35th Annual Student Research Conference
Discrimination in Greek Life
Joseph A. Jolly
Dr. Saint Rice (Director of the Center of Equity and Inclusion), Faculty Mentor
Abstract: Racism is a prevalent issue in higher education that encourages whiteness as a norm for undergraduate students’ social behaviors, especially in Greek life. There are significant amounts of black discrimmination across Greek Letter Organizations, whether minorities pledge White Greek Letter Organizations (WGLO) or Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLO). In WGLO there is tension between White and Nonwhite members due to discriminatory comments and actions related to race. Members of BGLO face a similar tension within predominantly White spaces so they network among the rest of the Black community to create a safe place from oppression. There is a gap in literature that does not address a clear model for how WGLO can turn into a resource for the Black community on a college campus. I will conduct interviews with members of WGLO to find a model their organization can use to create a safe space for minorities, which will add to the already established safe spaces in the Black community.
Keywords: Greek, Racism, Oppression, Black , White, Higher Education, Safe Space
Topic(s):Greek
Sociology
African-American Studies
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: 203-3
Location: SUB GEO B
Time: 10:45