Last month, the Alpha Phi chapter at UC Santa Barbara faced accusations from its members regarding the recruitment process for excluding women of color. After being confronted by chapter members, a recruitment adviser was removed, but criticism persisted. Some members reported serious issues, with one anonymous reviewer mentioning walkouts related to racism.
On September 30, a user named “Alexis” left a one-star rating for Alpha Phi on GreekRank, a platform for anonymous reviews of sororities and fraternities. Alexis suggested that the sorority was not a welcoming place for people of color. Another anonymous review echoed this sentiment, describing the level of racism within the chapter as extreme and advising women of color to avoid joining. By October 18, Alexis’s post had amassed 269 upvotes, while the second review gained 213, attracting mixed responses from others who defended the chapter.
The identities of the reviewers have not been confirmed, and the claims about walkouts have not been independently verified. However, interviews with members confirmed that some women did confront the recruitment advisers, leading to the removal of one adviser. The timeline is also significant, as the warnings were posted on September 30, during the ongoing recruitment, with the final selection round for new members occurring on October 3. This timing meant potential new members could see the accusations while deciding whether to join.
The situation began to unfold four days earlier. On September 26, during the first round of recruitment, Alpha Phi members interacted with prospective recruits and later assessed them to determine whom to invite back. After this round, the advisers sent members home to finalize invitations, but upon returning on September 27, members noticed that many women they expected to see were absent.
Chapter president Alana Nielsen noted a lack of diversity in the group returning, which was surprising since they had been informed that around 90% of the recruits wanted to return. Concerns also arose regarding how current members were grouped with recruits. Sky Achola, a member of the sorority, observed that women of color were given fewer chances to engage compared to their white peers.
As questions arose about the decision-making process, Nielsen requested a meeting with the advisers. Initially, a leadership consultant suggested that no meeting was necessary, but with some members visibly upset, Nielsen called them together. They confronted the advisers about the choices made regarding applicants and assignment groups. Recruitment director Emerson Novosel later described the meeting as feeling revolutionary, as members learned that the recruitment adviser had decided which applicants would return and organized the groups.
What do you think about the issues raised in this situation?
Sources:
Source: Bored Panda, by Analice Couto