“Ten square miles surrounded by reality,” a slogan reads in reference to Ithaca. Well, reality is seeping through that barrier, as nationwide racial tensions evidenced by the Jena Six and related noose hanging incidents have been localized in Ithaca. The race-related controversies related to Ithaca High School and D.P. Dough are indications that the protective bubble encapsulating Ithaca is popping.
While Cornell may seem fragmented and sheltered from even the Ithaca community, Cornell’s students alone nearly double the town’s local population. In light of such events, social life at Cornell, undoubtedly a large presence in Ithaca, may reflect the diversity Cornell so prides itself on.
As on any college campus, students’ social lives largely materialize in the form of partying. Parties held by fraternities in the Interfraternity Council take place regularly at each fraternity house and can include alcohol.
According to Kara Miller, assistant dean of students, fraternity and sorority affairs, these are either non-catered events with alcohol, philanthropic events or one-to-one events, where each member invites one guest. Some events are open to all students, while others are closed events with only the fraternity brothers and their dates, remarked Jonathan Feldman ’08, president of the IFC.
Within the Greek community, eight fraternities and eight sororities also belong to the Multicultural Greek Letter Council. Each group holds parties twice a year, following a week of community service and outreach activities with a multicultural focus, according to Amma Aboagye ’08, president of Delta Sigma Theta.
In the past, MGLC fraternities and sororities have also organized Steppin’ Outs, parties sponsored by the Community Center Programs. Students from Ujamma, the Latino Living Center and Balch Hall have also hosted these monthly parties, according to Denice Cassaro, assistant director for Community Center Programs.
Both MGLC parties and Steppin’ Outs provide alternatives to the typical fraternity party or bar scene by offering different music and dancing styles. Often, however, the focus on diversifying selection translates, albeit unintentionally, into a focus on minority groups.
“I would say about 85 percent of the people [are African American or Latino/Latina],” said Anthony Lopez ’09, executive vice president of MGLC, in reference to MGLC parties.
Aboagye agreed with the estimate, and Cassaro said that over 50 percent of attendees at Steppin’ Outs are of color. But Lopez, Aboagye and Cassaro all heavily emphasized that their parties were not exclusive.
“A number of students of color do come … But I don’t think people are purposely trying to segregate,” Cassaro stressed.
Aboagye concurred: “I think [certain people come] because of the nature of the party and the culture.”
According to Cassaro, the type of music played at Steppin’ Outs is often the primary distinction from other parties and bars.
“It’s hip-hop, reggae, different kinds of Latin music,” Cassaro said.
Lopez and Aboagye mentioned the same difference in regards to the MGLC parties. Aboagye also pointed out that no alcohol is allowed at MGLC parties and that people tend to dance more than socialize, especially since each party falls at the end of a week of events in which people have had the opportunity to meet each other. But, the parties are advertised to the entire Cornell community.
Another unique feature of MGLC parties is “strolling.”
“Strolling is synchronized movements around the dance floor in a circular motion. It goes back to African American roots and slavery, and we do those types of things at parties,” Lopez said.
All these variations in party styles create more diverse options for students — options that primarily students of color end up taking advantage of, for one reason or another, which can result in segregation.
On the other hand, it is only part of human nature to associate with both familiar people and environments.
“You might go because you have more of your friends around you, or maybe you are more open with people you know,” said Lopez.
Cassaro mentioned the concept of “self-select,” where people want to choose somewhere to go to have fun. When people are looking to party, they tend to want to relax, not be pushed out of their comfort zone, she said.
In addition, IFC fraternity parties are based only on word of mouth. MGLC fraternities, are allowed to widely publicize events, whereas IFC fraternities cannot.
“You can’t mass advertise. Open parties should still have some kind of guest list. It really varies from chapter to chapter … you put your friends on it, people you are in clubs with, sports with, freshmen you’ve met,” Feldman said. “There’s no way to characterize how people know about coming to these events; it’s just who the brothers know, who they tell. It’s basically word of mouth.”
While, according to Feldman, the fraternities are “as open and inclusive as possible” and maintain “a ton of diversity,” parties spread by word of mouth may not reach as wide an audience as those advertised to the public at large.