On Thursday, a special Diversity Dialogue series was held as part of the Creed and Diversity Week celebration. The Office of Multicultural and Student Affairs — who regularly plan the Diversity Dialogue events — partnered with the Greek Programming Board to sponsor a session titled "Social Justice in Greek Life." Affiliates of various fraternities and sororities as well as members of IPC, NPC, NPHC and the LGBTQ+ community attended the discussion to discuss current issues in Greek Life.
When asked what she thought the outcome of the event would be, Lisa McCoy, graduate assistant in the Office of Multicultural and Student Affairs and organizer of the Diversity Dialogue events, said that she hopes to empower students to become better members of the Carolina community.
“My hope is just to start dialogues in this space and outside about social justice, which regards so many topics within the Greek community and the greater Carolina community,” McCoy said. “And how everyone, not just Greeks, can become better citizens.”
To start off the session, McCoy discussed the basic definition of social justice and asked attendees to shout out various types of social justice they think are prevalent, such as physical and mental ability, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation and gender expression.
Each attendee was then given a different color Starburst and put into a group based on the color.
After dividing the crowd, students in the pink and yellow groups were to search the Internet and social media for positive things in the media about Greek life, while the red and orange groups were to find the negative. Stories ranged from blood drives and philanthropy fundraisers to hazing and discrimination.
It became evident that it was much easier to find negative stories in the media than positive about Greek life, leading the group to ponder a few questions: Why is it so much easier to find the negative? How can we prevent these negative events from occurring? And most importantly, what do we want for our Carolina Greek community?
Harsher punishments against offenses and violations, more fundraising and philanthropic efforts, increased diversity and developing a trans-friendly environment were all mentioned in the discussion on how attendees would like to see the Carolina Greek community develop and strengthen.
Katie Kennedy, third-year public health student and member of Delta Delta Delta, saw the event as an opportunity to confront important issues currently relevant in the Greek life community.
“Obviously issues of accountability have been very prevalent in Greek organizations across the nation,” Kennedy said. “So I think this will be a good chance for everyone to [ask themselves] ‘Why are we in these organizations? ‘Are we holding each other to a higher standard?’ and also ‘What are we really standing for in these organizations?’”
The dialogue discussed the Greek organizations accomplishments and celebrations, as well as their problematic areas. It served to do this in an open and constructive environment.
"People came away with a better understanding of each other and their groups," Harris Courson, Interfraternity Council Vice President of Programming, said in an email. "More specifically, I feel like the Fraternity/Sorority members saw places where we can grow."