Joining two sororities?
 

Hello all,

I am interested in pledging an NPHC organization sometime in the future. A couple of my friends are in a greek community service fraternity where they call each other bruhs and have hand signs. I have seen on online sites that these organizations are sort of looked down upon because they are not actually a "greek" organization as most know it. Would it be wise to not join this greek community if I plan on joining an actual NPHC sorority?

-Anja-

It depends on the school/chapters in question.

I know one HBCU campus where the NPHC sorority pretty much won't allow anyone who has joined something with a pledge process, no matter how servicy it is.

On that very same campus, another NPHC sorority has no problems with that.

On a PWI campus across town where there are city-wide chapters, none of the NPHC orgs care if you pledged APO (for example).

But at a PWI I know in the midwest, it's very frowned upon to have pledged APO -- even though the chapter doesn't step, stroll, or have any traditions in common with the NPHC.

Look at your own campus and then decide what is right for you. You might decide to be a trailblazer. Or you might not want to take the risk.

NPHC organizations don't discuss membership intake processes here so you're not going to get the answers you're looking for.

Personally, I wouldn't join a service fraternity that emulated traditional NPHC communities because that just seems pretty phoney

I'll second SenI - it is entirely dependent on your campus, and only you can be the judge of that. Also, be sure you know why you want to join (for both orgs). Best of luck making the right decision for you!

Dude stay in your lane. You aren't in a NPHC and you said nothing to indicate that you are in a service organization. Leave it to those that are in both.

Joining two
 

Couple of comments to add to Senusret I.

I'm making the assumption that this is Alpha Phi Omega.* I'd talk to the brothers in the Alpha Phi Omega chapter to see if any of them are also in one of the NPHC sororities, if any of them are in the NPHC sorority that you want to join, and *which* order that they joined. In general, I find that Alpha Phi Omega chapters would be *much* more open about that. (And if they aren't, let me know)

Also, the term "pledged" can be tricky. While Alpha Phi Omega still generally uses the term pledging, the NPHC fraternities and sororities officially do *not*. (To the NPHCs, pledging=hazing)

As Senusret pointed out, the path will vary according to which school *and* which NPHC sorority, though my *guess* is that the younger the NPHC sorority, the less likely you are to get static. Also, there *may* be less of an issue for joining Alpha Phi Omega after joining the NPHC sorority, though again, a guess. The one thing that I have seen is that for the NPHCs, grad chapters don't care about other student organizations that you have joined unless it is another NPHC.

I'm glad that you asked the question, I hope that we can help.

*(It could *conceivably* be Kappa Kappa Psi, but most of the HBCUs have Tau Beta Sigma as well)

Especially since two people who are in both have answered the question.

O please explain...I would LOVE to hear this.

If I was on a campus where APO acted more like a social fraternity than a service fraternity, I wouldn't join APO because they're going against their purpose. That seems fake to me, as if the members couldn't get bids in IFC organizations so they joined something with greek letters. I can see feeling the same way if a service fraternity used a lot of the same symbolism in regards to signs, steps, strolls, etc as a NPHC organization

Luckily it's not up to you to decide how a service fraternity should act.

And lucky for that chapter you weren't interested in.

Ok...so how is any one organization is any more 'real' or 'fake' than the other, please?

Can you please stop engaging him? You're not in an NPHC or a service fraternity/sorority, either.

Ok and who are you to tell me who I can or cannot engage with?

I am interested in hearing the answer, if you aren't you can move right past it, sir.


Just because you are, doesn't make you the be all, end all 'god' to go to on GC.

Deaemon,

I think an organization that ignores their stated purpose is fake. A real organization is true to the core values established by their founders. If a service organization behaves in a manner that's not consistent to the ideals set forth by their founding mothers and fathers, I would consider it fake (to an extent)

For example, a service org putting more importance on socials than philanthropy

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