Paranoia Struck the U. of Alabama Over a Greek-Life Movie. Right here’s What’s Truly in It.
[ad_1]
The much-hyped Bama Rush documentary begins predictably, with a montage of glitzy TikTok movies, taken in August 2021. That summer season, the College of Alabama’s sorority-recruitment course of captured the nation’s consideration on-line and by no means let it go.
In a few of the movies, younger ladies in preppy garments clarify their outfits of the day and squeal in pleasure for “rush week,” the high-pressure interval for potential new members to pitch themselves to sorority chapters. In different clips, #BamaRush followers imitate the ladies and gossip in regards to the who’s who of sorority recruitment.
Quickly, the montage jumps to “bid day,” when the ladies discover out which sorority has accepted them. Extra squealing ensues. As pastel colours and glitter flood the display screen, it’s straightforward to grasp why many younger ladies see sorority membership as key to their sense of belonging on campus.
Bama Rush, directed by Rachel Fleit and launched on HBO Max final week, follows 4 younger ladies — three of whom are white, and one in every of whom is biracial — who’ve positioned their hopes and goals for faculty within the confetti-filled basket of the 2022 rush course of.
Paranoia ensued on the Tuscaloosa campus final yr amid rumors that Fleit was outfitting college students with microphones to file rush-week conversations in sorority homes. The College of Alabama’s president even despatched a threatening letter to Fleit in regards to the rumors, in keeping with the movie. A spokesman for Alabama didn’t reply to a request for remark from The Chronicle.
Fleit has mentioned secret recordings by no means occurred. In reality, the movie doesn’t fixate on what’s improper with Greek life, past transient discussions of racism and classism and some mentions of “the Machine,” a cabal of fraternity and sorority members that’s mentioned to manage campus politics.
As a substitute, it paints a portrait of 18- and 19-year-old ladies grappling with the stress to be excellent. They stress over outfits, hair, résumés, and head pictures. They share intimate particulars about their lives and their fears.
The Chronicle requested two consultants on sororities and scholar affairs what they considered Bama Rush and whether or not its depiction of sorority recruitment precisely displays Greek life at different campuses. Listed below are three takeaways.
There’s extra to Greek life than what’s proven right here.
Jana Mathews, an affiliate professor of English at Rollins Faculty and creator of The Advantages of Associates: Contained in the Difficult World of As we speak’s Sororities and Fraternities (College of North Carolina Press, 2022), mentioned the College of Alabama is on the excessive finish of the Greek-life spectrum.
All the things is political, every little thing is about boys, every little thing is about politics and about faith, in oblique methods.
Thirty-six p.c of Alabama college students are in fraternities and sororities, in contrast with the nationwide common of 10 p.c to fifteen p.c, Mathews mentioned. Greek life at Alabama is a key draw for out-of-state college students.
“Simply the way in which wherein the college places a lot cash into the organizations and into that tradition, it’s approach past the rest you will notice wherever else,” Mathews, herself a member of a sorority, informed The Chronicle.
The movie additionally focuses on Nationwide Panhellenic Convention sororities, that are traditionally white. Alabama didn’t formally desegregate these sororities till 2013.
Nationwide Pan-Hellenic Council sororities and fraternities, that are traditionally Black, have a wealthy historical past on the College of Alabama and different establishments. However only some minutes of the movie are dedicated to a Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and its integration of Alabama’s sorority row within the Nineteen Eighties.
Katherine S. Cho, an assistant professor of upper training at Loyola College Chicago, research and teaches about racial realities at faculties. She mentioned the movie doesn’t delve deeply sufficient into desegregation and discrimination in opposition to Black sororities.
“It was so informal about how we’ve built-in,” she mentioned. “We all know simply because we are saying one thing’s been built-in doesn’t imply it’s been built-in. I may say that my salad has been built-in, however that doesn’t imply something.”
A deeper dialogue of race and sophistication in Greek life is required.
The documentary does talk about the methods race and sophistication form college students’ experiences with Greek life.
In a single scene, Makayla, who’s half Black and half white, will get blonde highlights and straightens her hair in preparation for rush week.
“There’s a look that’s well-put-together and exhibiting confidence, and it’s important to mix in with out loopy protruding,” a “rush guide” tells the director in between pictures of Makayla brushing her hair. “You don’t should be like everybody else, however you simply must not stick out.” (Sure, some college students rent “rush consultants” to information them via the recruitment course of.)
And there’s a scene wherein one other rush guide tells a scholar to not speak in regards to the “5 B’s” — boys, booze, Bible, bucks, and Biden — throughout recruitment.
“I used to be guffawing as I used to be watching that as a result of the 5 B’s are precisely proper on the core of the fraternity and sorority expertise, behind closed doorways,” Mathews mentioned. “You don’t say publicly that we’re about any of these items. However if you get into the group, every little thing is political, every little thing is about boys, every little thing is about politics and about faith, in oblique methods.”
The documentary doesn’t go a lot deeper than these refined references to race and privilege. The “abolish Greek life” motion, which drew consideration to discrimination, hazing, and sexual assault in fraternities and sororities in 2020 and 2021, isn’t talked about.
Cho informed The Chronicle she saved having to remind herself that the documentary was not for academic functions however for mass consumption.
“This isn’t a racial reckoning,” she mentioned. “This isn’t the controversial documentary that I’d have wished.”
Mathews mentioned that whereas the documentary may have accomplished extra to interrogate its topics about race and sophistication, there may be additionally a spot for the empathetic, narrative strategy it takes. There’s no scarcity of criticism of sororities and fraternities on the web. Bama Rush is extra nuanced.
“It may have gone a bit of bit deeper, and I believe that was in all probability” Fleit’s hope too, Mathews mentioned. “She expressed remorse when individuals had been dropping out and deciding to not reveal as a lot as they maybe wished to or ought to have.”
Don’t anticipate the movie to spur one other “abolish Greek life” second.
“To not be dramatic,” a TikTok person mentioned in a video proven in the course of the movie, “however this HBO particular may very well be the top of Greek life as we all know it.”
Worry not. The movie isn’t as a lot an investigation of sorority life as it’s an clarification of it. People who find themselves unfamiliar with the Greek-life system will be taught a factor or two, Mathews mentioned, but it surely isn’t more likely to result in a judgment day.
“Finally, the movie didn’t match the expectations of the TikTok craze itself,” Mathews mentioned. “It was by no means going to have the ability to dwell as much as that stage of hype.”
If something, the documentary serves to maintain issues the way in which they’re in Greek life, Cho mentioned. For instance, she mentioned, the movie introduces, however doesn’t examine, the concept that fraternities decide sorority rankings — the unofficial hierarchies that mirror which sororities are and aren’t prestigious.
“It felt like an agendaless agenda,” Cho mentioned, “however there clearly is an agenda about upholding the norm.”
[ad_2]