Alabama Sororities Open Recruitment

Michelle Lepianka Carter / AP

Traditionally white sororities at the University of Alabama are beginning membership recruitment with a handful of black members for the first time.

The campus was engulfed in controversy last fall following reports some white groups rejected blacks because of race.

Administrators changed the rules, and the school says previously all-white sororities had a total of 21 black members in the spring.

The number of blacks in the 17 historically white social sororities remains small. The sororities had about 5,300 members total last school year.

Rush begins Friday evening for the traditionally white sororities and ends Aug. 16.

A smaller group composed of black sororities recruits new members later.

Alabama says it has the nation's largest Greek community.

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