Student Coalition Calls for the End of Greek Life at AU
by Sarah Ross
On Monday, June 29th, members of the Student Coalition to Abolish IFC and Panhellenic Greek Life at AU held a virtual town hall meeting to discuss the coalition’s list of demands and its intended process for moving forward.
Students’ concerns focused mainly on sexual assault and structural racism in Greek life. Numerous incidents of both have been exposed by the recent popularity of Instagram pages such as @exposingauabusers and @blackatamericanuniversity.
“We recognize that the only issues in Greek life are not just sexual assault,” stated organizer Halle Jaymes. Fellow organizer Muskan Kaur echoed this, saying, “It’s really important we are emphasizing it’s not just sexual violence. Other issues are not secondary issues.”
The coalition released its demands earlier that day across its Instagram and Facebook pages. Starting with a petition that now has over 700 signatures, the coalition has over 400 Instagram followers and 130 members in its Facebook group.
Because students within Greek life cannot easily disband an organization’s chapter, a chapter being the representation of a national organization on campus, the coalition calls for members of organizations within Interfraternity Council (IFC) and Panhellenic Council to disaffiliate.
“Greek life creates a space that permits racial and sexual violence and more, which necessitates their abolition as a critical part of anti-violence work on campus,” the list of demands reads, “We call for all students who support our movement to disaffiliate and renounce their membership from all Interfraternity and Panhellenic Council Greek organizations.”
After the former members of the AU chapter of Delta Tau Delta mass disaffiliated on Monday, June 29, multiple students in the coalition expressed feeling hopeful, noting the members’ Instagram post which has since been taken down for legal reasons. Students in the coalition recognize that the disaffiliation process may look different for each organization, but hope that more members will join, agreeing that it is important for ex-Greek members to condemn the lack of accountability and violence such organizations have fostered, even if that may not be each member’s personal experience.
Kaur as well as a fellow organizer who wishes to remain anonymous are also both “ex-Greeks.”
The coalition also stated that the legacy of Historically White Fraternities and Sororities (HWFS), which excluded People of Color and religious minorities remains. “Greek organizations continue to create spaces exclusionary of BIPOC at higher educational institutions, as they lack BIPOC representation and often protect racist behaviors perpetrated by their members.”
The coalition also disapproves of a now-standard practice at many organizations and institutions: a singular board member devoted to Diversity and Inclusion, or in the case of fraternities, chairs such as “Women’s Advocate.” They see these positions as performative and as highlighted in their demands, they “condemn the lack of anti-racist education that has led BIPOC students to be tokenized in these positions.”
Another organizer, who again chooses to remain anonymous, founded the coalition’s Facebook page and implored members of Greek life to interrogate the existence of their organizations, asking, “What purpose do they serve in the first place? Why do we still need them?”
In addition to sticking to its list of demands, the coalition plans to compile resources for current Greek life members who are considering disaffiliation. At the same time, the coalition was quick to announce that while ex-Greek members (especially ex-fraternity members) hold an important role in abolishing Greek life on campus, they should not to be the center of the movement, as many survivors of sexual assault or any form of violence may not feel comfortable with former members of Greek life working so closely together in the movement.
While much of the town hall focused on moving forward as a coalition and taking actionable steps, several students raised concerns about the logistical and administrative roadblocks witnessed on campus. IFC and Panhellenic Council both have staff members whose sole responsibilities are to foster Greek life on campus.
The coalition echoed the complaints of many AU students across all social media platforms and conversations: these councils and the University administration are behind where students are in taking action. Said student Olivia Loibner, “I have no faith in AU’s Title IX office.”
Still, the coalition is not dissuaded by the administrative red tape ahead. During the meeting Jaymes declared simply, “People need to be prepared to be in this for the long haul.”.