The Alpha Phi chapter at the University of Alabama over the weekend deleted its latest recruitment video, which has received more than 500,000 views, after criticism about its lack of diversity.
AL.com originally criticized the video, which featured Alpha Phi sisters in their house and frolicking on the field at the UA football field, in an opinion piece for its emphasis on appearances and what the author characterized as anti-feminist ideals.
But another telling feature of the video was the lack of women of color represented. UA saw the largest pledge class in its history on Saturday: 2,261.
Only 214 of the pledges were minorities, according to AL.com.
This is not the first time in recent years that UA Greek life has come under fire for a lack of diversity. The student newspaper, the Crimson White, reported in 2012 that Greek life was better integrated at other large public universities in the South, such as the University of Mississippi, aka Ole Miss, and Auburn.
Again in 2013, the CW reported on the lingering segregation in the university’s sororities:
In 2003, Tuscaloosa native Carla Ferguson became the first black woman to pledge a traditionally white Panhellenic sorority through formal recruitment. She accepted a bid to Gamma Phi Beta and remains the only black woman to have pledged through the formal recruitment process, over a decade later.
Last year, according to the university, about 17 percent of students were minorities.
The sorority’s social channels have gone dark.
WBRC published a statement from Deborah Lane, associate vice president for university relations, on Saturday:
This video is not reflective of UA’s expectations for student organizations to be responsible digital citizens. It is important for student organizations to remember what is posted on social media makes a difference, today and tomorrow, on how they are viewed and perceived.
Because the Internet never forgets, you can watch the video below:
