DEI Committee | msupanhel

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee

Our Panhellenic Council is committed to educating ourselves and the members of our chapters on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. As a Panhellenic community, we must recognize and change all systems and norms that exclude people. It is our responsibility and mission to continue to acknowledge the systemic barriers that deter women of all identities from joining our community. The history of exclusion within the Panhellenic council has perpetuated whiteness and created oppression within our systems. We are committed to acknowledging these oppressions and educating ourselves, chapters, and the community to do better.

A couple years ago, in 2020, our council implemented a DEI committee, which is composed of the elected representatives from each of our council's 14 chapters. An elected DEI chair oversees the committee's operations and meetings and works with our council's Vice President of Internal Relations. This Committee will seek to create appropriate communication between our 14 chapters and the four Fraternity & Sorority Life Councils regarding the equal representation and inclusion of all races, genders, identities, sexualities, disabilities, and religious beliefs. This committee will facilitate conversations within their own chapters to discuss how they might be able to support the people of color in the FSL community and all minority groups who have felt stigmatized or simply forgotten by the Panhellenic Council in the past. The main goal of this committee is to educate the members of our community and align our words with actions to foster a more inclusive community within our council and chapters. As the first initiative for this committee and our council - all 14 of the DEI chapter representatives, DEI chair, and the 9 members of PC Exec. are participating in an educational cohort - SEEDsix. This cohort is a 6-week program through The Parallel Agency, an organization that works with Panhellenic organizations to align their words and actions in the areas of equity, access, and belonging. The PC DEI committee will continue to provide resources and educate ourselves and the members of our community on the history of exclusion within Panhellenic organizations.