African American going through recruitment at Alabama?
 

Hello! I was looking into recruitment at the a university of Alabama and saw a thread about race. I basically got the idea that an African American female going through npc recruitment at Alabama is a terrible idea and is setting herself up for disaster. Maybe I read too much into it but that's the vibe I got.
Is this still true? I just want a realistic answer. I don't ask this to upset anyone or offend anyone either because I know there are so many other factors that come into play like GPA, resume,etc
Also I wouldn't blame race for being cut. That's just stupid.

The realistic answer is that there isn't enough data to give you an answer. To the best of my knowledge only about 4 AA women have ever gone thru at Alabama. One was actually1/2 AA and she pledged a group. The others either dropped out or were released. Grades and recs are necessary at Alabama so it's possible the remaining 3 were lacking in one or more of those respects - but no one will ever know as membership selection is private.

So, seeing as during those 4 years some 6,000 women total went thru recruitment, it's hard to say why 3 didn't make it to bid day. Too small a sample.

Who cares?
 

Who f'ing cares?
Your blood is just red as their's.
Go for it.
If you don't try, you have already failed. That's my belief.

I am not from the South. But, still. If one goes through, then maybe another will go through and it will build year after year.
Yes, I know that there are cultural issues that I am not aware of down there. Hey, we just got a black president. So if he can become president then surely you can go through recruitment.
What do you have to lose?
Worst case scenario is you don't like it. Well, you don't have to do it again. You could chalk it up as an experience. One that you had instead of wondering what if.

Back in the day, my org was one of the few that had African Americans in our chapter. I was so proud.

Please don't lambaste me for speaking about a culture that I have little knowledge of.

LIFE IS ABOUT EXPERIENCES...

<JUMPING OFF SOAP BOX>

^^^ If there was 1 AA member out of 6000 rushees, then I think it's a legitimate question.

I agree that it is a legitimate question.

However, at some point, I feel that you want to do something, you just have say screw the odds and just do it.

The only way for the odds to increase are to increase the numbers going through. It starts with one. And then goes to another and another.

It's not a question of whether or not I'm allowed to go through recruitment, because I am.
But as knight_shadow mentioned, there having only been 1 AA has led me to ask a legitimate question about how much of a factor race will play into my experience. I'm not stupid enough to assume any one chapter or house is racist, cause that's not the case. But anyone from the south knows the reputation of schools like 'bama and 'Ole Miss.

I just wanna know whether I'd honestly be wasting my time.

But I don't wanna ignorantly base my decision off of a misunderstanding. Like is there a lack of AA rushing because of the reputation? So its just a cycle of no AA's? Or is race a major factor?

That's all. I just wanna be realistic

This is an issue in every region of the country which is why you would be so proud of the African Americans in your chapter. :)

So, someone does care. ;)

Try it and see for yourself.

The Machine.

I take that as a no haha

Since you didn't say anything about your GPA (must be well over a 3.0) nor that you have 2 recs for every house and since your grammar would lead one to believe that your grades are not at the appropriate level ("wanna" used repeatedly), I am assuming that you don't meet the basic requirements anyway....no matter the color of your skin. You've already outed yourself here if anyone wants to figure it out once recruitment begins.

Have a seat.

Um, wow. Jump to conclusions much?

To the OP, if you do decide that you want to pursue NPC recruitment at Alabama, I would definitely give you the advice that I would to all PNMs considering Alabama. Alabama recruitment is ultra competitive; I'd be willing to bet that it's going to be more so this fall since they've just won the national championship (which tends to increase the number of students who want to attend). Grades are super important; multiple recs for each org are too. Keep your online presence in social media super clean. (I don't think you've done anything wrong here by asking a perfectly reasonable question.)

Good luck no matter what you decide.

I'm amused by the username...that came from even before I worked at Taco Bell when I was in high school, so like mid-late 90s. Probably around the time this person was born. :)


This could be one of those self-fulfilling prophecies....very few AAs have rushed, so there's this big question mark, so AAs continue not to rush, which doesn't give NPCs the chance to prove the outcome.

I think this is important point Alpha Frog, and there are additional factors as well.

Very few AAs have rushed at Alabama, which makes them nervous about being the first. AAs (particularly from out of state) may not know many women in chapters already - which we have seen time and again makes things more difficult for OOS women in a competitive recruitment like the SEC. (Its not that they don't like you - its that they already have 100 best friends from high school coming through recruitment.) AA women that would be awesome candidates are actively recruited and encouraged by friends and family in the Divine Nine.

All I can tell you is that some of those big, southern schools now have some great Hispanic and Asian women in their chapters. I am guessing if a young lady with good recs and good grades goes through recruitment, they would find a home.

What would be a waste of time would be tearing your hair out over whether or not it is a waste of time. At the very least, if you did go through and decided not to join, it would be a good way to meet people especially if you are OOS, and you won't have to worry about the "What ifs?"

Those are good points about the challenges an out-of-state PNM faces at a big SEC school, but did I miss something? I don't remember seeing anything that would indicate the OP was OOS.

I think it is important to add "Most of the NPC groups had exclusionary policies a few decades ago that barred Jews as well as non-whites. These chapters no longer have explicit policies, but they have not taken action to promote inclusion equivalent to the actions taken to ensure exclusion in the past." That's the context within which AA women choose not to rush. Diversity rarely, if ever, happens simply because you open a door that used to be closed. You need to give people reasons to walk through that door. Memories die hard, especially on a campus, and within a Greek system, that takes enormous pride in its long traditions.

Aside from your race, there are issues everyone rushing at one of those hardcore schools need to consider. What is your GPA like? Have you researched getting recs? Do you have any extracurriculars that will help you stand out? No matter who you are, if the answers to those questions are less than favorable, that would help you make your decision to possibly not go through.

My assumption (and you know what happens to people who assume) would be that the OP is out of state. I would think that African Americans who live in Alabama are already intimately familiar with the state of diversity and inclusion there.


This is an excellent point, but I also wouldn't discount the appeal of the Divine Nine. Most people are going to gravitate to that which is familiar, and it is my opinion that the NPHC organizations do a much better job than NPC and NIC organizations of making themselves known beyond the collegiate population and community involvement across generations. YMMV.

;) I know this is not what amIblue? is saying but I'm throwing this out there before the thread goes there:

The OP wants to be in an NPC sorority. She should not come knocking on the NPHC sororities' doors just because she is afraid to try NPC recruitment. That is not the role of NPHC sororities in the 21st century. Besides, if the OP has not brought up the NPHC on her own, it should not be recommended to her. That is insulting and is not how we operate.

Oh, no, that is definitely not what I was suggesting. If the OP wants to join an NPC group, then I hope she is successful in finding her home. (See my earlier post wishing her well.) I am proud that my organization has sisters of all races and faiths.

I was just trying to give another possible reason for why there are not many AA PNMs at Alabama. It's a complicated situation. It's not just one thing is all I was trying to say.

I have nothing but the highest respect for NPHC organizations, and I would never consider them a "valid alternative" (remember that train wreck) to NPC groups.

Thanks DrPhil, for explaining what I mean. :)

Ole Miss definitely has some blacks in NPC sororities, based on the sororities' website bid day and sisterhood pictures. A very few, but I haven't seen more than that on average the bid day pictures from schools in most other parts of the country. It is certainly not exclusively a Southern thing to have 95%+ White chapter makeup. Assuming all Southerners are rascist is just another form of prejudice.

I haven't read this entire thread, but who said that?

Is this going to turn into a "why is there no White Entertainment Television?" type of thing?

No one said all Southerners are racist. No one said that NPC membership nationwide is not majority white. No one even said everyone in NPC sororities at Bama is racist.

Furthermore, no one asked about recruitment at Ole Miss. Just because they're SEC and there are similarities does not make anecdata about recruitment at Ole Miss apply to the OP's situation at Bama.

The OP had/has a legitimate concern regarding the likelihood of a successful recruitment at Bama GIVEN THE CONTEXT of past recruitments at Bama.

OP -- I'm not stupid enough to assume any one chapter or house is racist, cause that's not the case. But anyone from the south knows the reputation of schools like 'bama and 'Ole Miss.

agaz -- Furthermore, no one asked about recruitment at Ole Miss.

Then why did you bring Ole Miss up?

First off (again), use the quote feature. Because you're fucking up my username.

Second off, the question is about Bama. If you want to defend Ole Miss, fine, but don't pretend it's relevant just because the OP mentioned its reputation offhand. Your comment about assuming all southerners are racist is a form of prejudice is a red herring to distract from the OP's question. She did not ASK about Ole Miss. There was no QUESTION in that statement.

Had you used the QUOTE FEATURE to highlight that part of one of her posts, your statements about how Ole Miss is, like, totally not racist, duh, would have made more sense.

I'll decline to offer advice to the OP because I don't know much about the climate at Bama but hope for the best for her, in whatever she decides to do.

I apologize to agzg for mistyping her user name. Tried, but "Quote" feature doesn't work on this computer.
I wish the OP the best, also. 'Nuff said.

Personally, as a person who reads these threads about the big southern schools with interest, I'd love to see a fully qualified black woman go through rush and let us know how it goes. My instinct is that as long as she kept her options open, she'd find a home. But my opinion is worth exactly zero in this scenario.

I think many Greek systems could use a little diversity, but that has to go both ways. You might have to have a bit thicker skin than comparable girls going through with you. But then if you read through many of these threads you can see a lot of girls, regardless of race, could benefit from a bit thicker skin as they deal with the process and the cuts.

You probably shouldn't let us know what you've decided until after the fact, but if you do go through, I'd sure love to hear all about it. AFTER.

The problem is that fully qualified women of all races at all schools do go through and get cut, and we don't know why. It's tricky.

As an NPC member who attended Alabama, YOU have a seat!

Y'ALL DONE MADE ORIGINAL SENUSRET COME BACK! UGGGGHHHHHH

LOL at assuming that the OP has a low GPA because she used "wanna" on an internet forum, while you have your modifier dangling all over the place in just this one sentence.

Sen is not, as far as I know, an NPC member who attended Alabama.

And that, too. LOL

I only have an MA in English, but I didn't find the OP's grammar terribly atrocious. She also had strong word choice in her posts with her adjectives and adverbs. Much stronger than many other posts I've seen on GC.

Also, Titchou...it's "through" not "thru." Or is it only OK for you to truncate words in your posts? The comma should also be your friend.

While words like "wanna, gonna, and thru" are common place in a casual environment like an internet forum, I believe the old adage is always true: Profanity is a sign of a weak mind and a poor vocabulary. :rolleyes:

Let's go back to the original question.
The answer is: yes. The odds are that you will not receive a bid from an NPC group.
No sorority wants to be the second to pledge an AA. (A sorority pledged an AA in 2002, the year after the Melody Twilley blowup. That was a brokered deal, but it was a first.)
Why?
Because of the alumnae. Because of the way fraternities entwine with sororities and the whole mating thing. Because they're afraid no white woman will pledge the next go-round because of it.
If one of the "circle sororities" or "old row sororities" (UA folks will know what that means) pledge AAs, then everybody will pledge AAs. Might even fight over them. But those select groups will be the LAST to do it.
Should that scare you off? Maybe. But it's important for more and more and more AA women to sign up and go through. Because you can't pledge if you don't try. Because it will remain a problem in hiding if you don't sign up and go through. Because somebody's got to do it.

Flame on, brothers and sisters.

I wanna(WANT TO) thank everyone who took the time to read and post.

I am from a southern state so I am very familiar with recommendations. My sister is in a sorority but at a completely different school (not a southern school) and all of the counselors at my school went to U of A or UT Austin and are of course, in sororities.

As far as GPA & academics, I'm not sure if it is appropriate to post my information(GPA, extracurriculars, etc) on here so unless someone says it's safe or ok, I will not. The most I will mention is my GPA is indeed above 3.7.

My thoughts on recruitment at UA are that African American women are put off by the stereotypes, and as a result, few African Americans go through. And if an African American does happen to go through recruitment and gets cut, it's assumed because of race. So the cycle continues of there being no African American women. But in reality, so many females get cut because it's so competitive and it's impossible to say WHY a girl (regardless of race) may have been cut.

Why are you quoting me and citing the use of profanity?

Senusret =|= weak mind nor poor vocabulary.

Here's Titchou's post:

In other words, the bitch had it coming. Her post to the OP was unnecessarily rude and judgmental; frankly, it smacked of fear that "the Blacks" might somehow sully the sororities at Alabama by daring to join. It was also vaguely threatening; she told the OP that she had already outed herself. Is that in any way a reasonable response?

:rolleyes: I can do that, too.