02/28/2017
Stanford will fill the house 1047 with 3 greek organizations: Sigma Phi Epsilon, Sigma Psi Zeta, and Sigma Theta Psi Multicultural Sorority Inc., Delta Chapter as of the 2017-18 academic year. A few circulating articles have been critical of Stanford's choice - here's our response:
Sigma Theta Psi Multicultural Sorority Incorporated, Delta Chapter, seeks to celebrate and lift up the diverse backgrounds represented on Stanford’s campus. We, as an organization, strive to embrace the differing values and opinions we see in our communities by offering a space that is fundamental in exploring the intersections between race, gender, and sexuality, through events like Bright Pink, SlutWalk, and Quiero Mis Quince. We appreciate the perspectives presented in the discourse surrounding 1047 Campus Drive; however, we, as a sorority, have a different stance on the incoming shared space.
Sigma Theta Psi is excited for what our presence will mean on the Row. This is a new precedent on campus, and we see it as an opportunity for growth. Our three organizations have an opportunity to interact in a manner that maintains our unique identities, while allowing for discussions that create a cohesive community that impacts not only each other, but Stanford at large.
Moreover, the shared space enables channels of communication between organizations that historically have had limited interactions. In doing so, 1047 challenges the ideas of exclusivity, misogyny, and discrimination that traditionally surround Greek life. Statistically, the racial/ethnic demographic of housed Greek life does not match the diversity of the Stanford population as a whole. We are excited to see more people of color feeling comfortable in IFC/ISC spaces, but we feel there is a unique need for organizations historically built for people of color on the row. We have the chance to creatively facilitate conversations regarding diverse topics, making Greek life even more accessible and welcoming to students from all backgrounds.
We are delighted to share our visions and values with the rest of the campus and are open to new faces. If interested in learning more about our organization, we invite you to our Winter Informational on March 9th, at Harmony House from 7PM to 8PM.
