The document, which is meant to be followed by all Pi Phi pledges and was recently leaked to several online outlets, reveals the kind of oppressive, elitist fashion advice that's your basic "Mean Girls" nightmare.No, no, no... the fashion suggestions were not for the pledges; they were for the sisters to make a good impression on potential new members.
Kudos to Cornell for once again fielding a request for comment and refusing to give in to the media's desire for some sort of scandal. There is nothing wrong with Pi Phi's suggestions, unless they sound completely unreasonable to you. In that case, you wouldn't be joining the sorority anyway.
Truth is, when I was president of my fraternity I could have written six pages about how I expected my brothers to look and act during rush week. We could have covered rush strategies, topics of conversation, things to avoid, etc. This document would have looked pretty bad to someone not affiliated with the Cornell Greek system, but to us, it's just business as usual. Fashion and appearances are very important during panhellenic rush, and no number of incredulous reactions from national media will change that.
My primary reaction to the Yahoo story was "First Amendment, my ass." I'd like to permanently disabuse everyone of the notion that Cornell is unequivocally committed to freedom of speech. I'd bet the burning of the Cornell Review in 1997 didn't send a chill down Hunter Rawlings's spine.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Pi Phi dress code itself, the problem is not so much its existence as it is the form. If these were general guidelines, it wouldn't be a big deal. The problem is that the combination of minute detail and promises of inspection imply that Pi Phi's leadership doesn't trust the rank and file. It comes across as an overbearing mother checking her eight-year-old daughter's appearance before she gets on the school bus. Personally, it reminded me of the uniform regulations and inspections I had in the Navy. This level of control might be appropriate for a high-stakes corporate meeting or black-tie affair, but it just seems way over the line, as ultimately (and pardon the crude reduction) this is an audition for new friends.
All this said, this story is now three weeks old and needs a swift death above all else. Especially from IvyGate. Seeing "PRETTY" in a post title may conveniently flag said post as Cornell-related, but this thing is ultimately way past its expiration date.
There have been a lot of Sun articles recently about the issue of freedom of speech at Cornell. Last semester the Review brought some national expert to Cornell who really lit in to the university.
ReplyDeleteIvyGate in generally is pretty low quality, but at least this has given them an opportunity to write about Cornell.