Pi Kappa, a campus sorority also known as Peanuts, became the first Greek Life organization that decided to create the position of Diversity Chair in fall 2017 in order to support diversity, equity and inclusion among the student body at The College of Wooster. Alex Gordon ’18 was elected to serve as the first in this position, followed by myself.
This position requires members of Pi Kappa to become more involved in campus-wide activities put on by other student organizations to promote diversity and inclusion, not limited to race and ethnicity, but including sexuality, gender, religion and other identities. Following their participation in these events, members are required to fill out a form detailing what they learned from the event and any unanswered questions they may have. This will help members to become more aware of the diversity of the College community and to constantly educate themselves on this matter. Furthermore, Pi Kappa has an annual Diversity Retreat in the spring which is facilitated by the Center for Diversity and Inclusion. This semester, the members will be participating in ‘The Elevated Series’ hosted by the different branches of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion after which the Diversity Chair facilitates a reflection discussion. The first one, “Marginalized, Minoritized and Multicultural,” was hosted by Multicultural Student Affairs. Greek Life has a tendency to exclude themselves from matters related to diversity, but when Greek Life members come from diverse backgrounds, it becomes important to provide a safe and supportive environment for them. Members of Greek Life, including Pi Kappa, have taken part in different microaggressions as well as making statements and participating in situations that are inappropriate in terms of race, gender and sexuality. This is the reason why this position was created by Alex Gordon ’18 in the first place, as some members of Pi Kappa experienced uncomfortable interactions. Thus, it is extremely important to educate ourselves on such matters.
For a person to truly learn, they need to move out of their comfort zones by attending events that they may not know anything about and may feel out of place and uncomfortable. This allows them to understand and learn about the experiences of students from diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, no progress can be made within the Greek Life community if only a few select people are the ones taking initiative. We need to come together as a community to foster a diverse and inclusive environment that everyone understands the importance of as well. Thus, it’s time for Greek Life at The College of Wooster to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Nashmia Khan, a Contributing Writer for the Voice, can be reached for comment at NKhan20@wooster.edu.