Via the NYT, we read about the Delta Zeta sorority at DePauw University. They had declining membership, see, and were described as "socially awkward," see. So the National came to town, and interviewed 35 of the members (what percentage that is of all Delta Zeta sisters isn't noted) to see how committed they were to the life of the chapter, and the ideals of the organization. Of the 35, 23 were asked to leave.
Those 23 included all the sisters who were overweight, and the only minority members of the sorority. The remaining 12 were "slender and popular with fraternity men." (It should be noted that of the 12, 6 were so appalled by this decision that they left as well).
Its rare to see discrimination so blatant in today's social climate - it's usually hidden, or at least given a cover story. Its good to see that some organizations no longer feel the need to hide their motives and actions. Bravo to Delta Zeta's National for being so obvious: even those who score poorly on the "reading comprehension" sections of those standardized tests can see the bias and discrimination here.
Posted by baltar at February 25, 2007 08:59 AM | TrackBack | Posted to Culture | Gender and Politics