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Questions for Us

Who are we?

We are a group of non-affiliated and formerly affiliated Duke Students working with our peers, alumni, and administrators to abolish the Duke Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council. As referenced in our mission statement and our letter to the community we have experienced and seen the many ways in which these organizations perpetuate social exclusivity, primarily targeted at minorities and people of low socioeconomic status. We are hopeful for a better future for Duke University’s students and will work until we see that social inclusion is a reality.

What's our goal? 

We want Duke to terminate their contracts with IFC and PHC in favor of a new social system. We are working to mediate dialogue between administration and students (past, present and future) to highlight the irredeemable flaws of the current system and mobilize the unrest in the Duke social space towards a more inclusive and effective system. We want Duke administration to implement a system that is researched, precedented, and not rooted in historical oppression of women and people of color. To this end, we will be pushing for as many individuals as possible to drop from their organizations, as that will make the decision for administration to ban IFC/Panhel on Duke's campus much easier.

Why abolition? Why not reform?

We feel that the system is beyond reform. The system is built on hierarchies that promote racism, sexism and classism. Even if the organizations on our campus were to find measures to counteract these ingrained biases, they would still be feeding into a national system that perpetuates these injustices. Surface-level changes will not address the sexist power dynamics, racism, classism, homophobia, and transphobia that is ingrained in every single policy of every single practice of every single chapter. Even if we did completely transform Greek Life into something that it's not, there is already a stigma related to these groups that often deter BIPOC and students of lower socioeconomic status from joining. So then, who are the reforms serving? Are they just means to make white people feel less guilty? Will there just be a bunch of inclusion committees filled with white people? What is the purpose of that? We also must question what we are trying to preserve by reforming instead of simply starting fresh. Are we preserving parties? Friend groups? Networking? None of that is exclusive to Greek Life, so what makes this organizational structure so special and so worth saving? We are not looking for incremental change that *may* eventually promote neutrality against national systems of oppression. We are looking for a strong stance against these wrongs.

Why are you just focusing on IFC and Panhel?

This movement intentionally excludes the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) and the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), as they provide a community to BIPOC students on Duke’s campus. Additionally, we are focusing on IFC and Panhel due to their historically oppressive foundations and how they have institutionalized racism, gender violence, and heteropatriarchal norms on our campus.

Questions for You

How have I benefited from violence against others?

How would life be different if I wasn't a part of this organization?

Does my involvement in this institution perpetuate racism, sexism, or classism?

How  will I take a stance?

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