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No.

The rest of your question will have to be answered by someone else while I get back in my lane.

I wish this had been asked in more general terms in the Greek Life section. It's an interesting situation that deserves some discussion.

I agree, Senusret. Therefore, I will answer this generally and informatively with no swerving into AKA lane.

NPHC sororities do not do "bids."

In general, what does "official interest" mean? At what point does the interest become "official?" Were you recognized through a formal and documented process as undergoing a membership process or as a candidate for membership?

33girl already answered your first question, but the fact that you would think/ask that question lets me know you aren't ready to pursue membership in an NPHC sorority. Research before you approach the AKAs and embarass yourself. And "research" does not include asking us questions.

Other than that:
(1) How do you know that the school you're about to transfer to in the Fall (you haven't transferred yet) is having an AKA rush?

(2) Why would you mention that you used to be an interest for another org, especially another org at another school? No snarkiness intended, does that make sense to you? If there was no formal and documented aspirant process, why would you volunteer unnecessary info. Just say that you have been researching and also researched a LGLO. This will let them know that you know the similarities and differences across these organizations.

(3) So, not only don't volunteer the info, but do not talk about your former interest because it can lead to aspirant cliches like "XYZ wasn't for me because (insert reason)...." and then you start perceivably bashing the other org. Something doesn't have to be bad just because it isn't for you; and you never know who you may offend in the new group by speaking negatively on the other group.

This is interesting.

Figure this out by trying it out.

That was the college website's general information about when rush is held and it could've been for NPC sorority recruitment (NPC sororities also have a bid process).

If the school was referencing NPHC sororities, the college has no way of knowing whether and when the individual sororities are having a rush. The college can only say that there could be either a Fall or a Spring rush (or both, depending). But, that's kind of a DUH moment, isn't it? :)

Assuming that you know there is an active chapter on the campus, good luck with attending programs and so forth. :)

Interest groups for MCGLOs confuse me sorta.

They seem like "Pledge Clubs" but the people in them aren't actually pledging. They're learning more about the org and each other, and doing service and fundraisers for about a semester. They are learning about the org while the org is learning about them. There comes a time where a girl is either picked to pledge or she isn't and everybody moves on. I have also heard of "carry-over" interest group members who were still wanted, but still needed the grades, the money, the paperwork, whatever.

From what I have observed, you can quit an interest group with no hard feelings, because you haven't actually made line or dropped line.

But I imagine it would be challenging to join an NPHC org *on the same campus* after one has been in an interest group for another org.

So maybe I'm not confused after all.

I wouldn't mention it at all.

I think the OP is just a sharer. :)

A T.I.A.R.A. is a "pledge" for Mu Sigma Upsilon. Some MCGLOs and even a couple of LGLOs that I know of call their "pledge class" an "interest group" or "interested ladies of XYZ."

Then some groups have a really short actual "pledge process," but they take care of a lot of the information dissemination during this "pre" interest group phase.

My org. does not employ any of the above, so it is something that does not entirely make sense to me (nor should it). :)

I'm sooooo glad that I QFP. :D

Damn Senusret I for not QFP for her second sharer post.

There are some pros and cons (including confusion) in doing "interest groups." They aren't foreign to the (older conceptualizations of) NPHC orgs. That includes "pledge clubs" and the precursor, but that's another topic. :)

The OP said that she really enjoyed her interest group experience (in the last post she deleted). She's a wealth of knowledge and experience and she just couldn't keep it in house. :) That's why I tried to tell her to keep it in house; and, also, one of the cons of "interest groups."

Soror LG or other more seasoned NPHCers correct me if I am wrong but I believe that 'back in the day' (pre-1980s), NPHC orgs had similar groups.

I have heard of an interest group known as "AMOT" existing on some campuses (Alpha Men of Tomorrow) but I am uncertain of its connection to the Sphinx Club of pre-1990 or how ubiquitous it really was.

Yes, we had recognized interest groups. But they were ruled illegal (at least in DST) when they were used for 1) pre-pledging, 2) people assumed if they were in an interest group they would automatically become a pledge and 3) chapters started using them for fundraising. (Among other reasons I am sure.)

However, there were no pins or other outward manifestations of being in an interest group (at least there weren't supposed to be.) Initially they were really just a way for a group of like-minded young women to learn about their org of interest and support them. Somewhat like the Sigma's or Zeta's (sorry can't remember which one) official non-member group, but not as formalized.

And yes, if you were known to be in the interest group for one org and changed your mind, chances are you wouldn't be accepted by another.

Dr. Phil thanks for the QFPs. I can't believe I missed this discussion. I also agree that it sounds as if the OP needs to reserach the NPHC better. Her use of terminology and certain perceptions are way off.

Point of Clarification: T.I.A.R.A.s are interested women, not pledges. Mu pledges have a different name and I can't remember if it's private, so I'm not going to post it here. T.I.A.R.A.s (Mu Sigma Upsilon), W.I.L.D.s (Lambda Tau Omega), Lynxes (Omega Phi Chi), Irises (Omicron Lambda Pi), etc. are all interests. Pledges are selected from the interest group and, in all cases I'm aware of, have an entirely different title.

Some HBCU yearbooks in the 1960s had photos of the "clubs" (Pyramid Club, Sphinx Club), etc. as if they were a campus organization.

This always confused me because 1) I don't know whether these were nationally recognized "pledges" and 2) some of the members of these clubs ended up becoming members and others dropped prior to initiation (some of them dropped not knowing the initiation was a few days away, which sucks).

If it's the first one (1) then I assume there were photos of these groups because, by the time the yearbook hit the press, they hadn't completed (I assume they had started) the intake process and couldn't be in the chapter photo.

Oh, okay. I was told they were actual pledges. :)

Your assumptions are correct. Our pledge groups were called Clubs--Pyramid, Sphinxman, Lampado, Scroller, Ivy, Crescent, Aurora, ? (Zetas weren't on my campus yet, so I don't know what they were called, and Iotas didn't exist.) When yearbook pics were taken the end of year initiations hadn't happened.

And yes, people dropped or were dropped all the way up to initiation. Remember the pledge period was for determining if there was a fit on both sides. It was not a foregone conclusion that because you became a pledge you would become a member. And either side could make the decision to depledge, because voting could occur multiple times in the process up until Probation (Hell) week.