Minority Oriented Greek Organization
 

WHAT'S UP!
Well, I'm in an Asian Interest Sorority, and I was wondering how other greeks felt about Minority oriented Fraternities and Sororities. At my campus the relations between IFC/PANHELL and the other Minority Greek Organizations isn't the best, and there doesn't seem to be much understanding between the groups. Last year my organization got to participate in PANHELL's Greek Week, but this year many of the minority oriented fraternities and sororities got together to do a spin-off of Greek Week... I guess this year we're gonna do that one instead... I just kinda feel like there isn't any more unity on our campus... mind you there isn't much Greek Support from the campus so I think it would be great for all of us to maintain some togetherness.... I'm really interested in hearing replies from both minority oriented and IFC/PANHELL Organizations....

In Eternal Love and Friendship.....

Re: Minority Oriented Greek Organization
 

Hi brownsugakdphi,
If you use GC's search page, you'll find that variations of your questions have already been discussed ad nauseam on these boards. :)

UM doesnt have a problem and nor do I with minority interest greek orgs. All the orgs. try to go to everyones different events. Like NPC/NIC's will go to NPHC's step offs, NPHC's will participate in or come and watch Greek Week, etc. Evereyone invites everyone. Not saying there is 100% harmony, but its pretty close.
However, I did have an alum once say to me that she really didnt see a need for multicultural GLO's b/c she felt that it was making NPC/NIC and NPHC orgs look bad by insinuating that they arent trying to integrate or be diverse. However, I almost joined a MCGLO, so I just blew it off and tried to make her understand thats not what they are about.

I personally don't understand the need for them. Especially the ones that call themselves "multicultural". My AX chapter is feakin multicultural! We have jewish girls, asian girls, girls from four different countries, hispanic girls. There are no guides for who can or cannot be in Alpha Chi and so ANYONE can join (as far as ethnicity or race is concerned), so I don't see why people feel they need to set up exclusive sororities.

Brownsugakdphi,
Check your PM, I sent you a message!! ;)

reply to axwhoah
 

An Asian American Perspective
Hello Everyone,


Well, I was skimming through the many responses to the question, and generally I see a lot of "white glo" vs. "black glo" reponses. However, as being a member of an Asian American Greek Letter Organization, I would like to respond to the original question.

I understand why someone would attempt to eradicate what they deem is "segregation" but perhaps it may be important to understand why that certain organization was started. It's kind of like the MELTING POT analogy of our country. People would like the U.S. to be a MELTING POT, but in that sense you are not recognizing the value of people's cultures but assimilating those cultures to the general value of the majority's culture. In the SALAD BOWL analogy, these different ethnicities can be allowed to value their own culture yet experience and understand the roles of various other groups. By establishing one general organization, you are in a fact assimilating that group. What you deem as "segregation" may be in fact a way to create more diversity.

In my sorority nationwide we have sisters of different cultures, two of the sisters at my own school were of latina descent (one being a founder). Regardless of our sorority's purpose (to promote Asian American awareness and strengthen the role of women in higher education), we can't deny the cultures of each of our members. SISTERHOOD is color blind, but our world isn't. It is a fact that some groups are less priviledged than others, and the creation of such minority greek organizations are aimed at changing that fact. So by eliminating such greek organizations, aren't you in fact taking away some of the benefits that we provide to minority groups that might not otherwise be present... In other words... for the organizations that do not focus on a certain racial/ethnic group, how often do you focus on the problems that Asian American, Latino American, African American, Native American people face, and don't you have brothers/sisters that face these problems? Just be thankful that there are organizations out there that do......

In eternal love and friendship

I admit to being slightly conflicted about this issue.

If you felt that there is a need for your organization then I am in no ways qualified to tell you that there wasn't. Obviously you and enough of your sisters felt that there was for there to be an organization, and judging from the number of multicultural orgs popping up nationwide y'all are not alone.

I suppose that the issue that members of BGLO's have with it is why you have to use our model? The mutli-cultural org's on our campus were basically BGLO's by another name, without the restrictions we face and without an equal amount of recognition in their communities.

Part of what has always made BGLO's so remarkable to me is the way they took something traditional and made it their own- they created a new sort of business model for fraternities and sororities. There are so MANY differences between us and HWGLO's. A LOT of the MCGLO's are not. They have yet to find their way to make a new model of the sorority and fraternity. I guess that's why some people don't saee the point. Why join something that is EXACTLY like everything else but just goes by another name?

I think that as your org's get older and you get your own ways of doing things and develop stronger traditions and nuances it will be different and people will understand but it will be a loooong road. Good luck!

I can see how at some schools it is important to have these oraganizations because they are large schools, but my school is small and all of the sororities and fraternities are already diverse. Bringing a Multi Cultural org. on campus would be like telling those that would join our sorority that they shouldn't because we're not "multi-cultural" like they are. It would seriously detract from our membership and being able to meet and associate with different girls. I do see the opinion that there is need for them at big schools however, where there are more people.

About the Greek Week thing that brownsugakdphi talked about, how can you expect any unity if people are so willing to segregate themselves? If the IFC and PHC want to have the other organizations participate, why not participate? Don't say that you are being predjudiced when your organization decides not to participate when invited. Maybe your organization was the only one to participate the first year, but set an EXAMPLE to all of those other organizations that didn't that you are not about to let your greek organizations be segregated. Show them that you are ALL GREEK TOGETHER. Sometimes you just have to be the trendsetter and others will follow. Nothing will be done about segregation until someone takes the first step.

lovelyivy84,

Thank you for bringing that up - I've always wondered that, too.

GREEK WEEK
 

Well in response, my organization was invited last year, and we were grateful and so we participated. Part of the reason we may be stepping away from Greek Week was because there was so much fighting and extra drama associated with Greek Week between various sororities, and our organization felt that it was not an environment we wanted to be in. Furthermore, this year IFC and Panhell picked and choosed who they wanted to participate, and we were the only "minority oriented" greek organization to be asked. We felt that it wasn't fair, and although we were grateful once again to be invited to participate, we didn't feel right participating in something that wasn't very inclusive....

Just a thought...

But why not ask PHC & IFC to include some other minority-aimed GLO's? Do you think they'd be interested in participating? I know that there are several minority related groups including the HASA and the Asian Students Association that participate in our campus' traditionally Greek-only events.. I think things like that have really opened the door a lot wider for more diversity with in our own greek system.

It's quite possible that the other org's don't want to or can't participate. I know that our grad advisor would NEVER have let us participate in something that wasn't with a member of the Divine Nine. They would have been out of her experience and suspect so it was out of the question, lol.

As far as a lot of the MCGLO's NOT having major differences from the BGLO's, I am yet to see that. I am in a multicultural org. and BGLO traditions are very different and we do not participate in a lot of the same events/activities. One major difference I see is MCGLO's strive to better community in general and not just the black community. I would venture to say the average person knows little or nothing about MCGLO's or other ethnic greek organizations with the exception of NPHC.

Well maybe this varies from campus to campus. On my campus that's how it was. On campuses I visited thats how it was. It appears to be like that many places.

As for the differing community service goals, well I can't fault you on that. That's your focus vs. our focus. But I was really referring more to the socialization aspects- line jackets, parkas, STROLLING, stepping, having calls, etc. I saw them do all that stuff just like BGLO's.

Hey, I saw that om my campus too!
 

If the other girl didn't respond to that, I would have never known that multicultural orgs do anything other than what is described above. On my campus, they try so hard to find out what you will be doing next so that they can copy it. The look of BGLO's without the goals and the restrictions. Why did I go into one of their offices and they had ivy leaves hanging on their pink bulletin board?!?!?! The Horror! I had a friend interested in joining a multicultural sorority on my campus. I challenged her to do research on all of the organizations before you make your final decision. After she realized that she would be doing nothing but running around campus with 3 letters on her chest that would mean nothing after she graduated, she changed her mind. Granted, things may very well change for what this organization means to society at a later time, but as of yet that is unknown. My friends biggest worry was that that name would go no where and it would all be a waste of her time. She would have a few "sisters" from campus who hang out with local frat guys, and have wet T-shirt contests but then what? I wish the organization luck with years to come beacue they are a cool bunch of girls, until then...

The multicultural GLO trend has definitely grown since my undergrad days. We had a few Latin GLOs, but as far as I can recall no Asian GLOs. If these groups are sprouting up at various colleges all over the country then they must be filling a void in the greek system as I knew it. I think that these orgs are not taking members away from NPC sororities but are attracting an entirely new untapped group to greek life.

I have a question. NPC and IFC members can join professional GLOs, but can an NPC sister join a multicultural sorority and vice versa? Are there any restrictions in that regard? Thanks in advance.

At Pace University...
 

I am not a member of a NPC sorority so I am not trying to answer this question for anyone in a NPC Sorority, I am just stating what I know on the topic. As a member of a NPHC sorority on my campus, you can not join another "Social Greek" organization if you already belong to one. NPC sororities are social greeks and so are these multi-cultural sororities. I would think that you cannot join because of this factor. I may be wrong, it may differ campus to campus or organization to organization.

Thanks showstopper_1908 for the response. I knew someone who was a sister of an NPC sorority and wanted to join an NPHC sorority and could not even if she deactivated or disaffiliated her original NPC sorority. I wasn't certain if it was a campus or NPC and NPHC rule. I also knew a man who was a brother of an IFC org and also a local org. This was permitted by both fraternities and the college. I was just asking about membership in more than one GLO out of curiousity. I still love D Phi E! :D
I have another question on the organization of multicultural GLOs. Is there an umbrella organization that oversees these groups like the NPC, IFC, and NPHC? Thanks again.

Re: Hey, I saw that om my campus too!
 

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http://www.plaudersmilies.de/nono.gifhttp://www.plaudersmilies.de/nono.gifhttp://www.plaudersmilies.de/nono.gif

Re: Hey, I saw that om my campus too!
 

As far as the chica who put the Ivy on the pink bulletin board, that is just total disrespect. Although there are many different MCGLO orgs. all of them do not know the reasoning and pride behind other greek orgs. mainly NPHC. Just like you have people who join certain national orgs. who really wanted to be something else, you will always have people who join Local, ethnic, and MC orgs. who really wanted to be something else and are not dedicated and committed to the ideas of their present org.

As far as stepping, there are many non-greek orgs. from campus to campus that step. Would you consider them copying BGLO's when they are not even greek? Stepping originated in Africa with the coal miners. Would you say one person of African descent is more priviledged to stepping than the next? I think it signifies pride of African heritage more than anything else. I am not saying that some MCGLO's do not copy BGLO's, but a lot of us are really doing our own thing. We have a NPC org and IFC org who yell the name of their org. across campus. Are they copying NPHC too? We have a "call", but we don't yell it across campus.

Re: Re: Hey, I saw that om my campus too!
 

I have no problem with stepping itself. That is something that I see as less about BGLo's and more about respecting a culture- when it is done with respect for its roots by ANY group it can be beautiful.

But strolling? calls? Those are traditions of the NPHC. Those are things that have to do with Black Greek socialization and cultures, not black culture or Greek culture in general, but specifically with NPHC orgs. I see that as a BLATANT act of copying. I think that MCGLO's can get really bogged down by things like this.

If they want to be trailblazers and make roads into communities then they have to find their own ways and traditions. Imitating us is not going to cut it, and has the added side effect of alienating you from organizations who have common goals and should be working with you. Like I said, I think that it is something that will go away as MCGLO's gain in years and complexity, but in order to do that they have to let go of our model and the HWGLO model and find what works for them.

HI Everyone...I know that this thread is a little old but I am going to post anyway because I feel a strong need to do so...

I am a sister of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority Incorporated. and I am Black. My mother is a sister of Delta Sigma Theta and my father is a brother of Omega Psi Phi which are both NPHC orgs.

Upon entering college I had no intent upon being a member of any greek org much to the dismay of my parents.
However when I came across Theta Nu Xi it took my heart in and I knew right then and there that it was the sorority for me.

It really pains me to see NPHC orgs get defensive and upset because it "seems" that another organization which is new is "copying" them. I feel that people in general really need to open their minds. I can only speak for my Theta Nu Xi and say that anything that may seem like "copying" is in actuality not that. We are quite aware of who was first when it came to such things as line numbers, strolling, calls, etc. I would really like members of NPHC to understand that anything that can be construed as "copying" is in actualitysimply respect. Certain orgs respect the way you all carry yourselves and your orgs and through your example have carved a place for themselves in this society which represent their own ideals.

But that is not the issue...the issue at hand is that people need to understand that every organization has its own identity and traditions, rituals, tenents....etc.
I worked very hard to become a sister of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc. and I know without a doubt that our founders worked very hard to get my org to where it is today.

I also know without a doubt that any sister of Theta Nu Xi is there becasue she worked for it and proved that she is a true Theta Woman and not there becasue she "couldn't" be a member of some other org.


Ok ....:) I'm done....