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BERKELEY'S NEWS • JUNE 02, 2023

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Student alleges discrimination after being evicted from ADPi sorority

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WILLIAM YAU | STAFF

McCabe was evicted from Alpha Delta Pi in early February.

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MARCH 03, 2023

In early February, Emily McCabe, a campus senior, was allegedly evicted from sorority house Alpha Delta Pi, or ADPi, after being hospitalized for a manic episode.

McCabe alleged in a written statement that ADPi pointed to the pre-hospitalization manic behavior exhibited by McCabe, diagnosed with bipolar Ⅰ disorder in 2019, as a reason for the eviction.

The president of the campus ADPi chapter declined to comment.

“At the end of January, my mania was bad enough that I was placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold,” McCabe said in the statement. “My actual detention took place right outside the sorority around dinnertime. It was awful and I believed everyone now knew I had bipolar disorder.”

McCabe, who had been in an “increasingly manic state” that began in November 2022, remained in the hospital for a week and a half after the incident. She also alleged ADPi informed her she could not return to the house immediately after her hospitalization.

After her hospitalization, McCabe said she learned that her manic behaviors had been “troubling” to other members of the sorority, which she alleged had not been communicated to her prior to her hospitalization.

“Alpha Delta Pi embraced Emily as our sister in 2020 and continues to welcome her participation as a member,” the ADPi chapter said in a statement posted on its Instagram. “Her recent medical episode developed into a challenging situation for all involved.”

The campus Panhellenic Council president and the executive office of Alpha Delta Pi did not respond to media inquiries as of press time.

McCabe said her sorority sisters had been advised to respect her privacy, which she only learned of later, and therefore did not contact her during her hospitalization.

After these events, McCabe posted on social media about her experience.

She noted that some of these “angry posts” on social media were a result of the “emotional pain” exacerbated by not being able to return to ADPi or interact with her friends.

“By the time ADPi told me I could not live in the house anymore, they were pointing to the pre-hospitalization manic behavior that no one had asked me to stop, as well as the post-eviction social media posts as bases for denying me housing,” McCabe alleged in the statement.

Despite her eviction, McCabe said she can still attend ADPi events and visit the house under certain conditions. She noted that many of her ADPi sisters have contacted her to “express their love and support.”

In a Feb. 19 video McCabe posted to her TikTok account, she alleged that her mental health crisis was not taken into account in the eviction decision. In the video, she went on to say that the failures were “with the system” and not with her sorority sisters or leadership in the ADPi house.

“The Greek System is heavily flawed,” McCabe said in the statement. “I want to advocate for changes in the Greek Community that improve the mental and physical health of members.

McCabe declined to comment on whether she will be taking legal action in this matter.

ADPi’s Instagram statement stated that the chapter is in close contact with McCabe’s parents, campus administration and the Berkeley Police Department.

“Our primary concern is and will continue to be for the health, safety, and well-being of Emily and all our chapter members,” ADPi said in the statement.

Contact Eleanor Jonas at 

LAST UPDATED

MARCH 03, 2023