Well, first off, I was quoting you saying there wasn't "as much or as overt racism." I didn't claim you said there was no racism in the Northeast, but good try there. Second, sure, give your niece the benefit of the doubt for age, but plenty of young people who have led neither happy nor easy lives manage to stand up…

I think that someone who is involved in a Greek organization does have experience that others commenting on the article do not, though, so it is worth it to share that information. I do believe that, in Alabama, there are alumni of the Greek system who would like to keep African-American students out, and this is…

I want to thank you for including this story. I think it's important for people to realize that they can't dismiss this as a "Southern" thing - this is a nationwide problem. My mother and father are immigrants and we have lived all over the country due to my father's military service. Nowhere in the U.S. (including…

Your story itself is part of the problem. Yeah, you're an "enlightened" person from the Northeast where there "isn't as much or as overt racism" (side note: are you a minority? Because there is a lot of subtle and overt racism in Massachusetts, but it's easy not to notice it if you're white). As soon as it came to…

Sorry for jumping on you. It just really upsets me for the South to be characterized as a bunch of racist, ignorant hicks (which I know you didn't say, but some commenters have) really makes my teeth itch.

No, it is not "the norm" for the South. It may be for sororities at southern universities, but not the entire fucking region.

Emory is "in the south" but it is certainly not a "southern" university. It is mostly New Yorkers/Jersey kids mixed with a few other Northeasterners who are afraid to drive into Atlanta city limits because they think its all one huge ghetto.

Errr...I went to UA. Not being in a sorority does not make you a "social pariah." If someone thinks that, I am sad for them. There's like 20,000 students at that school. How can the majority of students be pariahs?

Fail. You have no clue about the history of black fraternities and sororities-all of which are racially and ethnically diverse, by the way. They aren't 'allowed' to be exclusive- they are fully actualized organizations that do not discriminate based on race or ethnicity. Try again.

The traditionally black sororities/fraternities are not necessarily racially exclusive. They admit white, hispanic, asian, etc. students. Having worked on three major university campuses, I have yet to see an enforced "no whites" rule for any of those groups.

While I understand what you're referring to about historically black (and other minority) fraternities/sororities, I'd point out that by their charter those are not exclusively black/minority and they do accept white members. At least I know Alpha Phi Alpha does, and they're pretty huge.

Do we need to cunt punt someone?

Yeah and I have friends in houses there right now, it's not just a problem in Alabama. I go to school in California a supposedly liberal area and 90% of the girls in every house are white. I'm not denying there is a diversity problem, I'm just saying with the structure of recruitment being the way it is there isn't…

As someone who is in a sorority I find parts of this story a little hard to believe, I understand there is a huge issue with a lack of diversity, but I have never seen my chapter have to discuss our potential new members with alumni and they certainly wouldn't be involved to such a degree that they could tell us not…

Same theory.

There's a lot of inherent naïvety in this response, most of all punctuated by the misguided libertarian/conservative mindset that anybody can make it just as long as they pull themselves up their bootstraps and really strive to be exceptional- and really let down by the refusal to acknowledge that people are treated…

You should talk to some actual rape victims and see how many of them tell you that the rape arose out of situations just described above, from the man seemingly 'just talking' to them.

Your criminal lack of understanding that to an alone woman, an imposing drunk guy making unwelcomed comments as anything other than intimidating is not welcomed here or anywhere in the world in 2013.

If I was a woman, I'd certainly be intimidated by a drunk man who starts making comments about how I look—especially if we're alone together. I'd certainly be terrified of what may happen.

Age: 18