“Colonization”?: An Appeal for a Conscientious Community
A version of this article has also been submitted to the Columbia Spectator.
By Victoria Durden, Liz Gipson, Chris Leon, Pazia Miller, Bunge Okeyo, Madelyn Popkin, Renée Slajda, Simone Sobers, Maya Wind, Nicci Yin
Alpha Omicron Pi was founded by four Barnard College students in the class of 1898. However, in 1916, Barnard banned all sororities (then called fraternities) by a student vote of 244 to 30, “due to growing dissent among non-fraternity members who thought that the organizations promoted snobbishness and exclusivity” (source). In an effort to return to its roots, Alpha Omicron Pi is “recolonizing” Columbia University from February 22 to 24. Indeed, on its Facebook page and in its flyers, the sorority refers to this time as “Colonization Week”.
There is no excuse for the casual use of this term or the lack of understanding that allows for it.
