61 Fraternity chapters started the little sister programs . . . in the 1960s: See “Campus Life: California; Fraternities Phase Out ‘Little Sister’ Groups.” New York Times. September 17, 1989.
61 by the late 1980s . . . sexually exploiting the girls: See, for example, “Campus Life: Missouri; ‘Little Sister’ Program Stopped After Assaults.” New York Times. October 22, 1989; Volland, Victor. “‘Little Sister’ Auxiliaries Dying Out; Fraternities Under Pressure to Stop; Practices Called Sexist.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch. October 18, 1989.
61 In 1988 . . . “‘second-class’ status”: See “Campus Life: California; Fraternities Phase Out ‘Little Sister’ Groups.” New York Times.
61–62 At the University of Missouri-Columbia . . . before meeting their “big brothers”: See “Campus Life: Missouri; ‘Little Sister’ Program Stopped After Assaults.” New York Times.
62 The University of South Florida . . . complaints of sexual harassment: See Harper, James. “‘Little Sisters’ Abolished at USF.” St. Petersburg Times. December 7, 1990.
62 1994 report . . . breasts were too small: See Hill, John. “Abolish frats, sororities, Rhode Island Report Says.” Providence Journal-Bulletin. April 3, 1994.
62 little sisters are generally defined . . . little sister meetings at the fraternity house: See Rose, Margaret Ann. Rush: A Girl’s Guide to Sorority Success. New York: Villard, 1985; often pay dues: See, for example, “Campus Life: California; Fraternities Phase Out ‘Little Sister’ Groups.” New York Times.
62 cheerleaders at athletic events: See Harper. “‘Little Sisters’ Abolished at USF.”
62 to cook for them, to clean up after parties: See Stombler, Mindy, and Irene Padavic. “Sister Acts: Resisting Men’s Domination in Black and White Fraternity Little Sister Programs.” Social Problems. Vol. 44, No. 2 (May 1997).
62 help them recruit new brothers by flaunting their sexuality: See Harper. “‘Little Sisters’ Abolished at USF.” See also “Campus Life: Missouri; ‘Little Sister’ Program Stopped After Assaults.” New York Times.
62 Fraternity brothers use pictures . . . access to these girls: See Stombler, Mindy. “‘Buddies’ or ‘Slutties’: The Collective Sexual Reputation of Fraternity Little Sisters.” Gender & Society. Vol. 8, No. 3 (1994) 297–323.
62 charts explaining the number of beers it took to seduce each little sister: See, for example, Lord, M. G. “Frats and Sororities; The Greek Rites of Exclusions; Racism and Sexism.” The Nation. July 4, 1987; Wright, Esther. Torn Togas: The Dark Side of Campus Greek Life. Minneapolis: Fairview Press, 1996.
62 “good care of the brothers”: See Stombler. “‘Buddies’ or ‘Slutties.’”
62 little sisters . . . a distinct possibility: See, for example, Binder. “Changing a Culture.” See also Abbey, Antonia. “Alcohol-Related Sexual Assault: A Common Problem among College Students.” Journal of Studies on Alcohol. March 1, 2002, which reported, “One fraternity man stated that at parties, ‘We provide them [little sisters] with “hunch punch” and things get wild. We get them drunk and most of the guys end up with one’ . . . With no remorse or guilt, this fraternity man described his plans to get one particular woman drunk by serving her punch without letting her know it was spiked for the challenge of having sex with a ‘prim and proper sorority girl.’”
62 Studies of these programs . . . sister in the first place: See, for example, Binder. “Changing a Culture.”
62–63 “had their jersey pulled” . . . too promiscuous: See Stombler. “‘Buddies’ or ‘Slutties.’”
63 touch their breasts . . . brothers’ approval: See Wright. Torn Togas.
63 Some fraternities auction . . . baking, cleaning, and driving: See Stombler and Padavic. “Sister Acts.”
63 When a fraternity selects a little sister . . . “almost fell over”: See Stombler and Padavic. “Sister Acts.”
63 “Something that made me . . . power to do that”: See Stombler. “‘Buddies’ or ‘Slutties.’”
OCTOBER
68 At Syracuse . . . “large disposable income”: See “2002–2003 Advertising Information.” Hermes: The Greek Community’s Independent Student Newspaper. Syracuse, NY.
68 sorority dues . . . to $2,500 a semester: I encountered a range of sorority dues, some of which include room and board for the time period a girl is required to live in the house. See, for example, Esther Wright’s Torn Togas (Minneapolis: Fairview Press, 1996), which cites dues of $2,500, or Vendela Vida’s Girls on the Verge: Debutante Dips, Gang Drive-bys, and Other Initiations (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999), which states that sorority dues at UCLA ranged from Kappa Alpha Theta’s $1,895 to Alpha Delta Pi’s $2,237.
68 Sorority dues cover the costs . . . chapter’s national office: This is generally available information, which was also confirmed by chapter finance documents.
71 community service . . . revolves more around donations than actual service: The discussions I heard at the Northeast Greek Leadership Association’s Conference supported this statement (see December’s chapter). Many sororities claim to have a designated philanthropic cause. These “philanthropies,” also called causes or visions, are listed on the web sites for the national organizations.
79 Is it worth it? . . . Missy Elliott: Warner Brothers music granted permission to reprint these lyrics.
85 governed by parliamentary procedure: Many sororities follow Robert’s Rules of Order and in the manuals given to pledges, specify the meetings’ parliamentary procedure. Pi Phi Forever, for example, instructs when to request a “point of information,” “point of order,” “amend the amendment,” “division of the house,” and so on. The book also lists the order of business for weekly meetings: call to order, opening ritual, roll call, reading and adoption of minutes of previous meeting, reports of officers and committees, unfinished business, new business, election and installation of officers, closing ritual, and adjournment.
86 known as the “candlelight” . . . she is engaged: See, for example, Rose, Margaret Ann. Rush: A Girl’s Guide to Sorority Success. New York: Villard, 1985. Conklin, Ellis E. “Fraternities Are Back, Seeking a Better Image.” The Record. October 15, 1985. The Record reported that at the University of Georgia after an engaged sister’s candlelight ceremony, “then she has to go rescue her fraternity boyfriend who has been tied to a tree by his frat brothers, stripped naked and squirted with shaving cream.”
87 Attendance at chapter meetings . . . “get a note from the teacher”: Some sororities, such as Kappa Delta, specify these obligations in their national rulebook. Kappa Delta’s Norman Shield states, “Attendance at all chapter meetings, ritualistic services, membership recruitment activities and all other required chapter functions: An unexcused absence from one of these events puts a member on bad standing for one calendar month. Excused absences are permitted only for illness; unavoidable absence from town; night classes, if needed for graduation and the class is not scheduled at any other time; or because, out of necessity, a member has to work. Except in the case of an emergency, excuses are due in writing prior to the meeting to be missed. Special permission to miss a chapter meeting because of work may be given only in rare cases and, then, only for a temporary period of time.”
91 “Not on the bed . . . shave my chacha.”: Warner Brothers Music granted permission to reprint these lyrics.
96 A sister at another sorority canceled a meeting . . . “have your priorities out of order”: See Soos, Margaret J. “With Friends Like These.” OC Weekly. August 27, 1999. “Margaret J. Soos” is the writer’s pseudonym.
97 sororities have thorough “class files” . . . exclusive use of their sisters: See, for example, Zwilling, James. “Greek Test Files Necessary, Beneficial Say Some Texas Christian U. Students.” Daily Skiff. (Texas Christian University.) Via University Wire. October 26, 2001; Henley, Tim. “Oklahoma State U. Profs Using Technology to Battle Plagiarism.” Daily O’Collegian. Oklahoma State University. March 25, 2002.
97 Class files . . . �
�we pay to be Greek”: See Zwilling. “Greek Test Files Necessary, Beneficial Say Some Texas Christian U. Students.”
NOVEMBER
107 At the University of Missouri . . . triple bunk beds: Interviews; confirmed with the Office of Greek Life at the university.
107 houses at the University of Washington . . . pledges must sleep: Interviews; confirmed with the Panhellenic Office at the university.
107 At half the houses at Purdue . . . windows left open at all times: Interviews; confirmed with the Greek adviser.
107 At Indiana University . . . in order to be considered an active member: Interviews; confirmed with the Student Activities Office.
108 The houses are usually owned . . . covers parties and similar expenses: Interview with Sally Grant, chairman of the National Panhellenic Conference.
117 This movement . . . elementary through high schools: Among the intriguing works on this issue are the important books Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends and Other Realities of Adolescence, by Rosalind Wiseman (New York: Crown, 2002), and Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls, by Rachel Simmons (New York: Harcourt, 2002). Laura Sessions Stepp of The Washington Post wrote about Alphas and Betas in her widely cited article “Alpha Girl; In Middle School, Learning to Handle the ABCs of Power” (February 23, 2002).
118 “natural . . . popularity and social status”: See Wiseman. Queen Bees and Wannabes.
126 “girls’ social hierarchy . . . one of the consequences of girls’ social hierarchies”: Ibid.
126 others have called the Alphas: See Stepp. “Alpha Girl; In Middle School, Learning to Handle the ABCs of Power.”
128 the current popularity of “mean girl” books . . . who turn out just fine: See Meadows, Susannah. “Meet the Gamma Girls.” Newsweek. June 3, 2002; Kantrowitz, Barbara. “Selling Advice—as Well as Anxiety.” Newsweek. June 3, 2002.
129 “social manipulation on the playground” or “relational aggression”: See Lamb, Sharon. The Secret Lives of Girls: What Good Girls Really Do—Sex Play, Aggression, and Their Guilt. New York: The Free Press, 2001.
GREEK WEEK
137 A 1996 Harvard University College Alcohol Studies Program report . . . “powerless to do anything about it”: See Wechsler, H., G. Kuh, and A. Davenport. “Fraternities, Sororities and Binge Drinking: Results from a National Study of American Colleges.” National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. Summer 1996; 33(4). I am grateful to the Harvard School of Public Health’s Department of Health and Social Behavior for providing me with a copy of this article.
Several other studies have linked Greek membership to heavy drinking. One particularly thorough report is Sher, K., B. Bartholow, and S. Nanda. “Short- and Long-Term Effects of Fraternity and Sorority Membership on Heavy Drinking: A Social Norms Perspective.” Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. Vol. 15, No. 1 (March 2001): 42–51. Their findings included both that “Throughout the college years, Greeks consistently drank more heavily than non-Greeks. Statistically controlling for previous alcohol use did not eliminate this effect” and that “Greek status did not predict postcollege heavy drinking levels.”
In its most recent report on the topic, the Commission on Substance Abuse at Colleges and Universities found that “Students living in fraternities and sororities report drinking an average of 15 drinks per week, compared to only 5 drinks per week by other students.” Rethinking Rites of Passage: Substance Abuse on America’s Campuses. June 1994.
137 In 2003 . . . 81 percent of non-Greeks: See Freyvogel, Colleen. “Survey Finds Penn State Sororities, Fraternities Drink More. Daily Collegian. Pennsylvania State University. Via University Wire. March 4, 2003.
137 in 1992 . . . nearly half used marijuana or cocaine within the thirty-day period preceding the study: See Goodwin, L. “Alcohol and Drug Use in Fraternities and Sororities.” Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education. Vol. 37, No. 2 (Winter 1992).
138 Six years later . . . “escalating on college campuses within the Greek community”: See Strickland, Mary. “A New Look: The Changing Role of Greek Letter Organizations on American College Campuses.” KUDZU: The Journal of Higher Education Management. Vol. 1 (Spring 1998).
138 In 1985 . . . three times the legal limit: See Nuwer, Hank. Wrongs of Passage: Fraternities, Sororities, Hazing, and Binge Drinking. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1999.
139 In a review of twelve hundred . . . “or automobile accidents”: See Weiss, Kenneth R. “‘Animal Houses’ Try to Sober Up.” Los Angeles Times. April 6, 1997.
139 the University of Missouri in 1989 . . . alcohol-education program: See “Campus Life: Missouri; Now, Fraternities Must Check Ages of Party Guests.” New York Times.
139 Other schools also prohibited . . . prevent open parties: See Weiss. “‘Animal Houses’ Try to Sober Up.”
139 Violation . . . “Greek Community Board”: See “Campus Life: Missouri; Now, Fraternities Must Check Ages of Party Guests.”
143 Snap back to reality . . . vomit on his sweater already: The boys were misquoting Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” from the soundtrack of the film 8 Mile. The actual lyrics are:
Yo, his palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti
He’s nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready
To drop bombs, but he keeps on forgettin’
What he wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loud
He opens his mouth, but the words won’t come out
He’s chokin’, how everybody’s jokin’ now
The clock’s run out, time’s up over, bloah!
Snap back to reality, oh there goes gravity . . .
8 Mile Style granted permission to reprint these lyrics.
148 Stepping originated . . . “performance traditions”: See Malone, Jacqui. Steppin’ on the Blues: The Visible Rhythms of African American Dance. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1996.
149 It is marching . . . and slapping in one: Ibid; See also Fine, Elizabeth C. Soulstepping: African American Step Shows. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2003.
149 Each of the four . . . “Sweat”: See Fine. Soulstepping.
149 each sorority has a “sign” . . . to encourage the performers: See Malone. Steppin’ on the Blues. I also learned a great deal about step during an interview with Dr. Walter Kimbrough, widely considered to be a leading expert on African American Greek life, and the vice president of Student Affairs at Albany State University.
149 Alpha Kappa Alpha’s call . . . “ee-i-kee”: See Ross, Lawrence C., Jr. The Divine Nine: The history of African American Fraternities and Sororities. New York: Kensington Books, 2000.
149 Black sororities . . . at casual parties: Interview with Dr. Walter Kimbrough.
149 “salutes” or tributes . . . culture through dance: See Fine. Soulstepping.
149 step shows are to black Greeks what Greek Week is to whites: Black Greeks traditionally have not been major Greek Week participants, although they have begun to get involved on some campuses. See, for example, Whipple, E. G., J. L. Baier, and D. L. Grady. “A Comparison of Black and White Greeks at a Predominantly White University.” NASPA Journal. Vol. 28, No. 2 (Winter 1991). The NASPA Journal reported, “There is little or no participation by black Greeks in the traditional rush activities or Greek Week programs of white Greeks.”
149 As one sister has explained . . . “partying together”: Elizabeth C. Fine cites this quote; she credits Rita Harris for obtaining the quote at the 1999 Philadelphia Greek Picnic.
DECEMBER
166 Northeast Greek Leadership Association Conference . . . Northeast region: See the NGLA’s conference web site at http:/greeklife.drexel.edu/ngla/annual_conference. More information about the NGLA can also be found at that site. The NGLA’s mission statement is “The Northeast Greek Leadership Association exists to promote the founding principles and positive
traditions of all Greek letter organizations through opportunities that encourage learning and leadership for the Northeast region.”
168 the “worst” things . . . dance sexily with each other: See MTV’s original Sorority Life, which aired in summer 2002.
168 One sorority official . . . “protect our women and our Greek Community”: The adviser sent this letter to the professor and to me via e-mail on November 22, 2002.
169 the professor wrote back . . . “on all matters that concern them”: The professor sent me a copy of her response, which she e-mailed back to the adviser slightly more than an hour after receiving the adviser’s letter.
169 lecture at the NGLA Conference entitled “The Greek PR War Room”: This lecture ran from 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. (Educational Session Block III) on the first full day of the conference. The Conference Guidebook listed the following description of the session: “The Greek public relations battle has reached the national level. The media condemns Greeks for failures, but fails to praise when chapters raise money for worthy causes or volunteer in the community. This presentation takes participants inside the ‘PR war room’ and discusses professional techniques and their application to the Greek dilemma.”
169–171 “Pay close attention” . . . “every paper in town is there”: The quotations in this section refer both to the presenter’s statements and to the statements he posted on his slide show.
171 in October 1998 . . . Greek activity: See Nuwer, Hank. Wrongs of Passage: Fraternities, Sororities, Hazing, and Binge Drinking. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1999, which notes that “an autopsy later turned up a trace of a date-rape drug in Courtney’s system” and that Cantor’s blood-alcohol level was, at .059, below the Michigan standard for intoxication.
171 “The Values Institute” . . . plenary and breakout sessions on the four pillars: These sessions ran from 9:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Saturday, February 29.
172 The theme of the conference, “Values-Driven Leadership: Back to Basics”: See, for example, 2003 NGLA Annual Conference: Conference Guidebook.
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