Some sororities and fraternities at Carleton University were told last week that they were not allowed to have a table in the University Centre Atrium or in Residence Commons, or congregate in groups on campus, as Greek societies are defined as discriminatory, because they are not open to the entire student body. Carleton has a long-standing rule against allowing discriminatory groups on campus.
This decision from the university came abruptly, with no proper communication to the student body. Last year, both fraternities and sororities were allowed to have tables and fundraise as they wished.
Greek societies might have a bad reputation for hazing and drunken parties, but they also do philanthropic work and support local charities. These include Relay for Life, UNICEF, and Movember. Much of the time, Greek societies are tabling to raise money for charity. If they are limited in where they can fundraise, it means that those charities could receive less money.
If the university hopes to cut down on traffic in busy areas, they should ban all groups from tabling, not just the Greek ones. It also isn’t logical to ban these groups only from certain areas, but not others.
If the university wants to make a statement, it should either ban Greek societies completely from campus, or not at all. Proper communication about these bans should also take place between the university and the student body.
