Sororities at Davidson

 

Women's eating houses faced their own struggles forming on campus, but sororities had an even harder time gaining momentum at Davidson College. Sororities were considered an impossibility in the first 20 years of coeducation, especially as eating houses grew in influence and solidified themselves as a key part of the Davidson College experience for generations of female students. 

 

In 1997, the movement for sororities at Davidson College grew when a student-led committee, the Committee for Expanding Women’s Options at Davidson, was formed to address the question of bringing women’s Greek Life to Davidson’s campus. In the fall of that year, the committee contacted 26 sororities belonging to the National Panhellenic Council to gauge their interest in coming to Davidson. All were majority white organizations. The list did not include any historically African American or Latina sororities ("NPC Extension at Davidson," 1997). 

 

The Committee for Women's Options at Davidson, with the help of the National Panhellenic Council, developed a timeline for how sororities could be introduced to campus (pending their approval from College administration) which can be found in the document below. 

 

“National Panhellenic Council Extension Process at Davidson College,” ca. 1997. 

 

National Panhellenic Council Extension Process at Davidson College Extended Timeline, 1997.

In March 1997, the committee presented their report to the Patterson Court Council (PCC). The report addressed student interest in sororities. It also summarized the negotiations held with members of the National Panhellenic Council about needs for a transition to women's Greek Life on campus.

 

The committee’s report stressed sororities' interest in joining the campus, as well as the flexibility the organizations and the NPC were willing to show to adapt to Davidson's eating house event schedule, this included moving the date of “rush” ( the selection and initiation process for new members) and reducing the number of rush events. The NPC and Women's Options Committee laid out a plan for the eating house system and sororities to coexist in the report, with the eating houses’ long standing traditions taking precedence. 

 

 

Below, you can find an abridged version of the report's contents as delivered by the committee to the Patterson Court Council in March 1997. 

 

“Committee for Expanding Women’s Options at Davidson (CEWOD) Presentation to Patterson Court Council,” 19 March 1997. 

 

Excerpt from Committee Presentation to PCC: 

  1. No frills rush - NPC advocates as relaxed and informal a process as possible- 
    1. They have been begging the bigger schools to conform to this ideal, but these schools claim that their rush is the way they have always done it and are not going to change (...) 
    2. Nationals see the more formal rush events like theme parties and other stressful occasions as “unnecessary effort” and “not real world.” It would be very easy for us to create a low key rush in which women could have fun instead of stress. 
  2. The operation of the first Rush- 
    1. Take place whenever Davidson wants it to (Fall or Spring) 
    2. We are thinking that early spring, after self-selection, would be ideal because that way it would in no way interfere with self-selection. The women would decide on their eating houses before they would choose their sororities. First step in eliminating competition. 
  3. How will NPC groups complement the Davidson system? 
    1. The presence of sororities at Davidson would NOT introduce any kind of competition with the eating houses!
      1. NPC groups WILL work with our system.

 

The Patterson Court Council voted in support of sororities coming to Davidson College. This is according to the minutes of a September 25, 1997 meeting of the Council on Campus and Religious Life.

 

The CCRL was tasked with deciding whether or not to endorse the National Panhellenic Council; their decision would be sent as a recommendation to the newly appointed President Vagt ("September 25 CCRL Meeting Minutes," 1997).

 

Students Cristina Rodriguez and Bonner Read, who had been attending PCC meetings for the past year in order to advocate for sororities coming to campus, spoke to the CCRL members about their reasons for supporting the National Panhellenic Council coming to Davidson. 

 

CCRL meeting. The Davidsonian, October 7, 1997.

From the CCRL Minutes, 25 September 1997.

Bonner Read stressed that this was not the result of unhappiness with the current eating houses, but that they wanted more options for the women on campus. Bonner and Cristina elaborated on the sororities' many opportunities for further bonding, service opportunities, scholarships and networking beyond college.

 

The floor was then opened for discussion for the Council of Campus and Religious Life membership of students, faculty, and staff.

 

The questions and concerns raised by the CCRL included: 

  • Concern was expressed about the cost and exclusivity of sororities. 
  • Concern was expressed that this would diminish progress at Davidson College with regard to equality. Concerns about racial exclusiveness were also raised. 
  • Faculty representatives reported that most of the faculty expressed non-support for sororities on campus.

 

The meeting ended with no resolution, and the Council on Campus and Religious Life decided to reconvene in the next month to make their final recommendation to the college president.

 

In the following weeks, debate continued to rage amongst students. The "sorority issue" became a hot button topic in several issues of the Davidsonian newspaper, spanning from October to November 1997. These ranged from student opinion essays, to graphics, to cartoons that represented both sides of the Greek Life debate. (If you are interested in reading student opinions in more detail, we encourage you to access issues of the Davidsonian here: October 21, 1997, October 28, 1997, November 4, 1997, November 18, 1997.) 

 

In the October 28, 1997 edition of the Davidsonian, the "Word on the Street" graphic below quotes student reflections on their views of sororities and how they believe Greek Life would impact campus. 

 

"Word on the Street." The Davidsonian, October 28, 1997.

 

On November 5, 1997, the Council on Campus and Religious Life voted on their final recommendation on sororities. Their vote ended in a tie; 4 votes “Yes,” 4  votes“No,” and 1 vote abstaining. The division within the CCRL was emblematic of the larger struggle that Davidson students, staff, and faculty faced when trying to come to a consensus on sororities ("November 5 CCRL Meeting Minutes," 1997). 

 

In a poll of the student body released in the November 11, 1997 Davidsonian, 70% of women on campus and 61.8% of the total student body were found to have negative feelings towards bringing sororities to campus, thereby demonstrating student opinon leaned towards rejecting sororities at the time ("Introducing Sororities—Direction of Impact," 1997). 

 

"Introducing Sororities—Direction of Impact," The Davidsonian, November 11, 1997.

 

The desicion was ultimately left to President Bobby Vagt.  It was announced on January 12, 1998 from the President’s Office that President Vagt rejected the Women's Options Committee's proposal to bring sororities to campus.

 

His reasoning was the mostly negative response towards sororities from female students, and that sororities might have an impact on the applicant pool of female students who chose to attend Davidson College (President Vagt Letter to the Community, 1998). 

 

In his letter to the Davidson College Community, Vagt stated that although he stood by his decision, there was one aspect of his rejection that gave him pause. Campus debate in the previous months had been centered on whether or not to bring majority white sororities to Davidson, as these were the organizations that were presented on the list of 26 NPC organizations by the Committee for Women's Options. President Vagt clarified that it was the Committee's proposal of majority white sororities that he was rejecting, but that he would be open towards bringing historically African American sororities to Davidson College as he believed there was a demonstrated need for those organizations. 

 

"President Vagt Letter to the Davidson College Community,” 12 January 1998. 

Please allow me to note what this descision is not. It is not a reflection of a lack of confidence in the ability of the women on this campus to make judgements for themselves. There was an assertion made that, with the introduction of sororities, women would somehow come under the sway of a well-organized force that would move onto this campus. The truth is, woe betide anyone who underestimates the clear vision and strong will of the women at Davidson. (...) 

This decision does leave me quite uncomfortable in one notable aspect. There had been a strong made in a self study of less than two years ago that Davidson "should continue its receptitivity in intitatives from African-American students who wish to pursue the establishment of a traditionally Black fraternity and/or sorority," in order to meet a need perceived by African-American students which does not seem to be met by any part of the current system. To the extent that this situation continues to exist, we must work to make it better.

 

On the surface, student life at Davidson avoided a major change after President Vagt’s rejection of sororities, but in the aftermath of the intense student debate over Greek Life,  student organizations evolved to accommodate a wider array of student interests and perspectives--even if sororities were no longer a part of the conversation. 

 

1997 also marked the 25th anniversary of coeducation at Davidson College. Part of the anniversary’s celebration was a reevaluation of student organizations, specifically those available to female-identifying students. Turner House and the Gender Resource Center (GRC), initially proposed to be a Women’s Center, were founded in the next year. The GRC was proposed by student Ann Culp (Davidson College Class of 2000) as a better alternative to sororities for women in the midst of the 1997 debate. Turner House was founded to ease the overcrowding of other eating houses.

 

The discussion of sororities was put on hold, but in the early 2000s it would be rejuvenated yet again; this time, as a necessary alternative to eating houses for female students of color. 

 

 

Alpha Kappa Alpha (2008)

(Thank you to the Queer, Black and Intersectional Davidson Project for identifying and compiling the Davidsonian articles used in this section) 

 

In the Summer of 2005, a group of female students went to President Vagt to propose the founding of a Black sorority at Davidson. The proposal was first mentioned in a September 14, 2005 Davidsonian article that chronicled the debate over eating houses and sororities at Davidson College, beginning with Rusk and ending with the failed 1997 National Panhellenic Council sorority initiative. 

 

“Eating houses: a retrospective,” Bartels, Jillian. The Davidsonian, September 14, 2005. 

After the 1997 initiative, talk of sororities at Davidson died down. In July, however, a group of students contacted Vagt about the potential for a historically Black sorority on campus. These students are currently assessing the potential interest on campus and visiting eating houses to ask for support. 

 

The newly proposed sorority was rather different in comparison to the hotly-contested NPC sororities, which some argued made Alpha Kappa Alpha a better fit for Davidson College. For one, historically Black sororities do not hold a traditional “rush” in which new members would be chosen by existing members on campus. Instead, membership would be decided on a national level by alumni and based on factors like the applicant’s GPA, community service, and personal recommendations ("Group working to bring black sorority to campus," 2005). 

 

The merit-based selectivity of the sorority differentiated it from eating houses, which were more socially focused in their selection of new members. Additionally, the proposed sorority would not have its own house on Patterson Court, as historically Black sororities are not hosted in traditional sorority houses.

 

Most importantly, what made a historically Black sorority necessary on campus was that it would be filling a void in the Davidson social scene; although all students would be welcome to apply, the organization would primarily cater towards the interests and needs Black women at Davidson College, many of whom felt as though they were not represented within the current eating house system.

 

In the Davidsonian article below, the female-identifying students responsible for initiating the movement for a Black Greek-letter sorority speak about the benefits of bringing the proposed organization to campus. These students include Ashley Moore (Davidson College Class of 2007), Whitney White (Davidson College Class of 2008) and Charisma Loney (Davidson College Class of 2008).

 

"Group working to bring black sorority to campus." Hamilton, Lexi. The Davidsonian, September 28, 2005. 

The group met with representatives from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., earlier today. The students anticipate that such an organization will encourage young women of color to become more active in the Patterson Court community. The current small percentage of female minority membership in Patterson court eating houses concerns some members of the Davidson community. “A rough statistic of participation among young women of color,” said Ashley Moore ‘07, “is about one one-eighth of a percentage point.”(...)

 

Moore’s point that the introduction of a sorority could be a long term process was proven correct as Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first sorority at Davidson College, would officially arrive in 2008. 

 

Due to the support shown by eating houses, the administration, and the student body for the new sorority, planning on how to introduce the organization to Patterson Court got underway. Students leading the movement for historically Black sororities met with each eating house individually and presented ideas of how Greek Life and eating houses could coexist and collaborate. Student leaders of the sorority initiative presented to the Patterson Court Council in October 2005. Following the presentation, sororities were approved by the Council with a vote of 24-2 in their support ("CCRL approves Black sorority," 2005). 

 

Next, student leaders would present to the Council on Campus and Religious Life, who would again make their recommendation to President Vagt. This was the same process of approval as the 1997 sorority decision, but unlike in 1997, it was not the president that was the biggest roadblock in instituting the new Greek Life organization. President Vagt had already expressed his support for a historically Black sorority at Davidson.

 

The four historically Black sororities were extremely selective; they would need to come to campus themselves and determine whether Davidson College would be a good fit for their organization. 

 

Prior to their presentation to the Council on Campus and Religious Life, a panel was held by the leaders of the sorority initiative on October 25, 2006 to encourage open discussion amongst students on the introduction of a sorority at Davidson. Some of these student leaders included Ashley Moore (Davidson College Class of 2007) and Anna Marie Glaize (Davidson College Class of 2009). The panel discussion also included administrative staff who could answer questions and concerns on the transition, according to the Davidsonian article describing the event below. 

 

Students at the sorority open forum and panel. The Davidsonian, October 26, 2005.
Anna Marie Glaize and Cherita Jeffreys at sorority open forum/panel, 2005.

 

 

 

"Panel held to discuss black sorority." Gillespie, Kate. The Davidsonian, October 26, 2005. 

Historically black sororities tend to focus more on service than social life. "These organizations are different from a lot of the stereotypes out there about sororities," panelists Ashley Moore '07 said. "They are open and inclusive organizations that sponsor intellectual, spiritual, all sorts of growth for women." The student leaders believe that having a historically black sorority on campus will increase the participation of minority women on the Court. "When I was a freshman and I came in and visitied the houses on the Court, just because of the small number of minorities on the Court, I felt like my only place was the BSC," panelist Anna Marie Galze '08 said.(...) 

 

According to supporters of the initative, a historically black sorority would do more than just increase diversity on the Court. Jeffries stressed that participation in the organization would help students even after they graduated from Davidson. "When you look at the role models for students of color, we're not very free flowing on this campus," Jeffries said. "An organization would not only provide instant role modeling. We're talking about a network that can go way beyond Davidson." (...) 

 

At the following meeting of the Council on Campus and Religious Life on November 15, 2005, Whitney White, Charisma Looney and Ashley Moore gave a presentation in support of bringing a historically Black sorority to campus. In response to some council members’ concerns that the sorority would further divide Davidson along racial lines, White and Moore explained that a key element of the new sorority would be interaction between Greek Life and eating houses. By allowing Black women their own social space in which to thrive, a sorority would bring more students than ever before to Patterson Court and increase the overall diversity of student life. 

 

“CCRL approves black sorority.” Hamilton, Lexi. The Davidsonian, November 16, 2005. 

Ashley Moore: “We seek to give minority women a more developed, organized experience… They need an organization where they feel comfortable and develop a greater social interaction and possibly even join an eating house on Patterson Court.”  

 

The CCRL voted in their favor with a vote of 17-2, and subsequently made their recommendation to President Vagt, who approved the establishment of the first sorority at Davidson College in late January 2006. 

 

 

Three of the four historically African American sororities, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta and  Zeta Phi Beta, gave individual presentations about their organizational missions, service initiatives, and admission requirements to the Davidson student body in April of 2006. From these presentations, Alpha Kappa Alpha was considered to be the most compatible with Davidson College (Sorority search continues with AKA, Zeta presentations, 2006). 

 

 

Ebony Harley (Class of 2009) spoke about why Alpha Kappa Alpha was considered to be the frontrunner in an interview with the Davidsonian shortly after the AKA presentation. 

 

 

“Sorority search continues with AKA, Zeta presentations.” McKown, Colleen. The Davidsonian, April 5, 2006. 

Ebony Harley: “The presentation by Alpha Kappa Alpha was a very comprehensive and informative overview of the organization. Each of the AKA women articulately and completely explained the various aspects of sisterhood, going into detail about their policies, processes, and member expectations,” Harley said. “AKA’s GPA requirement shows their commitment to scholarship and sends interested women the message that academics come first above all other extracurricular activities.” 

 

Davidson College extended an invitation to Alpha Kappa Alpha in Fall semester 2006 and awaited their response. AKA regionally approved a chapter coming to Davidson College in February 2007, and the organization was officially charted as Davidson’s first sorority on November 23, 2008. 

 

Alpha Kappa Alpha yearbook page, 2009.

Delta Sigma Theta (2011) 

In 2011, the second historically Black sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, was established at Davidson College. The new sorority was founded to expand the service opportunities available to Black, female-identifying students interested in Greek Life. The sorority's arrival promised an even wider variety of options for women of color to become involved in the Patterson Court social scene.

 

In the Davidsonian article announcing Delta's arrival, the Expansion Committee Chair, Lamonte Stamps, spoke about the important advocacy from Davidson students which made the sorority possible.

 

"Davidson to welcome new sorority." Wilson, Kelly. The Davidsonian, March 17, 2010. 

"This was a student-led initative," Stamps said. "There was a group of women that was interested in providing another option for the students of Davidson. That shows the spirit of Davidson and why Davidson is such a great place. We allow our students to give feedback and stand up for what they want and what they believe in. As a result, this is why this process is happening now." 

 

The students who were present at and responsible for the chartering of the organization at Davidson on March 27, 2011 included; Raven Hoskins, Rachel Means, Leah Davis, Erika Bell, Kaneisha Gaston, Aria Halliday, Rayna McKenzie, Chloe Woodington, Melodie Mendez, Margaret Ramseur, Tamara Munroe, Marissa Ghant, Victoria Jackson, Natasha Rivera, and Ashley Crawford.

 

The five tenets central to Delta Sigma Theta’s organizational mission (also known as their Five Point Programmatic Thrust) are: Economic Development, Educational Development, International Awareness and Involvement, Political Awareness and Involvement, and Physical and Mental Health. 

 

(If you are interested in learning more about Davidson College’s Delta Sigma Theta chapter today, we encourage you to visit their website here.)

 

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Page in Quips and Cranks, 2011

Lambda Pi Chi (2018)

The most recent sorority to join Davidson College was the historically Latina sorority Lambda Pi Chi in 2018. The trajectory of their founding is written about on their national organization website. This site also lists the Davidson students involved in advocating for its founding: 

 

“Alpha Gamma Chapter, Davidson College .” Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc. , 2018, www.lambdapichi.org/page/alpha_gamma_chapter.

In the Spring of 2016, a student interest group at Davidson College began advocating for a Latina-based sorority. The women felt passionately about bringing an organization that would help unify the Latina community and promote Latinx culture on campus. After 2 years of hard work, Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad/Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc. was invited to establish a chapter. In the Spring of 2018, Cristina Bañuelos (National President), Elaine Townsend Utin, and Alzebeth Roman presented the Sorority to Patterson Court Council and interested women. The interest group voted on the Sorority to come to campus. Without a doubt, the Sorority vision, mission, and goals aligned with the values of the interest group. Las Hermanas [Latina student group at Davidson College] represented the professional, academic, and powerful women the interests aspired to be.

 

The Alpha Gamma Chapter of Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad/Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc. was chartered at Davidson College on December 1, 2018. The Davidson students who were involved in the sorority's founding included;  Leslie Vergara, Ariana Wasret, Yara Quezada, Genesis Canela, Crystal Ibarra, Olivia Pelaez, Alexa Cole, Jenny López, Veronica De La Mora, Odalys Anchondo, and Valerie Arias. A motivating expansion committee also assisted in securing the charter, which included Adrienne Martinez, Abigail Jaimes, Rosita Vazquez, Nayira Warren, Alzebeth Roman, Jessica Castañeda, and Elaine Townsend Utin.

 

The movement to bring Lambda Pi Chi to Patterson Court showcases the ongoing evolution of Davidson student organizations as students advocate for a social scene that more accurately reflects the diversity of identities, interests, and worldviews that constitute our campus community.

 

(If you are interested in learning more about the Davidson College chapter of Lambda Pi Chi,  we encourage you to visit their website.) 

 

"Latinx Organizations Vie for Spots on Patterson Court," Xu, Cathy. The Davidsonian, April 25, 2018. 

 

"Latinx Organizations Vie for Spots on Patterson Court Next Year," in the Davidsonian, April 25, 2018

As of today, it is unclear if any new sororities are on the horizon for Davidson College. The story of sororities at Davidson is an ever evolving one; from the first 1995 poll of African-American women at Davidson College stating their interest in bringing a sorority to campus, to the sorority debate of 1997, to today's three sororities, all serving as empowering, vibrant spaces for students who are part of historically marginalized communities at Davidson.

 

The Greek Life organizations geared towards women at Davidson College are here as a result of student-led advocacy, possible only through the hard work of female-identifying students who continuously push for more meaningful representation for not only themselves, but also their respective communities on Patterson Court. 

 

 

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