Memo to Panhellenic: There is such a thing as being too successful.
For those of you who don’t follow campus elections (and, judging by the total votes cast Tuesday, that’s a lot of you), Panhellenic-the association of historically white sororities-candidates swept the Homecoming elections.
From freshman maids to Homecoming Queen, only candidates sponsored by a Panhellenic-affiliated sorority were elected.
(Full disclosure: I have never been a member of a social fraternity. Both of my siblings are Greek.)
I don’t envy President J. Charles Lee during the Homecoming game. He’s going to have a difficult time explaining to some big-time donor that Mississippi State is a racially-inclusive campus (and, therefore, worthy of big-time donations) when that donor is looking at an all white, all Greek Homecoming Court.
It doesn’t take a genius to see what happened: Panhellenic horse-traded nominations. Sources within the sororities have confirmed this information, although one could also note the balanced number of sororities represented in the nominations.
I should differentiate between Panhellenic, which is composed of the historically white sororities, and Panhellenic Council, which is a formal body with representatives from each sorority. The council didn’t horse-trade. Other representatives from the sororities did.
This horse-trading does a disservice to a lot people, even to the white sorority members. Imagine a well-qualified Delta Gamma who wanted to run for Homecoming Queen. Imagine hearing her sorority sister tell her, “Sorry, it’s just not our year, but won’t you support Panhellenic’s candidate for Homecoming Queen?”
With electioneering, sour grapes get spilled everywhere.
I don’t mean to disparage the people who won. Kate McIntosh, for example, deserves to be Miss MSU. She has a stellar service and academic record and is an all-around great person. But I can say the same about Patti Reiss and Akilah Minor. All three nominees deserved a voting process that didn’t reek of electioneering.
The irony is Homecoming elections mean nearly nothing. The vote decides who gets to wear a pretty dress and have their picture in The Reveille.
The problem is the symbolism of the vote.
Does anyone think black Greeks, members of the Black Student Alliance or the independents are going to forget about this? The football team has a better chance of playing for a national championship.
What will happen is that those people will be alienated from the organizations that are supposed to bring people together, namely the Student Association.
That’s unfortunate because the SA has worked hard to dispel the myth that it’s just an organization that exists to build up the rsums of white Greeks.
A lot of independents and black Greeks hold important positions in the SA. Without them, an event like this year’s Bulldog Bash could not have been such a smashing success. Twenty thousand people would not have shown up if the Bash was perceived as an Greek street party.
Even more troubling, imagine if the horse-trading extends to SA executive officer elections.
It hasn’t happened yet. This year’s executive officers and Cabinet are both white and black, Greek and independent. The senate also has a decent mix. But this election should signal the SA to change how Homecoming elections are conducted.
Allowing candidates to campaign, as annoying as it is for the rest of us, helps groups other than white Greeks get out the vote.
The current system, while nicer for students trying to cross the Drill Field without 10 candidates trying to shake their hands, invites backroom dealmaking.
If things don’t change, well, at least I won’t be here next year to witness it.
Memo to Panhellenic: There is such a thing as a backlash.
Wilson Boyd is a senior economics major. He can be reached at [email protected].