Sororities Thought to Contribute to Negative Atmosphere for Women

Date
October 2, 1980

This article is the first in a four-part series exploring the status of women at Dickinson College. The President's Commission on the Status of Women observed that even though women hold the majority on campus, they tend to act like they are in the minority. The article also noted that "Dickinson women often define themselves in terms of men - thinking of themselves as 'someone's girlfriend' or as a 'groupie to a particular fraternity.'" Some professors and students felt that sororities contributed to this atmosphere on campus and reinforce this in women. Becky Boyd, the expansion supervisor of Gamma Phi Beta noticed that women have "become so ingrained with the social structure here that they no longer demand respect." English professor Sharon O'Brien felt that in order for the atmosphere to change on campus, as well as women's mindsets about themselves, sororities needed to begin helping women to achieve womanhood and self-respect.

Location of Document in Archives
Dickinsonian, October 2, 1980