Members of groups are individuals too

Thursday, May 14, 1998

Members of groups are individuals too

STEROTYPES: A campus praising diversity should practice what it
preaches

By Amy Sneed

For the past four years, I have listened to people preach about
diversity and warn students about the evils of stereotypes. Coming
from a small northern California town, I had my own when I moved
here. That tends to be expected of somebody who has not experienced
life in the big city. That is part of the reason I came to UCLA. I
wanted to escape my small town and learn about real life. I wanted
to meet all kinds of people and experience different cultures.

I came to the right place. UCLA is made up of tens of thousands
of students. Over the past four years, I have met only a small
percentage of these people, but each individual has taught me
something different. While culture, race and religion have been
issues I’ve dealt with and learned about, I have found that there
is much more that makes up the essence of a person. I have
discovered that each person within a particular group has their own
personality, their own political beliefs and their own moral
values. It is important to keep in mind that, although someone may
be part of a group, they should be given the chance to express
themselves as individuals. Everybody should be given an equal
opportunity to make a name for themselves.

I’ve learned that although this attitude is preached all over
campus, many people refuse to practice it. I am not talking about
the common topics of race or religion that we hear about every day,
but something a bit different. Since my freshman year, I have had
to defend a very negative stereotype. I am a proud member of one of
the most stigmatized groups on campus – a sorority.

I know that right now, many of you are forming an image in your
head of what I look like, how I act and who I am. You have laughed
at the cartoons, watched the news programs and seen the movies. I
had a teacher my freshman year who ridiculed me in front of the
entire class due to my Greek association. At that point, I just
sunk in my seat as I tried defending myself. In making my decision
to join a house, I realized this was not the first, nor the last
time I would encounter such an attitude. I was right.

Looking back, I wonder if that teacher would have ridiculed
someone based on his race. But in reality, I know that she wouldn’t
have done that because we are taught not to do such things – and
rightfully so. People deserve to be treated with respect. Well,
most people.

For years, I have tried to figure out where this selective
open-mindedness stems from. I’m sure there are a lot of
explanations. I’ve heard my fair share of them. But frankly, it’s
wrong.

Each woman who I have known in my sorority has been a completely
unique individual. In my time at UCLA, I have known close to 200
members. There have been some who I have had a lot in common with,
some who I have had little in common with, and some who opposed
every idea I stood for. But because we wear the same letters,
people assume that we are all alike. It’s sad.

I’ve been taught that stereotypes come from ignorance. People
meet a few individuals who are part of a group and assume that the
rest of the members must be the same. The only things that change
these generalizations are education, experience and
open-mindedness. Yes, the same things that many of the very people
who stereotype me preach.

I will not try to deny that sororities have a strong social
component to them, which is often the source of criticism.
Friendship, living with others and social functions are all aspects
of sorority life. But the sorority experience does not stop there.
Just like with any activity one becomes involved in, you get back
as much as you put in. The opportunities are endless.

Sororities offer leadership experience, teach women to live
together, provide role models for members, offer alumnae
activities, provide philanthropy events, invite women to learn what
opportunities are available to them outside of UCLA and allow
members to find a place that they can call home while they are in
college.

I have remained involved for four years and I continue to live
in my house as a senior. Each year, I find new opportunities. My
freshman year I looked up to the older women. I have kept in
contact with them, and am following in their footsteps in the
advertising industry when I graduate. My sophomore year, I became
treasurer of my sorority. Not only did I learn how to deal with
people in a working environment, but I also learned how to run a
small business. Continuing as an officer my junior year, I was able
to travel and deal with national chapters. As a senior, I have now
lived with nine women, each with a completely different
personality. Not to mention the common living space I share with 60
women. These are just a few of the opportunities I have
encountered.

Now, as I graduate, I look back and realize that my college
experience would not have been full of the life lessons I have
learned if I had not remained an active part of my chapter, if I
had chosen to give in to the criticisms. But instead, I have been
there to help friends through some of life’s greatest challenges
and celebrate some of life’s finest moments with the same women. I
have become the confident, motivated woman I am today because of my
Greek involvement.

My sorority experience has diversified my college experience. In
getting to know so many women and appreciate them for who they are
at the core, I can truly say I am blessed. I am lucky to have had
my particular experiences and each other member is just as lucky to
have had her own unique experiences. Because yes, we are all
different.

Everybody out there on the UCLA campus is a complex person
bursting with talent, inspiration and hope. Our differences are
what make us exceptional.

I am willing to see beyond the color of one’s skin to find out
who is there. Hopefully, others are willing to look beyond the
letters on my sweatshirt to find out who I am.