Gillon quoted in KUNC report on inclusive Greek organization
KUNC in Colorado quoted Kathleen Gillon, an assistant professor of higher education at the University of Maine, for a report on Theta Pi Sigma, a new Greek letter organization at the University of Colorado Boulder that is open to members of any gender and sexual identity. Fraternities and sororities were a college staple by the turn of the 20th century, but only for those permitted to attend, according to Gillon, who researches Greek life. “Traditionally fraternities and sororities were created around traditional notions of both gender and sexuality. So, typically this was a white student, cisgender students, Protestant students, upper-class students,” she said. In response to students being excluded within academic and co-curricular experiences, the first black and Asian American fraternities were founded in 1906 and 1929, and more inclusive organizations have been formed since then, the report states. “We see queer and trans or non-binary, gender non-binary students responding and creating organizations that allow them to identify and socialize and engage in ways that are authentic and representative of who they are,” said Gillon.