For some, like Milford senior and President of Kappa Alpha Theta Diana Sanchez, being in a sorority means “holding each other accountable and finding leadership and networking.” For others, like Port Huron senior and former member of Kappa Delta (KD) Serenity Dean, the experience feels “very cliquey” and “very expensive.”
Dean said she joined KD, one of Albion College’s seven sororities, her sophomore year because she liked the sense of community. She added that as a senior, this fall semester would’ve been her last, and she already paid her dues for this semester.
On the evening of Sept. 22, Dean said she was summoned to a standards meeting.
“When you get summoned, they don’t tell you what you did wrong,” Dean said. “All they tell you is financial, behavioral or misconduct.”
A standards meeting, according to Rochester junior and KD’s Vice President of Inclusion Emma Kastl, entails discussing behavior, attendance, physical health or various other issues.
“There’s a process, we discuss what happens (and) if applicable they receive sanctions,” Kastl said. “Everything in those meetings is only known by me and my support board.”
Dean’s standards meeting on Oct. 1, which she said was supposed to include a member of a chief advisory board (CAB), was devoid of one. During the meeting, Dean said she was “accused of stealing” and put on bad standing.
Assistant Dean of Campus Life, Delta Sigma Theta sister and Advisor for Multicultural Sororities and Fraternities Sharese Shannon-Mathis said being in bad standing means failing to meet national standards, which could eventually lead to being “viewed as a risk.”
Dean, who appealed the decision and reached out to Kappa Delta National Headquarters via email on Oct. 1, said that “either people were like, ‘We can’t do anything’ or ‘No, they can punish you for suspicion.’”
The Pleiad reached out via email to the Kappa Delta National Headquarters on Oct. 17. They did not respond in time for publication.
When Dean messaged the president of KD about dropping on Oct. 3, she said it was with the expectation that it would follow the standard dropping process of 48 hours.
According to Dean, it took her sorority six days to drop her.
Kastl said that dropping a sorority is a process often driven by various personal reasons.
“Dropping a sorority basically means you don’t want to be a part of that chapter. You have to talk to the president, sign papers and those all have to be approved by alumni that work with the chapter,” Kastl said. “Different schools have different processes.”
Kastl added that KD wants everyone in their house to succeed and wants to uplift them, “even if they make mistakes.”
The Pleiad reached out via email to Associate Vice President for Student Development and On-Campus Advisor for the Panhellenic Sororities Connie Smith on Oct. 9 and 11. She did not respond in time for publication.
Support from Sorority Sisters
Bluffton, Indiana senior and member of Kappa Alpha Theta, Riley Zoll said she faces stereotypes because of her status as a sorority member.
“When I tell people I’m in a sorority they think I’m loud and extroverted, which I’m not,” Zoll said. “Greek life is like that; it’s not this big extravagant thing.”
Zoll added she has experience with sisterhood before joining a sorority since she has four sisters.
“Theta was very welcoming,” Zoll said. “Sisterhood is very loving and unconditional, we all go through hard things but we do the best we can to support each other, even when we mess up.”
President of Kappa Alpha Theta Diana Sanchez said the Theta chapter is constantly challenging false narratives and stereotypes about Greek life.
“I know people say being in a sorority is going out drinking, hanging out at the frats or portraying a certain image,” Sanchez said.
Theta, for Sanchez, is a “very diverse” sorority, an aspect she doesn’t think all schools have.
Sanchez also said that when rumors about sororities are created on YikYak, an anonymous social media platform with an upvote and downvote system, “we downvote it and get it taken down because honestly, a lot of stuff gets taken out of proportion.”
Responsibility in Sororities
Dean said that part of being a sorority member means following a point system, which is assessed during formal, a final sorority dinner.
“Certain events have a certain amount of points. If by time of formal you don’t have a certain amount, you can’t go,” Dean said. “By the end of the semester, if you don’t have 20, you have to pay a dollar for each point you miss.”
Shannon-Mathis said multicultural sororities, which host events based on cultural values rather than campus lifestyle, replace points with high expectations for sisters.
“What else is your purpose? It really goes down to how you are representing your letters, how you are representing the values of your organization,” Shannon-Mathis said.
According to KD national headquarters’ website, in addition to teaching sorority members responsibility, the sorority has a mission of “building confidence in women, inspiring them to take action in their communities and creating a sisterhood based on shared values, respect and belonging.”
In the six days between deciding to drop and officially being dropped, Dean said she was fined $5 for not attending a chapter meeting and was accused of stealing a ritual handbook.
On Oct. 15, Dean said the national chapter emailed her offering her inactive member status, as well as a review of the standards meeting. Inactive member status Dean said means “you don’t have to participate in everything. You just hold the name.”
For multicultural sororities, Shannon-Mathis said that all member status involves “societal action and being politically active” while also showing up for each other.
“It’s a different kind of bond and if you need it, if you need a sister to show up or do something, we figure out a way to make it happen,” Shannon-Mathis said.
Conflict Resolution
When conflicts arise, Dean said sisters in KD are encouraged to schedule a meeting with the vice president of DEI, amongst other things.
“There can be conflict resolution meetings, we call them ‘green carpet,’” Dean said. “If you’re having an issue with the chapter, you can call a green carpet and then tell everyone ‘Hey, I’m having this issue, let’s resolve it as a chapter.’”
Dean added that her sorority leadership did not check in before her standards meeting and that, “before accusing me, they could’ve asked me, ‘hey, do you know where this is?’”
The Pleiad reached out via email to President of Kappa Delta Emily Brooks on Oct. 17 and Nov. 4. She declined an interview in accordance with the Pleiad’s policies.
Kastl said conflict can be resolved in many ways, such as conversation mediated by her, and sometimes sanctions.
“It’s not a punishment, more like a slap on the wrist, I make them aware of behaviors so they don’t repeat them,” Kastl said. “We don’t make it embarrassing or demeaning. We want you to do better.”
Shannon-Mathis said that she encourages those with conflicts to think about their sorority missions.
“Anytime you have a group of people, there’s going to be fighting. It’s just more of how you can go back to your founders and your mission and vision,” Shannon-Mathis said. “Circle back to why y’all joined this organization, or what the people were trying to do when they started.”
Dean’s Decision
On Oct. 15 Dean decided not to accept reinstatement within KD, she said.
“I feel like if I go back, it’s just going to make it worse with others. As I was pulling out my drop form, they asked me if I had stolen other things,” Dean said. “I feel like I’m just going to be accused of more stuff.”
Dean said that for those having thoughts of dropping, “if you’re having that feeling, it’s probably the right feeling to be having. It’s not an easy decision to make, but it could be the best thing for that person.”
Naima Davenport also contributed reporting to this story.
Editor’s Note: Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2:05 p.m. Sharese Shannon-Mathis’s position as the advisor for multicultural sororities and fraternities was changed for accuracy and her sorority affiliation was introduced. At 7:55 p.m., formatting of notes about sources that did not respond was updated according to policy.
My daughter, also a former member of KD, also had an incredibly difficult time getting dropped. It took them months to exit her while they continuously made her feel guilty about leaving. After one member cornered her in their lodge to list off all the things she was “doing wrong” while other members listened in on the “private” convo.
Everyone look at the new trump running to the new Fox News to post her manipulative lies