Greek leaders explore system stereotypes

In an effort to improve communication between Greek organizations, student facilitators held a workshop last night to discuss fraternity and sorority stereotypes and promote unity among the groups. Facilitators from Programs for Awareness in Cultural Education, a student peer educator group, spoke with members of each Greek organization and representatives from the Greek Social Action Committee for nearly two hours in McClelland Hall. PACE facilitators provide a forum for discussion concerning issues such as gender and race relations and improving interaction between different identity groups. PACE leads programs for groups across the University and community. GSAC asked PACE facilitators to help its members begin discussing how they can combat rumors about the Greek system and promote unity, said College senior RoseAnn Cho, chair of GSAC and an Alpha Phi sister. GSAC serves as the umbrella organization for the Bicultural Inter-Greek Council, Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council. Facilitators first showed a video they created that included interviews with students in and out of the Greek system. Some students interviewed for the video said they thought sororities were an arm to fraternities and others said the Greek system is not diverse enough, according to Cho. Participants then broke into small groups and discussed the video and how they can disprove the stereotypes. "People emphasized that we are all part of the Greek system and one group's actions reflect the entire system," Cho said. "We can work towards alleviating those stereotypes by unifying the Greek system through activities." Some suggestions included sponsoring a community service event and then a party, going on shared trips, and sending representatives from each part of the Greek system to other groups' meetings. Participants praised the facilitators' ability to help them talk openly about the Greek system. They also said meeting new people proved valuable. "Because of the workshop, I found out about a step show that I'll go to and I'm going to encourage everyone in my sorority to go," College senior and Sigma Delta Tau President Sondra Goldschein said. PACE facilitators said they felt encouraged by the happened. "Tonight was definitely a starting point," said Hitomi Wyoshida, a second year Graduate School of Education student. "Hopefully they will get deeper into the issues, but at least they agreed to communicate."

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