{"id":49778,"date":"2018-10-02T00:05:55","date_gmt":"2018-10-02T04:05:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/?p=49778"},"modified":"2018-10-02T14:45:48","modified_gmt":"2018-10-02T18:45:48","slug":"sororities-quiet-after-student-with-down-syndrome-doesnt-get-a-single-callback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/sororities-quiet-after-student-with-down-syndrome-doesnt-get-a-single-callback\/","title":{"rendered":"Sororities quiet after student with Down syndrome doesn\u2019t get a single callback"},"content":{"rendered":"

UPDATED<\/strong><\/p>\n

One sorority defends itself: \u2018Our chapter…followed all of the standard procedures\u2019<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Sororities at George Mason University in Fairfax County, Virginia, are remaining tight-lipped after an intellectually disabled student on the university’s cheerleading team was not invited to join any of the Greek organizations during recruitment.<\/p>\n

AnnCatherine Heigl is a sophomore at George Mason and is a flier for George Mason University\u2019s Division I cheer team. She is attending the university as part of the school\u2019s LIFE Program<\/a>, an initiative that provides “an innovative post-secondary program for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”<\/p>\n

According to a letter<\/a> posted on Twitter by her\u00a0sister Lillie, Heigl was turned down by every sorority she rushed at George Mason this semester. Lillie claimed that the rejection left Heigl feeling \u201cunwanted and devastated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI firmly believe that if a typical student had gone through recruitment, as a D1 cheerleader, they would have gotten a bid; I believe that AnnCatherine wasn\u2019t extended a bid because she\u2019s a woman with a disability,\u201d Lillie wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were less than 300 women in @GMUPanhellenic recruitment this year and there are 8 chapters,\u201d Lillie wrote in another tweet. \u201cI refuse to believe that based on these numbers there isn\u2019t a single chapter that had a spot for AC. Her resume speaks for itself. The problem was that disabilities are unwanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lillie did not respond to The College Fix<\/em>\u2019s requests for comment via a Facebook message.<\/p>\n

Seven of the eight sororities on George Mason\u2019s campus did not respond to The Fix<\/em>\u2019s requests for comment. Lauren Felts, a spokeswoman for Alpha Xi Delta, told The Fix<\/em> via email that while the organization\u2019s privacy rules prevented her from sharing membership selection information, the GMU chapter \u201cfollowed all of the standard procedures for membership selection during the formal recruitment process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked if the sorority has ever had a member with Down syndrome, Felts replied: \u201cOn a national level, yes. We know of women who have Down syndrome who are members of Alpha Xi Delta.\u201d<\/p>\n

Felts supplied The Fix<\/em> with the sorority\u2019s nondiscrimination policy. That policy does not appear to directly forbid discrimination against members with Down syndrome. Rather, it states that the sorority \u201cbelieves it is inherent in our principles not to discriminate on the basis of religion, race, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, citizenship, or age.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pressed on the fact that the policy seems to allow discrimination, Felts denied that it does.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nondiscrimination policy is a policy in Alpha Xi Delta\u2019s Constitution and Bylaws and all chapters and Sisters are required to uphold these policies,\u201d she said. Felts did not immediately respond to a subsequent email regarding the policy. Following the publication of this article, Felts wrote to\u00a0The College Fix:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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[A]ny sister or chapter operating in a way that is contrary to our \u201cprinciples\u201d is not acting as a sister or representative of our organization…[W]e understand that a violation of our \u201cprinciples\u201d is a violation of everything we hold dear.\u00a0\u00a0As such, we believe our members\u00a0understand that discrimination on these bases is prohibited if one wants to remain a member and\/or chapter of Alpha Xi Delta.<\/u><\/u><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

In a statement<\/a>\u00a0on the controversy, George Mason University\u2019s Panhellenic Council said: \u201cOver the past year, we have placed an emphasis on ensuring that George Mason\u2019s values of diversity and inclusion are a priority for our Panhellenic community.\u201d Though the group said that recruitment is open to any \u201cstudents who identify as female, including those enrolled in the MasonLIFE program,\u201d it also stated that the council does \u201cnot possess the ability to dictate our chapters\u2019 membership or the process of selecting new members.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Fix<\/em> contacted the council for a comment. The council did not respond.<\/p>\n

UPDATE:\u00a0<\/strong>At the time of this article’s publication, Alpha Xi Delta spokeswoman Lauren Felts had not responded to a followup email from\u00a0The College Fix<\/em>. Following the article’s publication, she subsequently responded. The article has been updated to reflect this.<\/p>\n

MORE:\u00a0Sorority accepts its first sister with Down Syndrome<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

MORE:\u00a0This autistic student asked for a \u2018fist bump\u2019 and a selfie. He got two Title IX investigations.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

IMAGE: Casimiro PT \/ Shutterstock.com<\/p>\n

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