have been problematic for teens, parents, and school officials since their inception. While researching the high school sororities in Toledo, I came across an article about the ban on Greek-letter organizations in Toledo high school in March 1952. The school board mandated that the groups reorganize as acceptable clubs or close completely. Eleven sororities and fraternities took on new names and rules to align with what the school board deemed "appropriate" school clubs. The reason for the ban, and its effects on members, was given as "street disorders" in which fraternity members were said to have been involved. As a result, the school board decided to abolish groups that were already illegal by state law. Fraternity and sorority members were not allowed to play high sports, hold class offices, or represent their schools in any way.
CAPE GIRARDEAU IN AGREEMENT
In April 1955, a parent committee from Webster Grove wanted to see an end to sororities and fraternities in their high schools. The secretary demanded that voters get behind House Bill 272, which would permit school boards to abolish sororities and fraternities in secondary and elementary schools. The author of an article from
Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian, evening edition, recapped parent committee secretary J.E. Burger's reasons for the desired ban. First, potential new members suffered extreme emotional distress when being "black-balled" by the sorority, often for socioeconomic reasons- specifically that the committee had seen
"...the hearts of teen-age girls broken and their entire outlook on life warped..."
[emphasis mine]
According to the author's recount of Burger's letter, the sororities held "closed" meetings on Sunday afternoons, thereby preventing members from completing homework and going to evening activities at church; rather, girls completed their homework
after their sorority meetings. "Closed" meetings also meant that adults were not present to supervise.
The author then summarized the results of a survey that Burger had put in his letter. Burger's committee surveyed Webster Groves families on this issue of high school sororities and fraternities. Out of the 1891 replies received, 1736 (92%) respondents were in favor of abolishing the organizations in schools. Twenty-six other states had passed similar legislation.
Finally, the author recounted Superintendent L.J. Schultz's meeting with 33, where a vote was taken on this same issue- 31 voted to abolish, 2 voted to keep sororities and fraternities. School board member representative Dr. A.C. Magill told the author of the article that Webster Grove residents were upset that a handicapped ("crippled") child took an overdose of sleeping pills when she overheard sorority members discussing the limitations of her condition and her (in)ability to participate in functions. Board members did not act on this incident, and Magill told the author that one of his colleagues remarked that fraternities and sororities, if banned, could go underground, as they did in another state with similar legislation.
Seven Years On, High School Greeks Still Contentious Topic
Seven years to the month that Cape Girardeau parents were demanding the abolishment of high school fraternities and sororities, the topic was still contentious. In response to an article erroneously blaming the public school system for having sororities and fraternities, a high school member of
Sigma Alpha Sigma sorority wrote that a majority of her sisters were middle-class, that events were always chaperoned by adults, and service projects abounded. Most importantly, wrote the SAS girl, was that Cape Girardeau public schools did not support these groups, but that members of the groups happened to be students at the local high schools. She extended an invitation to all concerned adults to attend any of the group's meetings. She stated that SAS's
"main purpose is to provide fun and fellowship through community projects and clean entertainment." [emphasis mine]
ADVICE COLUMNISTS AGAINST HS SORORITIES
Dorothy Ricker
In September 1955, a sorority girl named Patty wrote to newspaper advice columnist
Dorothy Ricker about her troubled relations with her sorority sisters. The trouble started with Patty casually mentioning to a member of another sorority that Patty's sorority was soon going to have initiation. Patty's sorority sisters started telling others that Patty was spilling all of the sorority's secrets. From there, the rumors escalated to (false) accusations of inappropriate relations between Patty and her boyfriend. Patty stated that her mother and boyfriend were on her side, and that she was ignoring the gossip and rumors. Yet, she still lamented that
ignoring the rumors was difficult "...when kids you know turn away from you. It's not that I'm so much afraid of losing their friendship as I am just plain angry."
Ricker began her response with the admitted assumption that Patty must be in a high school sorority, and that such situations were not uncommon among such groups. Ricker recalled one particular sorority that had become so elitist that the school principal banned the sorority members from other school clubs; the sorority disbanded. Ricker remarked that
"it appears that some teen-age youngsters do not have the wisdom to handle secret clubs without being actually cruel and hurting others. I think sororities should be ruled out as high school activities." [emphasis mine] She advised Patty to let the gossip run its course, but if it intensified, drop her affiliation.
Mary Haworth's Mail
In 1945, a high school senior wrote to
Mary Haworth's Mail newspaper column to complain about her pledge period, specifically incessant teasing and physical abuse. Haworth responded with caution to the authenticity of the letter. (Was it another sorority prank?) Pranked or not, Haworth shared her views with this senior, beginning with the likening of sororrity rituals to the "folkways of primitive peoples". Her problem was with "... the absolute stupidity of the whole preliminary hocus-pocus- the rowdy vulgar, calculated trampling on individual personality and self-respect, to see if you can 'take it' ." Haworth advised her to drop the sorority.
ST SIMONS LANDLADY V. HS SORORS
The media often perpetuates exaggerated accounts of collegiate fraternity and sorority shenanigans, and in mid-century American press, an article (Jun. 13, 1952) in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune recounted the eviction of 33
Sigma Alpha sorority girls from Macon, Ga. The Miller High girls were renting a cottage for one week when, on the second night of their stay, their landlady asked them to leave for making too much noise. The noise, claimed the landlady, was from the 25 " 'panty-raid crazy boys' " from Macon's Lanier High, who were presumably paid the Miller girls a visit.
The girls moved out immediately, spending one night on a hard floor in a country club, prompted by the landlady cutting off their electricity.
The landlady said they could return to her place if they promised to go to bed earlier than before. But, in typical teen-aged stubbornness that afflicts all generations of youngsters, the girls " [vowed] they would not return to their beachfront cottage."
In the end, the landlady's husband refunded their money and the girls found a new hotel.
SCHENECTADY: " FOOLISH BUT FUN"
Jeff Wilkin, in the Oct. 6 2003 edition of
The Daily Gazette (Schenectady NY), reported on the pledging experiences of junior and senior high school recruits of the Alpha chapter of
Kappa Omega Phi (KOP) national sorority . A member who pledged in the fall of 1951 recalled walking around town in bathing suits over long underwear, carrying mops and pails. This attention-calling get-up certainly called attention to the girls, but it was not done in the school hallways.
Parent and School Staff Concerns Are Founded
No, the school hallways were reserved for addressing the members as "Miss _____", polishing their shoes, singing, or dancing- whatever the members requested. A pledge could refuse, but three refusals meant disbarment from full-fledged sorority membership- blackballing. Now, if the pledge was still a junior high school student, she would not have to endure in-school hazing, as it was only the senior high school members who hazed.
Another pledge recalled her initiation day, when the pledges rode a bus to a sister's house to endure eating whole onions like apples and eating spaghetti blindfolded while holding worms.
The girls pledged KOP to be part of the " 'in' " crowd. KOP was comprised of members of 3 Schenectady high schools. Membership was open to girls in junior and senior high schools. The sorority had service and social goals. Service included making Easter baskets, sewing blankets, and honoring their moms with a Mother's Day tea. Social events included a sorority ball. One member recalled that a benefit of KOP was that, " ' We got to meet some girls who were ahead of us and as we got older, we would meet girls in a couple classes behind us. Your circle of friends became much wider. ' "
REFLECTIONS
I am not sure how to react to the drama that was the status of high school sororities in twentieth century America. Parents want to protect their children from disappointment and rejection, so I understand why parents would want to ban sororities and fraternities from the high school. Most adults want to keep children safe from physical, emotional, and mental harm, so Dorothy Ricker's and Mary Haworth's advice makes perfect sense. If pledges are suffering any type of hazing, then yes, maybe high school sororities should be banned, especially if the hazing occurred on school grounds.
However, as much as parents want to ban fraternities and sororities because they have exclusive membership practices, for that I am not so sure. Children try out for many activities from which they could be cut. They might not be invited to parties or made to feel welcome in open-membership clubs. I can understand parents being overly protective of their child's feelings, but the school's position- I am not so sure.
Today, school professionals are working to combat all kinds of bullying. Not sure what it was like in early and mid-century America, but there must have been some level of exclusivity in open membership school and church-sponsored clubs. Susie might be snubbed in her Bible study; Billy, though quite the athlete, might be the perpetual bench-warmer for the after-school intramural baseball club. Did school administrators and other community leaders ban these groups, too? Because if they did, great! But if they didn't, then they need to back off from the sororities and fraternities.
And as for the Sigma Alphas of Miller High School, well, that whole article was anti-sorority/fraternity bias. Silliness happens whether or not kids are in Greek-letter organizations. The landlady chose not to refund their money; her husband did the opposite. Maybe it seemed a little scandalous in the 1950s, but in our day of judges Judy, Joe, Greg etc. , the plights of noisy tenants and irritated landlords are common public knowledge.
correct spellings are Sisco, Pay-a-el-sa
References
Montreal Gazette. Mary Haworth's Mail. Girl, High School Senior, Is Disheartened By Painful Paddling, and Threats of More To Come, Since She Was Pledged by Sorority. Apr. 6, 1945, p. 4.
Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Sorority Girls Evicted; Sleep On Hard Floor. Jun. 12, 1952, p. 2.
St. Petersburg Times. Teen-age Mail (Dorothy Ricker). Teen-Agers Is Hurt By School Sorority. p. 21
Wilkin, Jeff. Sisters Look Back: Pledging High School Sorority was Foolish but Fun. The Daily Gazette, Lifestyles section, p. A9. Oct. 6, 2003.
