U AL Black greek organizations recruit differently (and strangely)
 

Black greek organizations recruit differently

Process serious and secretive, they say
By Alexandra Battito
Contributing Writer
October 17, 2005


All greek organizations on (U of AL) campus emphasize basic ideals of brotherhood or sisterhood, leadership and community service.

But fraternities and sororities in the traditionally black greek organizations of the National Pan-Hellenic Council differ greatly in their methods of finding and initiating new members.

Unlike the organizations in the Interfraternity Council and Alabama Panhellenic Association, who typically begin their search for new members as early as spring and summer and officially pledge most prospective members a few weeks into the fall semester, NPHC organizations have an entirely unique, strict and secretive way of rushing and initiating new members.

"We don't just openly go out and advertise," said Will Henry, a senior and head of publicity for Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. "When you go to convocation, you express your interest in becoming greek."

Before joining an individual NPHC chapter, prospective members must first become a member of the national chapter at the greek convocation held at the beginning of each semester, said Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity President Clinton Johnson.

"The girls call theirs 'rushes.' We call ours 'awareness seminars' or 'interest meetings' where you come, learn more about [the fraternity], find out about the application process," Johnson said.

The process begins not by writing letters to incoming college students, or hosting events to encourage new members to join, but simply by word of mouth.

"If we see someone who we think will believe or live up to the aims of the fraternity, then we may try to recruit him - just ask him if he's ever looked into joining the fraternity," Johnson said. "But we don't have gatherings where we try to get 50 or 60 people to come, it's nothing like that."

After convocation, the information meetings and the intake process begin, Henry said. At the end of the semester, NPHC chapters announce which ones, if any, will be accepting new members. Currently, there are no pledges to a NPHC organization, only prospective members who are beginning to attend information meetings.

"A chapter won't necessarily have initiates every semester," said Brian Johnson, a senior majoring in international marketing and Alpha Phi Alpha member. "It all depends on what the chapter feels that they need."

Hiron Stiell, a senior and recording secretary of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, said each chapter votes on whether they will accept initiates at the end of the semester and no one knows who will accept new members and who will not until then.

The process is so secretive that current members cannot disclose any information about it.

"The intake process within our organizations is basically there to build character," said Curtis Helton, a junior and member of Phi Beta Sigma. "That's about as much as I can discuss about our organization's process. It's pretty serious."

Although all greek organizations on campus have an anti-hazing policy, the NPHC has a broader definition of hazing that it strictly enforces.

"We do not condone hazing in any form or fashion - mentally, physically, spiritually. It's a major part of it," Brian Johnson said.

The NPHC definition of hazing differs from that of other greeks, Henry said.

"Like you see at football games in the student section - the guys in suits and the girls in dresses," Henry said. "Those are potential pledges for some fraternity or sorority in IFC [or Panhellenic].

"But if we did that, it would be hazing."

Henry said it is a popular misconception that NPHC organizations only recruit black students.

"NPHC organizations were actually founded for black men and women to better establish themselves in the community as far as voting rights, educational rights, and finances, but as we grew we took on other [ethnicities]," said Henry.

Curtis Helton said he is the only white member of Phi Beta Sigma right now, but he is not the first white member of the chapter.

"It's a personal decision I made," Helton said.

How is that strange?

Because it's something that hoosier doesn't do/agree with.

So recruitment is more formalized and not an advertising blitz... different but not strange.

BGLO intake process vs GLO intake process = DIFFERENT



http://re2.mm-c1.yimg.com/image/1061226859

= STRANGE



http://re2.mm-c1.yimg.com/image/1283722001

= STRANGE



http://re2.mm-a1.yimg.com/image/324538740

= Well, you be the judge.








*Edited to change out troll pic. Couldn't tell if that was an umbilical cord or not....:eek:

*snortlaugh*

LOL at the Bush pic!:p

Strange, I think not. Even some other non-NPHC fraternities and sororites do this.

lol...but yeah doesn't seem strange at all to me...it would be strange if they were doing that and nobody became members and they kept doing it. it's working so who is anyone else to call it strange? eyes really need to be opened to the fact that there are lots of ways to do things...

and yes, other non-nphc orgs do things the same if not similar on campuses across the country

They are welcome to do what ever they choose, and I wish them success.

According to the Dean of Students website, Spring 2004, Alpha Phi Alpha had 10 members and 16 pledges. Delta Sigma Theta had 30 members and 25 pledges. Congratulations to them.

The other six groups (Omegas, Phi Beta Sigma, AKA, Delta Xi Phi, Sigma Gamma Rho, and Zeta Phi Beta) had a total of three pledges among them.

The eight groups had a total of 137 members on a campus with over 2500 Black students.

They are welcome to do what ever they choose, and I wish them success.

And now, my impersonation of every hoosier thread:

"Blah blah, black people get special treatment, blah blah, white men have no rights anymore, blee blee, I heard it on Fox News (or read it in Opinion Journal) therefore it must be true, bleh, bleh, left wing liberal media conspiracy."

*takes a bow*

Bush's approval rating is not high in this thread, unfortunately. Damn Jane Fonda and her torrid affair with John Kerry and the unfortunate results on baseball and lower sorority rush turnouts in the south. Back when there were no democrats, hurricanes never made landfall! DA!

Shit, now I'm just confused.

Is this what you find strange/interesting?


Many are called but few are chosen.

Regardless to their numbers, they do a lot of great work in the community. I know several members of Sigma Gamma Rho and Phi Beta Sigma on that campus, and they are all very active in the community.

I always say, quality over quantity.

137 out of a total of 2500 is somewhere around 5.5% isn't it?

That's not too far below the total greek to student body population at some universities.

Waaaaaay above my university - we've almost hit 0.1% this year.

Well, I beg to differ, but part of what is written here is strange to me. I wonder if it was reported accurately.

That can't be right.

Sounds sorta right... the guys here at UofT don't go only to the chapter to become members, but to IHQ through the chapter - the formal recruitment process is handled not by the chapter, but by IHQ with the chapter. <Someone more knowledgable - or eloquent please explain further>

Again different but not all that strange once the process was explained - it has it's pros and cons, but ultimately it works more or less the way they want it to.

Nothing strange about the recruitment process.

Re: U AL Black greek organizations recruit differently (and strangely)
 

If this was applied only to A Phi A, then okay. But the article refers to the NPHC in general, and within Delta, I have never heard of the above. So to me it is different and strange--a definition of which is: not before known, heard, or seen: new, unfamiliar.

And I won't even comment further about "the girls call theirs rushes." :rolleyes:

Re: U AL Black greek organizations recruit differently (and strangely)
 

I don't know how it is at U AL, but at all the other schools I've been to for football games (and I've been to many), it's the sorority and fraternity members who are dressed up for the games -- not potential pledges.

Re: Re: U AL Black greek organizations recruit differently (and strangely)
 

Who knows where this is from. The writer is a contributing writer to what? Is there a link?

Re: Re: Re: U AL Black greek organizations recruit differently (and strangely)
 

The Crimson White
http://www.cw.ua.edu/vnews/display.v.../43533c46bd112

137 is a good number. I'm used to small to medium size campuses with small BGLO chapters. Large "pledge classes" are a bust.

Re: Re: U AL Black greek organizations recruit differently (and strangely)
 

I agree.

LOL...good grief.

I'm going to assume that Delta Xi Phi is a non-NPHC BGLO? Sorry, forgive my ignorance on this ...

Anyway, what's wrong with six groups having 3 pledges between them? Large pledge classes can be overwhelming, especially if you have a small chapter. (Our chapter just doubled in size with our pledge class - it's so hard to get to know everyone!)

Delta Xi Phi is a national multicultural sorority; the UA chapter was founded in 2003.

ETA: I can't spell "multicultural" this morning ... :)

I wish people wouldn't assume that just because the Divine Nine are the Divine Nine that their intake process is the same throughout all 9 orgs.

And as far as other organizations besides the 9 doing it, I know Latino Greeks and Asian Greeks do similar things.

For PDPsi, we have a Rush, but it is not part of some large orchestrated thing like Panhel and IFC do (where different orgs have events on different days, etc.) And as for writing letters to people, I didn't know that was even allowed.

As for large pledge classes...the larger you are, the less you know everyone well. I know some people like the larger orgs, but one of the things that bothered me was that I might be part of a huge pledge class, and that I wouldn't really get to bond with them during that time period.

And how is it strange that people do things differently??? I'm gonna ignore that one. :rolleyes:

Yup. Cosign!

I'm going to add another cosign to this one. It's something that I truly loved about my sorority. I got to know everyone well. I couldn't believe it when some of my friends who went with the large panhels told me they didn't know everyone in their chapter. To me, that's strange...

Does bonding stop when the pledge period is over? Or does it continue as you work in the chapter--thus extending to more than just the pledge class?

I agree with you here; however, I too have heard from people in large chapters who don't know all of the people in the chapter -- I'm talking about not knowing them at all to the point that they are surprised when they see a woman in their letters on campus and find out that they're in the same chapter.

I've also heard from people who were part of large pledges classes/lines who barely know the others and maybe only know first names at best.

With the way some pledge programs are set up, cliques can occur within pledge classes causing people not to know those outside the clique very well.

That has always been my opinion.

That sums it up for me. We don't have to accept everyone on campus just because "Ooooh there sure are lots of Black people here." Give me a break.

I just find this funny :D