Monday, February 26, 2007

Socially Awkward



A sorority at DePauw University solved the problem of declining enrollment in an interesting fashion: They got rid of all the sorority sisters who didn't show proper commitment to recruiting:

When a psychology professor at DePauw University here surveyed students, they described one sorority as a group of "daddy's little princesses" and another as "offbeat hippies." The sisters of Delta Zeta were seen as "socially awkward."

Worried that a negative stereotype of the sorority was contributing to a decline in membership that had left its Greek-columned house here half empty, Delta Zeta's national officers interviewed 35 DePauw members in November, quizzing them about their dedication to recruitment. They judged 23 of the women insufficiently committed and later told them to vacate the sorority house.

The 23 members included every woman who was overweight. They also included the only black, Korean and Vietnamese members. The dozen students allowed to stay were slender and popular with fraternity men — conventionally pretty women the sorority hoped could attract new recruits. Six of the 12 were so infuriated they quit.

Now that is some spring cleaning! It is also very depressing and a good reminder why there is no such thing as post-feminism, unless the term is intended to be sarcastic.