Higher Ed Law Prof Blog

Sororities Not Just for Women Anymore?

For decades women have been battering down the last bastions of all-male exclusivity. In city after city, country clubs, Union Leagues and exclusive racket clubs have opened their doors to female members. Sometimes state anti-discrimination laws have helped break down the barriers. At others, growing female political and economic clout has done the job, unaided by legal process.
On our campuses, the last black line between the boys and the girls seemed to run down the center of our Greek systems, separating sororities and fraternities. Often the separation is literally geographic, featuring a fraternity row and at some safe distance on the opposite side of a quad, the co-eds’ sorority houses.
At Houston’s Texas Southern University, a traditionally African-American institution, that boundary has been blurred to a shade of gray… or should I say pink? A group of young men, calling themselves MIAKA (Men Interested in AKA sorority) are reported to have formed an unofficial gay chapter of the national organization. They have the bloggers buzzing.
For instance, “Prettilady,” apparently a TSU student, howls, “OMG! This is some crazy stuff! I know three of these ‘guys’ in the second picture. I didn't think y’all would really stoop this low with y’alls interest in life. Why not just start your own organization with your own ideas, instead of copying? There are a lot of people like you now-a-days that would be more than happy to help you out. But all in all, this is a disgrace to the lovely ladies of AKA, Inc and the entire Greek organization. SHAME ON YOU!”
http://mediatakeout.com/2232/gay_men_create_new_chapter_of_historic_black_sorority.html
The photos to which “Prettilady” refers show the “sisters” strutting their stuff in pink-and-green sequined outfits.
The controversy may be played out under intellectual property, rather than sex-discrimination, law should the AKA national chapter choose to challenge the appropriation of its name and other proprietary accoutrements. Also unclear is whether TSU’s gay sorority is an isolated novelty or the crest of a wave we’d best brace ourselves to ride.

Faculty and Staff Strike at Community College of Philadelphia

A strike by the faculty and staff at the Community College of Philadelphia caused administrators to suspend classes indefinitely as of Tuesday, March 13th.  The strike was called by the Faculty and Staff Federation of Community College of Philadelphia, which represents over 1300 employees in three bargaining units (full time faculty, adjunct faculty, and classified employees);  picketers gathered outside building entrances.  The union co-president, John Braxton, an assistant professor of biology, said he wasn't aware of any faculty member or classified employee crossing the picket line.  The prior contracts for all three bargaining units expired last August;  negotiations between the union and the college administration are stalled over the issues of wages and health care.  A meeting  between negotiators and a state mediator is  scheduled for the afternoon of Wednesday, March 14th.   

RIAA starts a new round of student witch-hunts

Declaring that, despite legal downloading options such as Ruckus, the level of illegal student downloads remains "unacceptable," the Recording Industry Association of America has announced a new attack in its campus lawsuit campaign. This time, says RIAA Prez Cary Sherman, sued students will be given the option of settling before lawsuits are filed against them. Industry lawyers will send emails to universities, listing Internet protocol numbers and requesting that the attached form letters be forwarded to the students whose computers match the numbers. The letters will say that the recipients have 20 days to settle up before "John Doe" suits are filed against them. Students wishing to settle can call a hotline number and pay by credit card, if they care to do so.

The RIAA campaign had been dormant for about a year. But, said Sherman, "The piracy problem on campuses remains extensive and unacceptable, and compromises the music industry's ability to invest in new music."

Read RIAA's press releases on its new campus campaign.