled into classes, but simultaneously want to avoid violating the University's longtime policy against sanctioning fraternities.

Pickens feels it is her obligation to tell the campus about her organization's community service projects, missions and values.

"I'm taken aback when some of their members question whether my sorority exists," she said referring to Kappa Kappa Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta, Delta Delta Delta and Pi Beta Phi. "I get all kinds of questions outside the black community."

She speaks openly, instead of assuming the often secretive behavior typical to Greeks, about the significance of why her bed in Scully Hall is draped in quilts and linens of red and white — her official sorority colors.

The mentoring that Pickens says she benefits from is one of the central roles played by these historically black sororities on Princeton's campus.

"I joined a sorority because I had a general interest and the social benefits it would allow me," Rachael Bernard '04 wrote in an email.

Bernard is "a proud member" of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, which was first founded in 1908 by nine women at Howard University to become the nation's oldest Black Greek Letter organization. The Princeton chapter was founded in 1985 and shares members with Westminster Choir College.

"Princeton can be hard to navigate socially, and for me, my sorority made my time here at Princeton really enjoyable," Bernard said.

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Bernard said she was drawn to her particular group because it offered a social experience based outside of Princeton's social bubble. Instead of focusing on partying, the group primarily offered community service opportunities and chances to interact with other black students at Princeton and other schools.

"The draw for my sorority was that it was outside of the typical Princeton experience," Bernard said. "It was not a part of the social scene here."

The conflict of the administration lies in how to support the black sororities without supporting all selective groups.

"While I do recognize the importance and value of Greek organizations to those students who are affiliated, whether they are in historically black or white groups, I think the issue for Princeton is that we do not want to recognize or encourage groups that are exclusive,'' said University Vice President Janet Dickerson. "It is difficult for us to enforce our policies selectively."

President Tilghman, when asked about the future of fraternities and sororities on campus, reminisced about her own college experience. At Queen's University in Canada, she said, it was a "really nice place" without them.

'Unchosen contacts'

"Fraternities and sororities are so active so early in the academic year that they counter that educational intent of the residential colleges," Tilghman said. She criticized the early timing of rush activities for many fraternities and sororities on campus for counteracting the random pairing of students in the hopes they will find accidental acquaintances and "unchosen contacts" — borrowing a phrase from Woodrow Wilson.

"There's a real tension here that I have been trying to understand between comfort that comes with associating with people with whom there is a lot of social understanding and education of reaching out to people. That tension is much greater for minority students," she said.

Tilghman praised the "sister-to-sister" mentoring program orchestrated by the historically black sororities. And appreciating the presence of minority-focused sororities on campus despite the fact that Greeks are not officially recognized by the University, she encouraged them to linkup with organizations such as the Black Student Union or the Carl A. Fields Center to promote their activities.

In September, Tilghman appointed Dean Kathleen Deignan head of a new committee to examine "the freshman experience." The committee, which also includes Dickerson, will consider the opinions of students, faculty and administrators. The role of the Greek system in freshman year will be one of the main issues discussed.

Tilghman said she hopes there will be changes to come as the committee learns more about Greek life and examines how and why freshmen flock to these groups.

Postponing rush, Tilghman said, until the second semester of freshmen year or even sophomore year — as many schools do — would be "a modest step in the right direction."

"If [freshmen] are left to their own devices for a semester, they will make a much more informed decision," she said, speaking to the vulnerability of first semester freshmen and the current tendency to make an immediate social commitment.

Tilghman said first semester freshman year is "the wrong time" for rush.

Historically black sororities on campus only let sophomores rush.

Change will also come with the opening of Whitman College, Tilghman said. "Whitman College is going to fulfill a request that fraternities and sororities provide — getting to live with and spend time with upperclassmen," she said. "These things don't change overnight."

Robert Hollander, a former Master of Butler College, said that during his tenure in the 1990s, administrators occasionally discussed how black fraternities' presence on campus in essence shielded traditional fraternities from some University crackdowns.

The reasoning: If the University were to abolish fraternities, the black fraternities would go down with the others, an undesirable situation for an institution trying to attract minority students.

Whether or not that's entirely true, Hollander said, many administrators admired what black Greeks were doing on campus, and were less than enthusiastic about the rowdiness of their white counterparts.

"When I was master, some people, whether well informed or not, said to me that the administration . . . did not want to make frats 'illegal' partly because it felt the minority organizations were of a different order and character from the non-minority ones,'' Hollander wrote in an email.

'A very deep sisterhood'

Despite the support of some administrators, the historically black Greeks have struggled in recent years to keep membership high.

Historically black fraternities and sororities first appeared on campus during the 1970s and 1980s. Many students choose to join these specific groups and continue membership beyond graduation because "it summons a certain amount of respect within the black community," Pickens said of what she described as a "very deep sisterhood."

"A lot of the benefits of joining remain outside of Princeton," she said.

While the number of members increased until the late 1990s, during the last five years Princeton membership has declined, members said. Today, membership for all of the black Greeks stands around 20, though members say they expect a planned membership drive to boost numbers.

Chanel Lattimer '05, for example, was manning a table for Zeta Phi Beta in Frist Campus Center last month, and simultaneously selling raffle tickets for the March of Dimes and talking to potential members.

These groups also share events and members with several neighboring colleges.

It's a close-knit group between the schools, with meetings held every few months at The College of New Jersey in Trenton, mostly to discuss protocol.

Lattimer said she would like to see her sorority increase ties with traditionally white sororities on campus, with activities that emphasize the community service and networking aspects of Greek life that are sometimes overlooked.

"I know that some of the white sororities and frats they do some kinds of community service things and breast cancer awareness,'' Lattimer said. "If we show them that we're more than just about parties, then the administration would have to listen and we might be able to get ourselves recognized.''