PIKE Update closing
 

I understand that mods have the discretion to lock threads, but I do have a request. Can the mod who locks a thread at least identify themselves in the last post and give an explanantion as to why. I think the posters on here deserve at least that consideration.

I didn't get to post a serious response to the Pike at Howard thread so I figured I would take a moment to do it here.

Forgive me if I repeat what some others have written.

I think it should be clear that a NIC group, and i mean the fraternities that we can consider as traditionally white, are very different than the NPHC groups. Which means Pike represents a different kind of choice.

I know everyone realizes this, but its worth taking a moment to revisit it.

NIC groups traditionally don't have as strong a national mission as the NPHC groups.

From what I understand from this board and my friends in NPHC groups, the National character of the NPHC groups is more indoctrinated than their NIc counterparts.

The biggest difference is the emphasis on service. NIC groups are social fraternities first . . . and they do some service type activities.

My understanding of the NPHC groups I have worked with is that they are virtuallty service organizations. Service organizations that socialize.

In fact, when I ran a chapter, often we would be ten times the size of some of the NPHC groups but they would do ten times the service activities.

NIC groups exist to socialize. NPHC groups exist to serve.

I am not saying one is better than the other, just different.

Getting to my point.

I don't know what motivates the the men that want to join Pike versus an NPHC group, or just stay independant, but from the outside it looks like the members want to join a more social organization than a more service one.

I think thats an important distinction to make, because the NIC groups and the NPHC groups are not interchangeable.

This is not like they are starting a chapter of Iota Phi Theta instead of joining the Alpha Phi Alpha chapter. The NIC group is a whole 'nother animal.

This is more like people starting a school TV club instead of joining the established Radio club because their interest is similar (Communications) but still different.

Re: PIKE Update closing
 

I'm not the mod who did, but i'm pretty sure it was because of the train wreck that it turned into that went totally off topic, from Sensuret and Tom battling it out (go Sensuret ;) ) to the fratty folk's invasion.

The colonization was barely being discussed among all the other crap... and it wasn't just general off-topic crap, it was messy off-topic crap.

I would assume it was closed because it turned into a train wreck of a thread that went so off topic and basically turned into GC member bashing as opposed to actual constructive thoughts on the original topic.

I'm glad it was closed, it was getting way hostile.

What some of us older members of NPHC groups are saying that we do not have that kind of luxury to "just be a social group". The kids in college may just see our NPHC organizations as just that, but after college, there is a lot more we do afterward. And that is what you, yourself see when working with us. We see our organizations starting kids off with the basis premise of service along with socialiablity.

So on your assessment, the fact that most "traditonal NIC" organizations are mainly social, then that would say to me, in my opinion, that the young men who sought Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity out from Howard University see the social life at Howard as substandard and they keep telling us to give folks a different choice...

What some of us are saying, what is that choice? And basically questioning intent to join. Because we know both NIC and NPHC networking pretty much operates the same way and in several ways crosses paths. But right now, in my opinion, they young men fail to see that.

Hey, but its their choice... They can do whatever they want to do. But I know plenty of adults that also complain and wish they made different choices. And I find that silly... Especially when we are talking about the premise of the NPHC organizations international mission statements...

I am not questioning why it was closed. I just am asking that the mod who closes it identifies themself and states why in the last post. This is common on other MBs that I visit.

Colonization
 

Just found out they colonized with 58 members. Pretty impressive.

Re: Colonization
 

Very impressive indeed.

The Thread was Closed as a Train Wreck is something refering to to posts that got totally out of hand.

This is a Group of Young Men who requested a GLO to come on campus of a School and should have been all. It turned into a semi-hate thread about a so Called White GOL going onto a HBC.

People were getting out of hand and it should have been closed by any or all of The MODs of that Thread.:)

Re: Colonization
 

Wow! :)

Re: Re: PIKE Update closing
 

The TOS says "The owners of GreekChat.com Forums have the right to remove, edit, move or close any thread for any reason. " Mods are agents of the owners.

I think the mods, particularly of this forum in particular, have done a damn good job of keeping things in check with all the crap that's going on. Do you have any idea how many emails they get reporting posts everyday? Or how many PMs from people?

Mods aren't paid. Amycat, SAEAlumnus, moe.ron and DeltAlum are not paid to moderate this forum (using this forum as an example). They have all had to put up with a lot of crap and put in a lot of time lately. Answering a PM about why a thread was closed isn't really high on the priority list when you have racist and hateful threads to delete.

Re: Colonization
 

Wow! That is impressive.

I think in the end it boils down to this:

If they're good guys, and run the chapter in the mold of a long established traditional chapter, then I'm all for it.

If its a bunch of turds or a social club with letters, then the fact we have the same letters means next to nothing.

Re: Colonization
 

Congrats!

Re: Colonization
 

Wow! Congratulations to them...that is impressive. :)

Re: Colonization
 

Cool. Congrats.

Re: Colonization
 

WOW!

I can't believe it. I'm so happy for PIKE this is awesome!!! That just made my day!

Re: Colonization
 

That is impressive! Congratulations! :D

Excellent point.

Great post, James. :)

If I had $1 for every time this has been used in this thread,

I'd be able to buy three McDonald's parfaits. I love those things.

hahah


how about those train wreck bacon cheeseburgers they sale for a dollar...

"sell"?

Re: Colonization
 

Congrats!

Being a frat line of 58 strong will be an interesting dynamic at HU.

I look forward to further updates.

I know Howard really can't be used as an example, but with other HBCUs with the same amount of involvement as Howard, what kind of membership numbers are there when a new chapter is started? I.e. how many charter members of the chapter are there?

Most of the D9 chapters at HBCU's were probably chartered pre-80's or at least by 1990... Very few HBCU's do not allow HBGLO's--I think Oakwood College is one of them? But, I could be wrong.

Why dont HBCUs allow HBGLOs?

Seems strange to me.:(

I know LXA at NC A & T are doing well with I think @ 30 members but might be more.

Congratulations to PKA for the tremendous amont of work being done and the young men who started the colony.:cool:

Many moons ago, early 90's, AKA at Southern University took a class of ~140. I am a little fuzzy on the details but I think that it was a recharter. Mr. aopirose had some HS friends on that line. We were just stunned because we had never seen an NPHC take more than 30 before.

Chapters that are being reactivated tend to have large re-activation lines. That is because if a line isn't taken for say 2-3 years, you usually have a least double the normal number of interests.

ETA: And watch it! Early 90s isn't that many moons ago. :p

There were a few that banned a greek system, period.

Why must we hold HBCUs to different standards than PWIs?

Amherst, Williams, Bowdoin don't allow any social GLOs on their campuses while Davidson in the Carolinas doesn't allow sororities. None of the Seven Sisters have women's fraternities either. It's up to the college administrations.

Howard Pikes
 

I am new to this message board but was compelled to sign up when I saw the level of confusion regarding the topic in general. Hopefully I can shed some light on the situation.

I am a proud member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at the KY chapter located at American University. Today at a Leadership/cultural development conference hosted by the NPHC organizations here on campus, we addressed this very issue.

However, the difference between that conversation and this forum was the presence of 2 members of the Howard Pike Colony.

First, I can not say how proud I am that my fraternity is the first IFC fraternity to attempt a colony at Howard. The men of Pi Kappa Alpha are supposed to embody the ideals of scholars, leaders, atheletes and gentlemen... and as far as I am concerned these men are just that. I look forward to the day where I can call them my brothers.

Unfortunately, the NPHC people who set the schedule for the event knew that they were there and only after the Howard guys left did they start to pull out the big guns. Only then did they have the nerve to call the fraternity rascist and those who chose to join at howard were "confused" and "lost".

This is sickening. Why is a prodominately white fraternity that chooses to colonize at Howard ANY different than a black fraternity that chooses to come to a school that was once unfriendly to blacks?

I would argue that Pike is a product of the time and place it was formed. It is foolish and naive to think that ANY greek organization formed in the south would not be segregated in 1868. Sorry, its a sad truth. The whites only clause was dropped in 1960, which is in line with many organizations of the same time period.

The people of the Howard colony understand that. They want a Pike chapter there because it is NOT a "historically white fraternity". They identify with the ideals of brotherhood that transgress any racial and religious lines. Anyone affiliated with a Greek organization knows that chapters each have their own distinct identity, and it is important to note that the chapters where Pike chapters have had problems had their charters removed. The national fraternity did not tolerate it, and as far as I am concerned they should not be at fault.

In conclusion, the way that the NPHC fraternity and sorority people portrayed the founding fathers at the Howard Chapter was wrong. I feel that these brave men are facing many of the same challenges that their own organizations had to deal with when trying to colonize at new schools. I think that their efforts are good for Pike, good for the diversity of Howard, and good for greek life in general. These men are not confused, they are just the only ones willing to put in the time and effort to take the next step in the evolution of Greek Life.

The NPHC chapter members at AU did not have the courage to challenge these men to their face and instead waited for them to leave before attacking what they were doing. To deny the students of a certain school the opportunity to become a Pike based on it being a black school is racist and I'm glad that Howard is allowing us to colonize. I challenge anyone to seek out some of the Howard Colony and talk to them... you might just realize that what they are trying to do isn't so bad.

Mabey We should let Those Schools alone and concentrate on those that do accept Greeks.?

I do not care what Campus it is it still is a campus of Young People.

Why Not Let Them Make The Decission and not some over the tops?:o

Re: Howard Pikes
 

So did you have the nerve to call them on it at the time, or did you wait until after the meeting (when they had all left) to come post it here on GC? Just wondering.

Tom,
I understand the point you were making, i.e. on the surface of what was said, you couldn't undertand why an HBCU wouldn't allow BGLOs. I hope I have clarified it for you. Some of our HBCUs are even more conservative than others, and also religion based, so they didn't believe in the greek system.

*Okay, something must be wrong with me. I understood Tom Earp. :D*

Re: Re: Howard Pikes
 

Yes, there was a discussion about it at the time... it was not a personal attack against them but the point was raised that these people were not there to defend themselves and to assume their motives for wanting to start a chapter wasn't fair. I am comfortable speaking on their behalf because I spent close to an hour and a half talking with the two colonists about what it was like at Howard, which from the conversation we had was apparent nobody from NPHC did.

Re: Re: Re: Howard Pikes
 

Just curious as to why participants left before the forum was over?

Re: Re: Re: Re: Howard Pikes
 

The conference was required attendance for all NPHC, IFC, and PanHel groups at American. The Howard Pikes came on their own free will. It started at 8AM and ended at 5:30... they left around 3. If I could have gotten out of it I probably would have left as well there wasn't much going on at that point.

Re: Re: Re: Howard Pikes
 

You talked to 2 out of 58 and reached that conclusion?

I ask this, because in the original thread about this (that has been deleted) a HU member of the NPHC staunchly defended the colonization saying that the other NPHC members at HU also welcomed them.