Petition aims to abolish 24 Greek organizations on Duke's campus

A group of Duke University students have called for the removal of 24 Greek letter organizations from campus.

They argued the fraternities and sororities perpetuate systemic racism.

More than 2,000 students currently participate in Duke's Greek community. But there's a growing debate about whether more than half of the Greek organizations should exist on campus.

"I think that IFC [Interfraternity Council] fraternities, and the presence of them, as well as Panhellenic sororities have effectively created de facto segregation on Duke's campus, and they've done that for years," said Shreyas Gupta, with Abolish Duke IFC.

Gupta is a former member of a fraternity at Duke. He said he saw firsthand that Greek student organizations perpetuated white supremacy. He's advocated to abolish 24 of them.

"We know that this is not a simple task, but we want to be a part of the conversation moving forward about how do we create a more equitable social scene on Duke's campus," he said.

Gupta isn't alone. An online petition has more than 400 signatures -- many of them from alumni.

"I am the first to admit that I was largely unaware of the systemic racism in the chapter and in the Greek system," said former Alpha Delta Pi chapter president Molly Forlines. "I, as an alum, very much support their cause. I've emailed our Grand Council and called them because they need alumni support."

In the last few years, Duke has put forth effort to foster more inclusion in Greek life, including removing their individual housing.

Abolish Duke IFC members said it will take much more to make a difference.

University leaders have not commented on the petition.