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University Cheerleader with Down Syndrome Denied from Every Sorority on Campus (1 Viewer)

Maik Jeaunz said:
and now I'm sure several sororities will try to act like heroes and offer her a spot, when they couldn't be bothered with it when she rushed. 
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I still think it would be great if one of them did decide to accept her.

During rush, each sorority was focussed on its own needs and candidates.

Now that they collectively realize that not a single one made an offer to this woman, maybe just maybe there is a sorority there that will be willing to transform a bit into the sort of environment where she could thrive.

I sure like to hope so.

 
In a valley girl voice,

We like totally like helping like ###### and all the like handicapped people.  We like do dance marathons and like fundraisers all the time for like charities and stuff.  So, we are like definitely not like against the handicapped ###### people.  We like just like don't want them like actually in like our sorority if that like makes sense.  We can like actually help more ###### kids, if the sorority like only let's in attractive girls, because then we can like raise more money for them. #HelpingHandis #GreeksFor#######

 
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[scooter] said:
Why is this even a story? The whole point of a sorority is to be an exclusive clique for girls with matching personality profiles.

The fact that this girl was excluded is a feature, not a bug.
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Membership in such an organization is not a right.

 
Don't get me wrong, I feel bad for this poor girl, but the Greek system is about bringing in people who you think will help improve your social standing, often based on looks and how people dress, like it  or not,  Unfortunately this girl does not check the appropriate boxes to allow this to happen.  I'm not sure why it is a sorority's obligation to give a bid to somebody who does not do that.  Fraternities and sororities have a right to exclude other for whatever reason they so choose.  It is ugly, but it is the nature of the system.  I'm sure there are many other non-exclusive volunteer organizations she could join where she could develop strong friendships and become close with other people.

 
Ned Ryerson said:
Don't get me wrong, I feel bad for this poor girl, but the Greek system is about bringing in people who you think will help improve your social standing, often based on looks and how people dress, like it  or not,  Unfortunately this girl does not check the appropriate boxes to allow this to happen.  I'm not sure why it is a sorority's obligation to give a bid to somebody who does not do that.  Fraternities and sororities have a right to exclude other for whatever reason they so choose.  It is ugly, but it is the nature of the system.  I'm sure there are many other non-exclusive volunteer organizations she could join where she could develop strong friendships and become close with other people.
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This is kind of where I'm at too.  Ugly system meant to exclude people that are different from the "look" that they're going for.  But that's their right.

 
If more people learned from from the people with Down Syndrome that I have known over the years and gleaned 1% of their eagerness to life, enjoyment of all things, love for all people, happiness in relationships and overall smiling much more than not smiling- this world would be significantly better off. 

 
Isn’t the “Greek life society” really struggling the last few years for positive attention?  Did no one in a marketing program say “hey, this is some awesome PR for us and, you know, life enriching in general”?  

 
People are mean. You'd think most would outgrow it by their college years, but it doesn't always happen.

We have several friends who have kids with Down's syndrome and I can't overemphasize enough how awesome the kids are (as well as their parents).

 
That one guy said:
Isn’t the “Greek life society” really struggling the last few years for positive attention?  Did no one in a marketing program say “hey, this is some awesome PR for us and, you know, life enriching in general”?  
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What if the person being excluded was a bald cancer patient who weighed 300 pounds as a response to medicine she was taking.  Would one of the sororities be obligated to give her a bid too, if she has an awesome personality? 

The goal of a sorority/fraternity is to have the best standing on campus, which is often based on appearance.  If there was one sorority that was known for constantly letting "charity" cases in, i can assure you that the attention they get from the "best" fraternities would decrease.  

if you don't like the Greek system, then do away with it, but don't bash those that are in it, when all they are doing is trying to improve the organization's standing by bringing in the best "talent" available to them.

 
I'm admittedly biased, in that many of my closest friends are from my fraternity, and it vastly improved my college experience.  Further, we were a lower middle fraternity in the social rung, so not particularly exclusive, but there were certainly people who we did not give bids to, and there were places from whcih I wanted to get a bid from but did not.  

 
Ned Ryerson said:
Don't get me wrong, I feel bad for this poor girl, but the Greek system is about bringing in people who you think will help improve your social standing, often based on looks and how people dress, like it  or not,  Unfortunately this girl does not check the appropriate boxes to allow this to happen.  I'm not sure why it is a sorority's obligation to give a bid to somebody who does not do that.  Fraternities and sororities have a right to exclude other for whatever reason they so choose.  It is ugly, but it is the nature of the system.  I'm sure there are many other non-exclusive volunteer organizations she could join where she could develop strong friendships and become close with other people.
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I don't think anyone has said they don't have a right to exclude her. I think we're all saying that what they have decided to base their decision making on and what "improved their social standing" is ugly, disgusting, and indicates that they are garbage people who deserve condescension and ridicule for their superficial and immature outlook on life.

 
I get the people saying it's suppossed to be exclusive and for people with strong social standing. The girl in a varsity cheerleader and studying law though so it sounds like she should have some strong qualifications. 

 
Ned Ryerson said:
 
What if the person being excluded was a bald cancer patient who weighed 300 pounds as a response to medicine she was taking.  Would one of the sororities be obligated to give her a bid too, if she has an awesome personality? 

The goal of a sorority/fraternity is to have the best standing on campus, which is often based on appearance.  If there was one sorority that was known for constantly letting "charity" cases in, i can assure you that the attention they get from the "best" fraternities would decrease.  

if you don't like the Greek system, then do away with it, but don't bash those that are in it, when all they are doing is trying to improve the organization's standing by bringing in the best "talent" available to them.
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Since I started the thread, let me make a few clarifying points:

1) I'm not suggesting that any of the sororities had an obligation to extend a bid.

2) I am suggesting that in refusing to extend her a bid, they are missing out on an opportunity to enrich their college lives in a very meaningful way (in fact, those were the precise words I used).  Indeed, it appears that AnnCatherine is a pretty exceptional person and student.

3) I'm not bashing the sororities so much as I am lamenting the missed opportunity due to their apparently narrow view of what makes for a good sorority member.

 
Ned Ryerson said:
I'm admittedly biased, in that many of my closest friends are from my fraternity, and it vastly improved my college experience.  Further, we were a lower middle fraternity in the social rung, so not particularly exclusive, but there were certainly people who we did not give bids to, and there were places from whcih I wanted to get a bid from but did not.  
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+1 on all counts.  

 
Ilov80s said:
I get the people saying it's suppossed to be exclusive and for people with strong social standing. The girl in a varsity cheerleader and studying law though so it sounds like she should have some strong qualifications. 
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The sister who brought up the issue is the one studying law, not the cheerleader

 
bigbottom said:

2) I am suggesting that in refusing to extend her a bid, they are missing out on an opportunity to enrich their college lives in a very meaningful way (in fact, those were the precise words I used).
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There have been literally millions of socially awkward and/or unattractive girls who have been rejected by sororities over the past 100 years. Do you think that those girls wouldn't have meaningfully enriched the lives of the sorority girls who rejected them?

 
bigbottom said:
Since I started the thread, let me make a few clarifying points:

3) I'm not bashing the sororities so much as I am lamenting the missed opportunity due to their apparently narrow view of what makes for a good sorority member.
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this is kinda my thought on it too. I'm a little surprised that not one house had the thought of, "hey, we have an opportunity to do something pretty awesome here." 

 
Joe Summer said:
There have been literally millions of socially awkward and/or unattractive girls who have been rejected by sororities over the past 100 years. Do you think that those girls wouldn't have meaningfully enriched the lives of the sorority girls who rejected them?
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I have no idea.  I don't know anything about those millions of hypothetical and unspecific girls.  My conclusion is based on what I have learned about this girl in particular.

 
I think greek life is stupid, never was interested in college and hope my kids have no interest from what I have seen through friends kids. That said I think the article is poorly done. First they state 288 women went through recruitment, how many were picked?  If it was 278 then it stands out, but if 10 sororities each only took 11 girls and 178 were not picked well then she is in the majority that didn't get picked.  Second, her sister in the tweet states that she was in a sorority, did she reach out to the chapter on her sisters school if there was one? Isn't that a way a lot of it works, family ties help?  Lastly maybe being stereo typical here but you would think the majority of the cheerleaders probably belong to the same sorority, if she is liked by them one would have thought they might have helped get her in, just because she has downs doesn't mean she is a nice person, maybe she is a b#$%!.  Seems like there might be more to this. 

I do agree with those stating given all the negative press on the stupid things the Greeks do (namely fraternities) it was certainly a missed chance showing those in charge aren't future marketing geniuses.

 
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SwampDawg said:
I think greek life is stupid, never was interested in college and hope my kids have no interest from what I have seen through friends kids. That said I think the article is poorly done. First they state 288 women went through recruitment, how many were picked?  If it was 278 then it stands out, but if 10 sororities each only took 11 girls and 178 were not picked well then she is in the majority that didn't get picked.  Second, her sister in the tweet states that she was in a sorority, did she reach out to the chapter on her sisters school if there was one? Isn't that a way a lot of it works, family ties help?  Lastly maybe being stereo typical here but you would think the majority of the cheerleaders probably belong to the same sorority, if she is liked by them one would have thought they might have helped get her in, just because she has downs doesn't mean she is a nice person, maybe she is a b#$%!.  Seems like there might be more to this. 
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Re the bolded, neither her sister’s nor her mom’s sorority had a chapter at George Mason. 

 
Girl with Downs gets rejected by sororities: national news story
Girl without Downs gets rejected by sororities: nobody cares

Why the disparity? Why are we bothered by sorority cruelty in some scenarios but not others?

 
GroveDiesel said:
I don't think anyone has said they don't have a right to exclude her. I think we're all saying that what they have decided to base their decision making on and what "improved their social standing" is ugly, disgusting, and indicates that they are garbage people who deserve condescension and ridicule for their superficial and immature outlook on life.
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Same as it ever was.

They are, in fact, immature.. they are kids.  In college.   It does not make them ugly, disgusting, garbage people.  I don't think they deserve condescension.

It does present a learning opportunity.  

 
I think this kid has it tough already and being accepted would have probably made her world.  Yet the girls couldn’t think beyond their own needs to see what impact selecting her would do for this girl.  Sad. 

 
Joe Summer said:
Girl with Downs gets rejected by sororities: national news story
Girl without Downs gets rejected by sororities: nobody cares

Why the disparity? Why are we bothered by sorority cruelty in some scenarios but not others?
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I read the details of this particular article and was bothered by it.  If I learned of a different story regarding sorority cruelty, I may very well be bothered by that story as well.

 
Joe Summer said:
Girl with Downs gets rejected by sororities: national news story
Girl without Downs gets rejected by sororities: nobody cares

Why the disparity? Why are we bothered by sorority cruelty in some scenarios but not others?
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Well it sounds like she was rejected BECAUSE of her down syndrome and that she meets all other qualifications

 
Ok, so not to get all lawyer-like about this (not a lawyer) but as an insurance person, one of my first thoughts was that there might be some legal concerns surround having a special-needs person in a sorority environment.

Its college and its a Greek life environment. Sororities can talk about how their mission is service, sisterhood, the community, whatever. But the fact is that there's going to be parties and drinking (and drugs) and guys around. Most of them will probably be drunk A-holes and some of them will straight up be bad guys. I dont know that much about Downs or this girl's individual mental capacity but I would think putting her in an environment like that would NOT be a good idea. And even if nothing bad happens to her directly, you'd be exposing her to an environment that could make her incredibly uncomfortable.

So what do you you? Exclude her from certain sorority activities/parties? Assign her some sort of chaperone? 

I know the idea of her being part of a sisterhood and making friends is great, but I see a lot of potential issues here when the PG-rated part of being in a sorority isn't going on.

 
boots11234 said:
This sucks.  Sounds like she was a girl who is very outgoing and has a lot going for her.  I hope when she is offered a spot she declines.  She's better than them.
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I sort of hope some sympathetic Billionaire reaches out to her, buys or builds her the best, by far, sorority house on campus, gives them a crazy large endowment to fund activities and tuition, and makes her the President of that Chapter.

 
TLEF316 said:
Ok, so not to get all lawyer-like about this (not a lawyer) but as an insurance person, one of my first thoughts was that there might be some legal concerns surround having a special-needs person in a sorority environment.

Its college and its a Greek life environment. Sororities can talk about how their mission is service, sisterhood, the community, whatever. But the fact is that there's going to be parties and drinking (and drugs) and guys around. Most of them will probably be drunk A-holes and some of them will straight up be bad guys. I dont know that much about Downs or this girl's individual mental capacity but I would think putting her in an environment like that would NOT be a good idea. And even if nothing bad happens to her directly, you'd be exposing her to an environment that could make her incredibly uncomfortable.

So what do you you? Exclude her from certain sorority activities/parties? Assign her some sort of chaperone? 

I know the idea of her being part of a sisterhood and making friends is great, but I see a lot of potential issues here when the PG-rated part of being in a sorority isn't going on.
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All excellent points.  Especially the part about being exposed to things that she shouldn't be exposed to.  Shrug.

 
Greek life should be banned at all colleges.  It's so stupid.  For boys it's just a way to get easier access to parties, and thus girls.  For girls it's just a way to exclude those you deem lower than yourself.   My son just joined one.  What a waste of time and energy IMO.

 
TLEF316 said:
Ok, so not to get all lawyer-like about this (not a lawyer) but as an insurance person, one of my first thoughts was that there might be some legal concerns surround having a special-needs person in a sorority environment.

Its college and its a Greek life environment. Sororities can talk about how their mission is service, sisterhood, the community, whatever. But the fact is that there's going to be parties and drinking (and drugs) and guys around. Most of them will probably be drunk A-holes and some of them will straight up be bad guys. I dont know that much about Downs or this girl's individual mental capacity but I would think putting her in an environment like that would NOT be a good idea. And even if nothing bad happens to her directly, you'd be exposing her to an environment that could make her incredibly uncomfortable.

So what do you you? Exclude her from certain sorority activities/parties? Assign her some sort of chaperone? 

I know the idea of her being part of a sisterhood and making friends is great, but I see a lot of potential issues here when the PG-rated part of being in a sorority isn't going on.
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There won't be parties at their house. She doesn't have to attend frat parties. I am sure not every girl in a sorority is spending every weekend at keg parties. 

 
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