Duke’s Derby Days may soon be numbered.
In a decision that was “months, if not years, in the making,” presidents of all nine on-campus sororities voted last month to withdraw from the event, as stated in a letter written by the Panhellenic Association to Sigma Chi fraternity.
Derby Days is Sigma Chi’s week-long annual event to raise money for various national charities that in previous years culminated in the Lip Sync contest—a competition among sororities to win over the hearts of the judging “Derby Daddies” through suggestive dance steps and lip motions on the elevated plaza stage.
“We cannot in good faith ask our women to participate in an event that, in our opinion, mars the reputation of the Greek community and detracts from the positive experience we work hard to cultivate for our members,” the sorority presidents wrote.
In response to past complaints from sororities, the fraternity has restructured the event, said senior Andrew Bevan, Sigma Chi president. In 2007, the fraternity moved Lip Sync from Shooters II to the West Campus Plaza to provide a more controlled environment for the event, he said. Although the absence of the Shooters II ambiance induced some positive changes, Panhel leaders felt such steps were inadequate.
“We acknowledge that efforts were made after last spring to improve the event, but we feel that they have not been substantial enough to merit our participation,” the letter continued.
Sue Wasiolek, dean of students and assistant vice president for student affairs, said that although she trusts Sigma Chi’s charitable intentions, she believes Panhel acted appropriately in leaving the event.
“Over the years, I have heard a number of sorority women express some dismay in participating in some aspects of Derby Days, particularly Lip Sync,” she said. “I really can’t say how widespread that sentiment has been, but having heard of it and heard about it, my sense was that there were a number of women who felt that way.”
But not all members of the Greek community agree. Last fall, junior Heather Wiese, member of Alpha Phi sorority, participated in Lip Sync. She said the event promoted a competitive environment and acted as a fun bonding experience for her pledge class. Although Alpha Phi’s costumes were initially relatively modest—shorts over black leggings with colored tank tops—rain turned the girls’ shirts partially transparent, making the outfits more inappropriate than intended, she said.
This year, Sigma Chi is looking to introduce more changes to Derby Days, which has been postponed indefinitely. In addition to increased fund-raising for the Duke Children’s Hospital, the fraternity is aiming to address prior concerns by completely reforming the event, said Bevan.
“There has been some miscommunication and misunderstanding between us and the sororities in the past, and a good deal of that responsibility lies with us,” he said. “We are reevaluating the event and are using all the feedback we have gotten.”
In the meantime, Duke students will have to wait and see how Derby Days plays out in the future. Bevans noted, however, that ideally the fraternity hopes to continue Lip Sync.
Still, Wasiolek said she expects to see changes from past years.
“My understanding is that the sororities’ participation in Derby Days, whether at Duke or any other institution, is a fairly critical component,” Wasiolek said. “I’ll be interested to see how Sigma Chi responds to the sororities not being involved.”
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