University of Alabama Sororities Accused of Discrimination

At least two University of Alabama sororities say they are investigating allegations from a student newspaper that they blocked two black women from pledging.

The article in The Crimson White said the “UA Greek system is still almost completely divided along racial lines” and that the two women “tried to break what remains an almost impenetrable color barrier.”

The story claimed that none of the school’s 16 Panhellenic organizations offered a bid to pledge two black women, with some alumni allegedly stepping in to block them.

One of the women, the newspaper said, seemed to be a perfect candidate, with a 4.3 high school GPA, a salutatorian and from a family “with deep roots in local and state public service and a direct link to the University of Alabama.”

The recruits asked to remain anonymous, according to the newspaper.

“Pi Beta Phi leadership is taking this matter very seriously and has begun looking into the allegations cited in The Crimson White article,” Pi Beta Phi grand president Paula Shepherd told ABCNews.com in an email Thursday. “If any of those allegations are found to be true, those members, alumna or collegiate, will be held accountable for their actions.”

A member of UA’s Pi Beta Phi chapter allegedly told the school publication that Pi Beta Phi alumnae threatened to cut financial support after learning that the chapter planned to pledge one of the black students.

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