A Quinnipiac University sorority canceled a charity event after a poster promoting the event offended a Latina student, The Quinnipiac Chronicle reports.
Senior Lexie Gruber posted on Facebook that the Kappa Alpha Theta advertisement for its “Queso for CASA event” featuring a pair of maracas upset her. The event is aimed at raising money for the national sorority’s charity Court Appointed Special Advocates, an organization that aids foster children.
“As a Latina student at Quinnipiac I find this incredibly offensive,” Gruber wrote on the Facebook page of sorority member and Student Government Association Vice President for Public Relations Carly Hviding. She added, “I support your mission and philanthropy, but ask that you respect the culture of others and do not appropriate it in stereotypical and offensive ways. I don’t mean any harm, just want to point that out.”
Gruber, who is reportedly a former foster child, also tweeted that the sorority’s use of maracas to promote the annual event was stereotypical. “Philanthropy with a side of cultural appropriation and stereotypes. So shameful.”
The sorority immediately backed down, apologized and canceled the event. Maracas are popular among folk music artists all over Latin America, Mexico and the Caribbean.
“We are leading women of the community and on campus and it was in our best interest to cancel the event,” president of Kappa Alpha Theta Julia Gonsalves said. “We don’t stand for any discrimination and we wanted to cancel it and revamp it so that it will not be offensive to anyone on campus.”
According to the Quinnipiac Chronicle, the decision to apologize and cancel the event was made in conjunction with the national Kappa Alpha Theta headquarters and the chapter’s advisers. A go-fund me page was started in lieu of the canceled event.
Since the incident, the campus’s Greek-wide governing body — the Panhellenic Council, asked all campus Greek organizations to remove their posts. Gruber faced backlash from some students but told The Chronicle that the members of Kappa Alpha Theta never attacked her for her remarks.
University Greek organizations are under the gun for hosting Mexican-themed parties or events and are either suspended or thrown off campus after accusations of being “culturally insensitive” or “racist.”