Like I said in a previous post, many people hang out in cliques that are the same race or same ethnicity. So even if MCGLO's were just about having a diverse racial/ethnic/cultural mix, it would be something that is different from what just naturally exists in the groups of friends that form on campus, and I don't see how that's pointless. In addition, I believe that most, if not all, MCGLO's are also about educating the college community about different cultures and educating/getting people involved in issues relelvent to different cultures.

I mean, if they have values, which I suspect they do, its fine. I just think the ones I've witnessed don't really get the idea of what those groups should be about. Basically, it looks like they walked through a building, gathered up everyone of color, threw in 5 white folks, and then decided, hell, lets be a GLO. They don't really proclaim to be working for anything, or to have any common goals or beliefs. My point originally was that I dont understand the point of a MC group, if the only point of the group is to be MC. I'm not saying they shouldnt exist, I just personally don't get the point. My issue comes with the lack of standards some of these groups have. They take anyone who wants in. To me, thats not really a GLO, its just a club. But whatever, I'm sure there are good MC organizations who have all the other aspects of traditional GLOs, its just that I haven't seen them.

You are not obligated to recruit black folks at all but why is there a question as to why MCGLO's exist is my concern? You don't have a problem with them as far as I can tell but your board mate, Shinerbock, certainly does.

I'm going to share a little bit of wisdom from a great philosopher with you:
"No investigation. No right to speak." - Confucius

MCGLO's do tons of hours of community service (actually service is prerequisite for membership into most MCGLOs), facilitate discussions on a wide variety of issues including race and multiculturalism, promote scholarship by sponsoring scholarship programs, tutoring/mentoring programs and offers members opportunities to socialize and network. Sounds pretty similar to what most GLO's offer but having people from different cultures and backgrounds provides a welcoming atmosphere for some people like Macallan wants to be with folks who like Scotch, cigars and fly fish. They have common interests which does place a premium on cultural exchange and being able to celebrate their racial/cultural heritage.

They exist because POC (people of color) and multi-cultural minded folks want a place to feel welcomed, share common interests and work toward improving the campus and their home communities.

PhDiva

Lack of standards??

Maybe at your campus but most MCGLO's and BGLO's have stringent requirements for entrance which often rival and/or surpass historically white GLO's. Beyond having a certain GPA for admission, MCGLO and BGLO's often require community service before admission and to my knowledge, most historically white GLO's don't. You have to have demonstrated commitment to public service before you are considered.

Not every black or Latin person on your campus is in a MCGLO and have you bothered to ask any of them why? Some choose not to join; others were rejected. That in itself implies standards. Again, "No investigation. No right to speak."

PhDiva

For the groups that you've witnessed, how much did you get to know about them? Have you ever had any actual contact with them? Do you know what activities and events they've held? When you say you don't think they get what being Greek should be all about, what are you basing that on? I'm not doubting that there are groups out there that really don't do anything. I'm just wondering if this is the case...like you've actually witnessed their lack of sisterhood/brotherhood and witnessed that they don't do any social events or brotherhood/sisterhood events or community service or Greek Council events? Or is your lowly opinion of them based only on how they look...like "oh those girls aren't cute, so that must mean that they'll take just anyone, which means the fraternities probably don't socialize with them, so their sorority must suck"?

Well, Shinerbock IS talking about *HIS SCHOOL* and not other schools. Different schools have different cultures.

People on here are ridiculous. Literacy is something you should pursue.

NOTICE WHAT I SAID...if the SOLE point of a MC group is to be MC, I don't really get it. As stated previously, my questioning of this is based on my experiences with the groups at my school. When I talk about requirements, I mean having similar backgrounds, beliefs, something everyone can rally around. I believe the point of GLO's is to bring people together who have common ideals, values, etc. Thus, if MC groups are just MC, and that is the only uniting factor, I PERSONALLY don't get the point. Like I said, I'm sure there are plenty who are normal GLO's, just filled with MC people, and I understand that completely. However, if it is just hey, whoever wants to be in is in, I don't get the point. In my experience, that is how they are. We had a university forced social with a MC group, and when talking to the people, they claimed no common belief or core value. Also, I don't really consider GPA requirements to be something that really unify a group of people. I had a 3.6, I guess that means me and everyone else who had a 3.6 should get together and start a fraternity. Wait, that sounds stupid, as does a MC group which has the sole mission of being an MC group.

All Greek orgs have a purpose/mission statement (including your own). But, I don't know of any MCGLOs whose sole purpose is multiculturalism. Theta Nu Xi for example has five tenets: Scholarship, Service, Sisterhood, Leadership and Multiculturalism. Each of these tenets is vital to our identity as Theta Women. These tenets aren't just for show...we plan events around them and we expect to see them demonstrated by our aspirants. Our mission is:

To promote leadership, multiculturalism, and self-improvement through academic excellence, involvement in and service to the campus and community, as well as being living examples of sisterhood across different races, cultures, religions, backgrounds, and lifestyles.

We deeply value our bond of sisterhood. We enjoy socializing and networking within our own organization and across organizational boundaires.

Exactly.

So, what is the purpose that your founders laid out for your organization? And, what benefit do you gain from membership? I could ask you the point of your organization. What are you rallying around? But, I know that, at the heart of the fraternity, there is a bond of brotherhood upon which the rest of your ideals hang. And, the same goes for all of us.

Sigh, I give up. Jeni, I'm sure even those MC groups at my school have some sort of foundation, they just don't show it, and their members couldnt tell me anything about it. Maybe they didn't want to, maybe its a secret, or maybe they just are a crappy chapter. Everyone arguing with me seems to ignore the differences I'm making between MC groups. When I said I don't understand the purpose, I was referring to groups who seemingly don't do anything, stand for much, and are simply groups of MC people. The ones that actively pursue a mission or some common cause, I fully understand the point of. Let me break it down, because apparently we're having some communication difficulties...

What I understand: Groups which are MC, but that is not their primary purpose. They function like any other chapter, having common beliefs, interests, etc. They also have standards for membership (GPA, certain qualities that members tend to possess).

What I don't understand: The chapter(s) on my campus (and elsewhere, if they exist) which seem to be MC , with no other real activity, unifying factor, or standards for membership. They mostly let anybody in, and the people have nothing in common other than being multi cultural. There are other traditional chapters I've seen who also fit this category. For example, the ones that basically hand out bids. I think a prime purpose of greek life is to seperate oneself from the rest of the campus. Not to seclude obviously, but rather to hold the group to a higher standard, and to do so requires the best students. If you're just letting anybody in, then you're not a fraternity, you're simply a random sampling of society.

My question to Shinerbock is this:

You always talk about culture and fitting in to your chapter. If a young white guy from an upper class family (complete with a prep school background, country club membership, etc) who isn't from Georgia (say, his family has roots both in the south and the northeast, but he decides to go to school in the south.) comes to your school, will he have a chance? Say his father is a diplomat and this guy went to elementary and middle school all over the world before going to boarding school in ninth grade. He's eaten things and has interests that you and your guys may never have seen or had exposure to. Personally, I'd want someone like that in my chapter, because this person can teach us a great deal.

Hey, that totally describes some of my uncles...:(

As was stated somewhere, it is finding the right persona and fit with the people that one feels most comfortable with.

Who are we to judge them?

The new groups so to speak have done just that.:)

Give credit where credit is due.

I now understand and agree with you. If there are chapters out there doing absolutely nothing, I'd question their existence. But, you probably wouldn't have to because they'd be taking themselves down.

And, you know how I feel about handing out bids. I have no qualms about voting someone out who isn't right for my organization. It's a business deal, not a personal one.

This isn't an issue for me. I don't attempt to assess how comfortable someone is. I look at aspirants qualifications to determine if they will be able to take on the responsibilities of membership. Then, I have to see a little something extra to really be convinced.

Regarding your question about the diplomat's son...I don't see why we wouldnt bid him. If he fits in, he fits in. It is pretty rare we take people from outside the south, but if they had all the familiar trappings of someone with southern heritage, it would be fine. Now, there are certain fraternities that might not. For example, some top tier schools at Ole Miss won't bid you unless you're from a private school in Mississippi. I personally think that is stupid, especially since I went to public school. Our fraternity is about half and half as far as school, but it probably evens out, given that Atlanta and Birmingham metro area public schools are often as good if not better than Alabama or Mississippi private schools. Also, we don't limit ourselves to just Alabama (I went to Auburn) in taking pledges. Of course there are places we somewhat avoid in the south (some Atlanta, Florida), but we also get a lot of our guys from the Carolinas (Charlotte, Greenville, Charleston). I mean, I love the South, but I'd probably vote to bid a kid from Vermont if he was cool enough. Granted, I'd make fun of him for being a yankee, but so long as he didn't partake in yankee practices like voting democratic, I wouldnt foresee a problem.