Sorority Nay

Until this year, I didn’t even think it was possible for a sorority to exist at The New School. When I think of sororities, I see images of catty beauty queens, drunken college parties, hazing, bullying, and exclusivity. While these are merely projections of the media, hazing issues still exist. It may seem that only extreme sorority stories gain media attention – as in the case of a Delta Gamma member at the University of Maryland who issued a controversial letter that addressed its sorority sisters as “mentally slow” – but these issues do exist and create a less welcoming environment for students who may feel alienated by the idea of Greek life. The concept of such groups at this institution has been treated with contempt by many students because sororities are not only perceived as unnecessary, but also harmful. The New School does not need sororities.

What originally attracted me to The New School was that it prides itself on individuality. From seminar-based classrooms to accentuation on progressiveness and diversity, it’s always been comfortable with its own image. It was clear to me from the very beginning that this was not the type of place to have any sort of Greek life. With the urban setting and lack of campus, a sorority could not thrive here. Our neighboring school, New York University, is able to maintain its Greek life due to its large student body and typically traditional college environment.

“Personally, part of the New School’s appeal, when I applied and enrolled, was the lack of a Greek life and I don’t think I’m alone in that,” said sophomore Jill Anderson. “Had I wanted to join a sorority in New York, I would have gone to NYU.”

The New School, in the heart of New York City, can be a bit lonely at times. With ambitions running high, everyone is in a rush to get somewhere and the atmosphere can be a bit frightening, especially for younger students.

“As freshmen at the time, adjusting to life at The New School was difficult,” Angela Luna and Alyssa Gruber, president and vice-president of Kappa Delta Nu, wrote in an email. “There is not much community as at other schools, and no tight knit groups.”

We don’t need to build more communities when they’ve always been here waiting for us to discover them. Why have sororities when there are book clubs, meditation centers, performance troupes, writing workshops, and fitness classes, which serve the same purpose of creating a community? We are surrounded by hundreds of people at any given moment in this city, confining oneself to a sisterhood seems limiting. Not having Greek life creates a unique, welcoming atmosphere for students.

“I don’t like how sororities and fraternities are divided by gender. I find their inherent exclusivity disgusting,” Anderson said. “There are other, better ways of being involved in community service without creating a sisterhood.”

The New School strives for progressive thinking and is no place for gender divides to take hold. We’ve already taken a step forward by introducing gender inclusive restrooms, and embracing groups that are historically gender-normative would only set us back.

“Greek life has a really bad connotation to it,” said New School student Hanna Moch. “Many transfer students at The New School are escaping a life where Greek life was put on a pedestal and where those involved might have even made life uncomfortable for students who didn’t fit the ideal.”

By introducing sororities, we are going against the core of what we stand for. The New School was founded by intellectuals frustrated at the restrictions of typical universities, starving for intellectual freedom. This school was founded on the basis of individuality and rebellion against the norm, and it would be a shame to lose that spirit.