Penn sororities tried to appeal to a broader group of freshman women last night at a discussion on diversity in Greek life. However, no freshman women showed up.
"The event was difficult to publicize after Thanksgiving," Panhellenic Council President Hayley Gross said.
The College senior added that during this week, many people are busy with finals and papers.
This, however, did not deter Panhel members from taking the opportunity to discuss ways to appeal to a more diverse group of freshman.
Despite the low turnout, Gross was upbeat about the result.
"I'm concerned, but I received six phone calls about the dialogue from sorority members," she said, adding that this signified an interest in the topic.
The discussion began with a speech from Stephanie Blossom, who became the first black president of Stanford University's equivalent of Panhel in 1999.
Blossom is now assistant director of the Penn Alumni Diversity Alliance.
She said that she was "petrified" of rush herself and did not join the Delta Delta Delta sorority until the fall of her sophomore year.
Blossom was conflicted as to how her race fit into the picture. She was worried about not spending enough time with her black friends and that white women would think she just "had a really good tan."
However, she finally felt complete when she became Stanford Intersorority Council president.
After the speech, Panhel members shared their thoughts.
Panhel Treasurer Catie Vuksich said that it is important for freshmen to "see people with letters and see they are diverse."
The Wharton junior also highlighted the long-term objective of attracting girls of different backgrounds in an effort to dispel stereotypes on campus.
Attendees stressed that women need to be open-minded during the rush process.
Also discussed was the "no freshman women may attend" policy on fall sorority events.
"There's no liaison for freshmen, so sometimes [sororities are] not visible as a community," Gross said.
Blossom shared ideas based on events her sorority held at Stanford.
She suggested that sororities hold joint events with other groups on campus, such as the Penn Women's Center. Her sorority at Stanford had held a successful "Women's Safe Night Run" event in conjunction with a similar group.
She said this might make women who ordinarily would not consider rushing to do so because they would now identify a particular sorority with a group of their own interest.
