Former member of Delta Zeta

In the NY Times on Sunday, there was an article about something strange going on in the Greek system at Depauw University. The Delta Zeta sorority on campus had become known as the sorority of the geeky girls and as “socially awkward.” So the big honchos back at Delta Zeta central decided to do something about it… 23 members of DePauw University’s Delta Zeta sorority were kicked out because they were “insufficiently committed.” That’s sugar-coated talk for meaning they were “fat”, “not white” or “ugly.” They got rid of all the girls who were overweight, black, or foreign. That left 12 girls out of the original 23 but 6 of those 12 resigned immediately on principle.

In the late 1960′s, the Delta Zeta at Depauw tried to keep black women out of their sorority. As last as 1982, they were still trying to keep blacks out of the sorority. But this signaled a turn around for them. After that incident they slowly changed to be more accepting of the girl geeks on campus. Delta Zeta is become the HQ for brainy women and disabled women. Sex appeal became a much less important factor in membership, (although I think all of these young ladies are very pretty).

So Delta Zeta has been stripped of most of its members and has become virtually irrelevant at Depauw. Fifty-five Depauw college professors have signed a petition condemning the changes. DePauw’s president, Robert G. Bottoms, issued a two-page letter of reprimand to the sorority. In an interview in his office, Dr. Bottoms said he had been stunned by the sorority’s insensitivity.

The Depauw, the campus newspaper, has some great info.

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