Indiana University Sorority Apologizes For Homeless-Themed Party
By Samantha Abernethy in News on Apr 24, 2013 10:50PM
The Kappa Delta sorority at Indiana University thought it would be a great idea to throw a party with a homeless theme. That's not, "Hey! Let's throw a party to raise money for the homeless!" That's, "Let's offend everyone!"
A tipster sent photos from the party to Jezebel, which posted the images of young women dressed in torn, dirty clothing holding cardboard signs. Not offended yet? How about we tell you the signs said things like "Why lie: It's for booze," and "Give me a nickel and I'll tickle your pickle."
The ladies have now been publicly shamed for their naive, tone-deaf actions, and they are sorry. The national organization of Kappa Delta has apologized on behalf of the chapter, saying it would investigate the incident of "an inappropriate event theme that perpetuated insensitivity toward the homeless community." The IU chapter president issued an apology, too, saying, "Our choice was a poor one. We know that it was not acceptable and does not align with our values."
This is a teachable moment, for sorority girls in Bloomington and for people anywhere who misunderstand homelessness. The anonymous person who made the photos public told Jezebel:
Just so you know, Bloomington, IN (home of IU) has a disproportionately high homeless population. They're typically the target of a lot of shit from students. They get treated pretty badly. It's actually really sad—one of the places homeless people tend to hang out is right across from the most popular student bar in Bloomington, and on pretty much any given night, you can hear students loudly ridiculing the homeless population while they sip their drinks.
“Making fun of a life-threatening issue is no joke. Unfortunately, the actions of this sorority represent a wider community prejudice that must come to an end,” Forrest Gilmore, executive director of the Shalom Commmunity Center in Bloomington, told the Indy Star. “I hope Kappa Delta takes positive measures to help our community move forward.”