The sisters of Alpha Beta Psi (ABY) have faced prejudice and bias, and they feel that there is a lot of misinformation about them. The Rotunda sat down with sisters Lauren Lauderdale, Katie Reinsberg, Erin McGrath, Meghan Czaikoski, and Brittany Warburton to discuss what they have face on campus and in the community.
Lauderdale explained that the sorority started at Richard Bland College and it sort of went into hiatus. It was brought to Longwood and had an active chapter that sort of fizzled out. It was brought back in 2008 and has been an active chapter in the Farmville community ever since.
The girls explained that one big misconception about them is they have done something wrong. Sisters say that when people find out they are in ABY a frequent response is "What did you do?" Lauderdale said that they chose to be off-campus, and refer to themselves as a local sorority.
The girls refer to themselves as "individually unique, together complete." Warburton said, "We are all individual. We are not cookie cutter." McGrath said she joined ABY because she felt like she was accepted for whom she was. "I felt like Erin," she said, and talked about how being a sister is like an adventure. "I didn't know the school's reaction was going to be so harsh," she commented in response to her choosing to become a sister of ABY.
Sister Meagan Czaikoski expressed frustrations with the university. "Longwood prides itself on leadership. You think they would be more open-minded," she said.
Lauderdale explained that the sorority looked into joining Greek life on campus, but was told by the university that they were not looking to expand Greek life.
Warburton said that when she started to pledge ABY, her parents received a letter from Dr. Richard Chassey in the Office of Honor and Judicial Programs. The letter, which the girls said was poorly edited, had some crucial information including that the sorority was in fact off-campus and not recognized by Longwood University. The letter also detailed the dangers of pledging an off-campus Greek organization and even outlined some instances of students who had died while pledging an off-campus organization. She and her sisters have no issues with a factual letter, but they don't like that the letter was full of mistakes and used as a scare tactic.
Reinsberg stated that when a girl joins the sorority, a sister calls her parents to explained why ABY is, what they stand for, and what the girls will be experiencing during their pledge process. The parents are also given the contact information of the sisters in case any concerns arise. Czaikoski said that all the girls have to sign an anti-hazing policy, and all the sisters expressed that they want there to be no discomfort within the sorority. The pledge process simply consists on getting to know the ABY history and participating in bonding.
McGrath said that they have heard that the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life (OFSL) has gotten complaints about hazing, and although the girls are not sure if it is legitimate complaints or petty attempts they maintain the fact that they do not haze. "I would never make a girl do something she didn't want to do," said McGrath. Warburton said she expected hazing when she joined, but it didn't occur at all.
The sorority works to impact the community in a positive way, but find themselves stopped by limitations because they are off-campus. They are not allowed to conduct fundraisers on campus or participate in campus events. McGrath said other schools such as James Madison University and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) work with off-campus Greeks.
The girls said they have had a runaround with Longwood. One suggestion presented to them was to come on campus, but that idea was quickly squashed. In order for a Greek chapter to come on campus, there has to be a colony, and the girls received no support from Longwood in constructing a colony. The women interested at VCU received support in establishing an ABY colony. "The fact that other universities are open and ours is not makes me embarrassed," said Warburton. All the girls expressed disappointment that a school, home to four Alpha sorority chapters, is so resistant against ABY.
The next proposal for them was to become an all-female community service fraternity, but the university was not interested in pursuing that idea. The girls were also told to try and become a club, but when they went to apply they were told they had too many ABY sisters on their roster for them to be approved. The girls expressed that they have been denied all the resources to be recognized by the university, and then continue to be judged because the university does not recognize them.
Reinsberg said she knows ABY coming on campus isn't going to happen soon, but they want to work towards it. "We just want support at this point," she said. McGrath agreed that becoming a colony would be a good starting place. Czaikoski wants a chance to be an adult and make a difference. Lauderdale wants people to see that ABY is not a bad thing. "We have a lot of hopes and dreams. We just want support," said Warburton.**Editor's Note: The Rotunda Editorial Board was approached by the sisters of Alpha Beta Psi who wished to address some of the concerns surrounding their sorority. This article was written from the viewpoint of the girls, and details what they feel they have faced. Any concerns can be addressed to rotundaeditor@gmail.com.
