Six minority women this week joined traditionally white sororities in the wake of national pressure. It's a step forward, but many say it makes little difference in the face of long-standing biases

At the University of Alabama, a turbulent week of allegations of racial discrimination, campus protests and promises of change culminated with at least six minority women accepting bids into traditionally white sororities. Campus groups, however, expressed doubts that changing the sororities would result in progress tackling long-standing racial biases on the southern campus.

School president Judy L Bonner announced the sorority bids in a video posted online on Friday.

"I am confident that we will achieve our objective of a greek system that is inclusive, accessible and welcoming to students of all races and ethnicities," Bonner said. "We will not tolerate anything less."

Bonner's announcement came nearly two weeks after the Crimson White, UA's student newspaper, reported that at least two black women were barred from sorority recruitment because of their race. With 28% of students involved in greek life – and deep alumni roots infiltrating the exclusive social clubs – sororities and fraternities have a powerful role in day-to-day campus life.

After national news organizations picked up the story, students, faculty and administrators began moving to enact change. Hundreds of students marched on campus this week to protest the segregated sororities.

"I think there's a general sense among people on the campus that it's time to evolve past this," US attorney Joyce Vance told the Crimson White. "This history of segregation in the greek system is incredibly harmful because it's not just 40 years and then it's done. It's really shaped many of the business and social relationships that survived long past college, so it's in many ways a generational issue."

Panhellenic sorority recruitment traditionally lasted for nine days at the beginning of the school year. Each sorority ranks women based on GPA, high-school involvement and reputation. Since 2003, no black woman has been accepted into any of the 17 Panhellenic sororities. On Tuesday, Bonner and sorority advisors decided to reopen the bidding process for all 17 Panhellenic sororities through "continuous open bidding" (COB), which turns recruitment into an open-ended process.

'Segregation is not an issue just with the sororities'

However, many students and faculty members said they thought the changes to recruitment were more of a "band-aid" fix to a systemic issue much larger than racial discrimination within sororities. The Crimson White reported on a faculty senate meeting on Wednesday, one day after continuous open bidding was enacted.

"While the policies that have come out this morning are a great step that take us toward the right direction, in many cases they might be considered to be rather token gestures, and they don't even speak to the injustices in the infrastructure of this university," said Sierra Turner, a faculty senator and professor.

Kevyn Armstrong-Wright, a non-greek honors student, helped to found UA Stands, a movement devoted to moving the University of Alabama forward after the allegations of racial segregation.

"In the state of Alabama, talking about race is a taboo," Wright said. "Our culture shies away from talking about anything controversial or anything that could possibly make someone uncomfortable. We've been taught to not talk about it boldly, because it's inappropriate and we will suffer negative consequences. It's hard to stand up to something that has been engrained within you."

UA Stand was one of the first organizations on campus to push the administration past band-aid fixes and towards a permanent, sustainable progress. On 18 September, 300 students and faculty representing all areas of campus came together to show UA administration that all students were interested in the issue at hand.

"Segregation is not an issue just with the sororities," Wright said. "It affects the entire campus. There is a lot of diversity on campus, but everyone stays in their own niche. There is no intersection amongst the students here. However, the sororities are a tangible starting point to addressing this issue. We need to move on from there, but because the girls have voiced their readiness, it is a good place to start."

In her video statement, Bonner addressed the progress UA sororities have made since the beginning of COB. Seventy-two bids were given out, 11 of them to black women. Out of the 72, 18 were accepted, four by black women, she said.

Wright said she hopes the UA Stands movement encourages the school administration to continue to address integration even after bids are given out to minority groups on campus.

"We are going to create and sustain an environment that enables our students to be successful in the academic and social aspects of their life," Bonner said. "This will fulfill our primary mission to prepare and equip them to be successful throughout their lives and careers. Let me emphasize, we are taking the steps necessary to make systemic and lasting change. As your president it makes me proud to know the the UA family has embraced and is working together to achieve this goal."

'Are we really not going to talk about the black girl?'

The original Crimson White article described this year's recruitment process, in which at least two qualified black women were barred from sorority recruitment because of their race.

Melanie Gotz, a member of the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority, questioned alumnae motives after one stand-out African American recruit was dropped from the sorority's bid list over a petty recommendation rule. "Are we really not going to talk about the black girl?" she asked.

The black recruit in question had a 4.3 GPA in high school and had a father and grandfather devoted to city and state public service.

"People are too scared of what the repercussions are of maybe taking a black girl," Gotz said. "That's stupid, but who's going to be the one to make that jump? How much longer is it going to take till we have a black girl in a sorority? It's been years, and it hasn't happened."

Gotz said almost all student members of the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority were in favor of taking the black recruit, but alumnae interfered with the normal voting process. Three other sororities confirmed anonymously that alumnae involvement hindered active members from taking the two African American women. All 17 sororities dropped the African American recruit, who is the granddaughter of John England Jr, circuit judge for the 6th judicial circuit and one of three black members on the UA system board of trustees.

"Not a lot of rushees get awesome scores," said a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority, who wished to remain anonymous. "Sometimes sisters [of active members] don't get that. [She] got excellent scores. The only thing that kept her back was the color of her skin in Tri Delt. She would have been [the cause of] a dogfight between all the sororities if she were white."

Alabama governor Robert Bentley said he opposed judging students based on skin color.

"The way I read it – and I asked my wife about it last night – [it's] not students, it's the alumni. The alumni support the fraternities and sororities – not the students – and she says that's where it's coming from," Bentley said. "Personally, I think they need to change their attitude."

Abigail Crain is a student at the University of Alabama and one of the authors of the original Crimson White story.