Minority members of IFC and Panhellenic
 

Have you ever been asked this question:

"What's it like being in a white fraternity?"

And, have people automatically assumed you're in a cultural org when you tell them you're Greek, but not WHICH org you belong to?

Damn, it's been a really stressful weeek. I've had to respond with "What's it like to be straight?" (A question just as assinine) like three times this week.

Happen to me a couple time. They assumed I joined one of the Asian fraternity. It's annoying, but what can you do?

Nope, never.

Greek life is not very common where I'm from, but one particular hispanic sorority is very popular among my highschool friends. (Because of UTPA, TAMUK, A&M.)

So, they always assume I'm apart of that group too, which I'm not. They ask what it's like being a minority at conventions and things like that, but I explain to them that I'm not. It does not feel that way, nor has anyone ever made me feel that way. At conventions, there really is a little bit of everything.

When I was in college, most people assumed that I was either a Gammie (Gamma Chi Sigma), a Waks (Wakaba Kai -- Japanese), or a Phi Sig (Phi Sigma Rho) because they were predominantly Asian. All have been on campus longer than AGD. There was no way in hell I'd be part of a local on my campus. Those fucking twats HAZE.

When I tell them that I'm an Alpha Gam, their first reaction is like, "Isn't that the white girls' sorority?" :rolleyes:

Some people are friggin' idiots.

I got the same reaction from a friend's friend once. I believe she said "You're in a sorority? Isn't that for white girls?" She went on to say that she wanted to start a local Asian interest GLO. So far, this hasn't happened.

Please realize that the only historically minority GLO at U of T is Alpha Phi Alpha.

Re: Minority members of IFC and Panhellenic
 

1.) Once in a while when I wear my Letters

2.) I tell them I'm Greek But I make sure I tell them the name of my Fraternity.

University of North Alabama
 

When I was in school:

My boyfriend is a Kappa Sigma (still in grad school), and he's from Pakistan. There are some Japanese students that are members of Alpha Tau Omega, and there have been Turkish students in Sigma Chi in the past. There aren't any multicultural GLOs at UNA; but there is an organization of the international students, the Global Friendship Organization.

I think that some of the international students wonder why some have joined fraternities, but it isn't a big deal.

Re: University of North Alabama
 

I think some foreign students join GLOs to get a "North American experience." Alpha Gam initiated a study abroad student from Britain this year. She was the New Member Class president and said that she joined because she wanted just that.

Re: Re: University of North Alabama
 

I do know that's the case with some of the Fraternities here at UofT... while I was active Sigma Chi had a number of brothers from Pakistan, Iran and Turkey; Sigma Nu was pretty much saved (numbers wise) by some Brits; Lambda Chi Alpha had brothers from Korea, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Philipines, Israel, Russia, Croatia and Saudi Arabia; Delta Kappa Epsilon had brothers from Trinidad, Nigeria, South Africa, Sweden, Mexico and Italy.

Recently I do know that one Tri-Delt has gotten more than a little attention because of her headress - marking her as a practicing Muslim... she gets asked all the time how she can be invovled with Christians (as if Christians are the only people allowed into GLOs).

ah . . . minority issues lol. i'm 3/4 chinese, and 1/4 german, but i usually just say chinese. its easier that way lol.

the reactions i 've gotten when i told people i was in a fraternity are different depending on who i tell

alot of my causasian friends assumed i was in the predominantly asian fraternity which isn't a bad thing cuz there are some very respectable MGC greek orgs here. i just chose not to go the multicultural route bc the MGC system at my school is pretty unorganized and i always hear from my ODPhi roommate how its pretty much only IFC and NPC who get sufficient support from the office of greek life.

then i have my asian friends who were like 'oh it figures, he's so whitewashed'

----

i'm a second generation born in america kid so i've always had a little more in common with the same. if i was in a fraternity where everyone was first generation i don't think i would fit in as well.

besides my chapter is pretty diverse anyway and brotherhood transcends race.

sfoc, true that.

The dogma of today is much different than it was years ago.

It shows jelloism or ignorance.

When will people finally figure out, that color is not a barrier anymore, but an opportunity for people to get to know others and broaden their lives.

Utopia.

I hope people do realize this. Unfortunately there have been a few incidents the past year or two at Mizzou that show some people still have a way to go...:(

It's TRUE!
 

I was telling an aquantance while shopping, that I planned on joining a sorority. She then did the AKA call and asked I was joining "THAT ONE". I was like um.. noooo!

I was at but was contemplating switching to another school and then someone asked me (because that is the only HBGLO for females at that school I was thinking of transfering to) if it was AKA. I was like no......

The point is-it's not that AKA isn't a GREAT organization, it's just that just because I'm black that doesn't mean I'm joining the only HBGLO you have probably ever heard of! LOL These people should get educated!

At my school the minorities are majorities. Most of the population is hispanic, the majority of the white, hispanic, etc. all go to the South campus where as Blacks are noticably concetrated at the North campus. I go to the South campus and only recently have the HBGLOs begun to present themselves at greek activities that I've attended. I've spent the majority of my time in school with HWGLOs (even though at my school they are majority Hispanic) (LOL! :) ) and I feel most comfortable with them. My boyfriend is a hispanic GLO and so are the majority of the greeks I know and why would anyone assume that I would travel half way across the county when I fit in where I already am. (Not to say I wouldn't enjoy any GLO) but when you are home, you kinda know it....

WHY? Does everything have to turn into this?

Ask Toby Reynolds. I suspect he didn't know what else to type.

Where I have lived, people do not assume that someone belongs to a "cultural org." (what the hell does that mean, by the way?) unless the person is Black or a non-white Hispanic.

Toby Reynolds doesn't care about truth. Just ignore it/her/him. ;)

LOL...I really just wanted to know what people mean by "cultural organizations."

What makes them "cultural?"

I apologize for the confusion. :)

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing that FiReCrAcKeR means clubs and GLOs that are of Asian interest and where most or all members are of Asian descent.

That's a reasonable explanation. Thanks.

So, organizations such as Sigma Chi and Tri Delt would be called what?

I'm really just trying to stay up-to-date with all the terminology.

Sigma Chi is an NIC GLO and Tri-Delt is an NPC GLO. They are not culturally based organizations because they are not ethnic/culturally based. It just happens that in many chapters, members are predominantly white.

:cool:

lol

whites have culture too! :p just not much color.......

also think it means that cultural organizations tend to focus on activities/projects related to a particular culture or an issue for a culture.

This brings up an interesting question that I have had for a while. What is "ethnic"? When people say she is a ethnic woman or these organizations are ethnically based, etc. What exactly is the term ethnic relative to?

I know. :cool:

So, again, why aren't organizations like Sigma Chi and Tri Delt "cutural organizations?" Is it because people believe it is a MERE coincidence that these organizations are predominently white on a national level? Is it also a mere coincidence that their philanthropies TEND not to focus on minority communities, specifically?

:cool: What makes our organizations so different?

;)

Seriously, I am not being facicious or sarcastic. I would like to know what this term really means.

I am a stickler for terminology and the use of words...it must be the lawyer in me ;) When people use terms, I like to know precisely the purpose and context that the word is meant to convey.

Let's discuss.

Here is the definition for you:

2 entries found for ethnic.
eth·nic ( P ) Pronunciation Key (thnk)
adj.

Of or relating to a sizable group of people sharing a common and distinctive racial, national, religious, linguistic, or cultural heritage.
Being a member of a particular ethnic group, especially belonging to a national group by heritage or culture but residing outside its national boundaries: ethnic Hungarians living in northern Serbia.
Of, relating to, or distinctive of members of such a group: ethnic restaurants; ethnic art.
Relating to a people not Christian or Jewish; heathen.

n.
A member of a particular ethnic group, especially one who maintains the language or customs of the group.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Middle English, heathen, from Late Latin ethnicus, from Greek ethnikos, from ethnos, people, nation. See s(w)e- in Indo-European Roots.]
Word History: When it is said in a Middle English text written before 1400 that a part of a temple fell down and “mad a gret distruccione of ethnykis,” one wonders why ethnics were singled out for death. The word ethnic in this context, however, means “gentile,” coming as it does from the Greek adjective ethnikos, meaning “national, foreign, gentile.” The adjective is derived from the noun ethnos, “people, nation, foreign people,” that in the plural phrase ta ethn meant “foreign nations.” In translating the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, this phrase was used for Hebrew gym, “gentiles” hence the sense of the noun in the Middle English quotation. The noun ethnic in this sense or the related sense “heathen” is not recorded after 1728, although the related adjective sense is still used. But probably under the influence of other words going back to Greek ethnos, such as ethnography and ethnology, the adjective ethnic broadened in meaning in the 19th century. After this broadening the noun sense “a member of a particular ethnic group,” first recorded in 1945, came into existence.

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Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.


ethnic

adj 1: denoting or deriving from or distinctive of the ways of living built up by a group of people; "influenced by ethnic and cultural ties"- J.F.Kennedy; "ethnic food" [syn: cultural, ethnical] 2: not acknowledging the God of Christianity and Judaism and Islam [syn: heathen, heathenish, pagan]


Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University

-Rudey

I am, too.

The misuse of terms like "ethnic" and even "cultural organizations" symbolize how normalized and therefore invisible whiteness is in this society. It is overlooked because it is more mainstream and is therefore the baseline of comparison. In terms of research, if you aren't white then you are (of course) non-white and are categorized as this "subset." Many studies compare minority groups with each other and then compare "white" with "non-white" for this reason.

This is why I am glad that someone said "whites have culture, too." This culture isn't discussed because it is often viewed as "(mainstream) American culture" whereas other groups' cultures are viewed as deviations from this. :)

I guess we could ALL simply look up the dictionary and encyclopedia entries. Not appropriate for critical analysis and intellectual discourse, though.

But there is no one white culture.

Really? :cool:

There is "Black culture" so why not "white culture?"

Brain fart day....I meant to say that there is more than one white culture. You can't lump it all together and call it "white culture."

Don't forget that many NPC sororities were created because one or more girls weren't allowed to join existing GLOs due to their background (whether they be Jewish, Roman Catholic, etc)

More often than not, you actually can. Just like people try to lump "Black culture" together instead of delving into the "African Diasporas."

You labelled these as "different white cultures." But, they are still "white cultures," according to you, as opposed to being classified under other ethnic affiliations and being called "different European cultures" or something to that effect.

I don't know if this has been answered, but orgs like Sigma Chi and Tri Delta are not considered "cultural organizations" simply b/c they do not have a focus on promoting different or a single culture.

One example of a "cultural" greek org. might be Kappa Delta Chi. From their website it says: "A sorority based on serving the Hispanic community, Kappa Delta Chi is the strongest network of Latina leaders in the country. " On their information page it also states part of their purpose to be: "The Purpose of Kappa Delta Chi is to promote the values of Unity, Honesty, Integrity and Leadership among women at colleges and universities. Through numerous service events, sisterhood retreats and academic and cultural workshops, KDChi’s learn more about themselves and each other."

Based on the information from their website, I would say an organization like Kappa Delta Chi is more of a cultural org.

There are also "multi-cultural" orgs that celebrate and promote many different cultures (through culture awareness programs or things of the like) like Zeta Sigma Chi.

The difference between say KDChi and Tri-Delta (since you used it as an example) is that Tri-Delta's purpose does not mention anything about promoting or catering to a single culture. Their purpose (from their website) is listed as: "THE PURPOSE OF DELTA DELTA DELTA shall be to establish a perpetual bond of friendship among its members, to develop a stronger and more womanly character, to broaden the moral and intellectual life, and to assist its members in every possible way."

DSTChaos,

It is interesting that most of the folks lamenting about the "differences" in cultures are coming from SORORITIES--meaning they are of the "female culture"... Hmmmm???