Some positive Greek exposure
 

Hey everyone, it seems like everything we see in the news about us is negative, so here's something good!!! It's about my chapter and our mentor program. Unfortunetly the article isn't written very well but I guess any publicity is good publicity.
Enjoy!

How nice to see something nice written about Greeks for a change! Props to you and your brothers!

Awesome job dude!!

Great article Geoff. It is great to see Beta at UNL leading the way again!

Wow great article =) Good Job!

YAY!
 

Nice to see that article. Thanks for sharing it! :)

Geoff, job well done!:)

Give a Interfraternal Heads up to all of your Brothers of Beta!

This is so refreshing to hear something of a posotive nature for the Greek Community as a whole!

Man when you get Back to KC We have to get together as have not met any GCers in person and would be my pleasure!:)

Blacks of all ages serve, find friends in Greek organizations
 

The Columbus Dispatch
Monday, June 3, 2002
Tiffany Y. Latta
Dispatch Staff Reporter

After she earned a master's degree, married and raised a family, Alice Betsill joined a sorority at 62.

"Finally, after completing these things and with my children all grown up, I had time to do the things that I always wanted to do,'' she said. "I wanted to connect with other women . . . and was impressed with the things that Delta (Sigma Theta) was involved in.'' Betsill, 72, of Whitehall, is one of about 1.5 million members of historically black sororities and fraternities.

About 20 percent are undergraduates; the rest are affiliated with alumni chapters, even if they were not members in college.
Black fraternities and sororities allow people to pledge without having been collegiate members, as long as they have college degrees. That's different from most predominantly white Greek organizations, said Virginia LeBlanc, executive director of the National Pan-Hellenic Council in Bloomington, Ind.

The council represents the nation's nine historically black Greek groups: Alpha Phi Alpha, Iota Phi Theta, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi and Phi Beta Sigma fraternities and Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Sigma Gamma Rho and Zeta Phi Beta sororities.

All of these groups except Alpha Phi Alpha have collegiate chapters at Ohio State University. All have alumni chapters in Columbus.

Betsill, for example, knew a member of the Delta Sigma Theta alumnae chapter and obtained information through her. Although the mention of fraternities and sororities may conjure images of
parties and step shows, the focus at the college level is just as much on community service, LeBlanc said. That's true, too, of the alumni groups, which also are geared to networking with other black professionals.

Black fraternities and sororities were born as service and civic
organizations in the early 1900s, when black college students were barred from joining predominantly white Greek organizations. The black students used the organizations to connect with others and to bring about social change, especially during the civil-rights movement, said Walter Kimbrough, vice president of student affairs at Albany State University in Georgia. The groups still address issues facing blacks and focus on improving educational, economic and political inequities in their communities, said Kimbrough, who has studied the Greek culture of blacks.

In addition, members find that they have something in common even with people who are otherwise strangers, he said. "Regardless of where you move, you can find someone else in your fraternity or sorority (with whom) you will have that instant connection. You can do community service and be connected with some of the most influential people
in your community.''

The first time Betsill attended a Delta Sigma Theta national convention -- in Baltimore in 1992 -- she was amazed by the size of the group. "It was somewhat overwhelming but at the same time gratifying to see so many positive African-American women from different walks of life,'' she said.

John Boxill, 40, manager of chapter services for the American Red Cross in Columbus, joined the local Alpha Phi Alpha alumni chapter seven years ago after having earlier helped the group provide HIV/AIDS education to young black men. Boxill said he didn't have time to join a fraternity while studying zoology at Ohio State. But, he said, most of his teachers in Columbus schools and other role models were members of a fraternity or sorority.

The local fraternity recently became partners with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America to provide mentoring for area youth.
"When we became involved, there were 400 children on the waiting list for a big brother or big sister and 46 percent were African-American boys,'' said Boxill, president of the local alumni chapter.

"In 18 months, the Alpha (Phi Alpha) chapter had recruited 50 men.'' The group also raises money for sickle-cell anemia research, college scholarships and other community programs.
Boxill might have been attracted to the group by the service component, but he soon discovered other selling points.
"I enjoy the fellowship, the feeling of camaraderie and the opportunity to pull others up as you climb.''

Congrats on your positive publicity! Its great to see newspapers portraying the wonderful things we do for our communities rather than putting us down all the time.

Do you realize they used the word "said" 34 times in that article? Yikes. Maybe the next time they do an article on Greeks yall should lend them a thesaurus :)

As a professional journalist with more than 10 years of experience, I can tell you that "said" is the preferred word because it is not supposed to imply bias. Phrasing such as "according to," unless referring to a document, is rather pretentious, IMO. :)

What I meant was that they used it so often, it became distracting.

"I got out of bed" he said. "I took a shower and brushed my teeth" he said. John Doe then began his morning commute to work. "The engine wasn't sounding right from the get-go" said Doe. "I later discovered the neighbour boy (Smith) had put sugar in my gas tank" he said.

See what I mean?

I see. It should be:
"I got out of bed," he said. "I took a shower and brushed my teeth."

John Doe then began his morning commute to work. "The engine wasn't sounding right from the get-go," Doe said. "I later discovered the neighbour boy (Smith) had put sugar in my gas tank."

The above flows better -- the NPHC story could have used a better copy editor.:p

I love Nebraska Beta's!!!
 

Hey Beta.....

Awesome article!!! I know y'all are a bunch of great guys, I've got several friends down there at your chapter and they are some of the nicest guys I know!!! I think it's so awesome that you guys take the time to do this!!! But it's no surprise, Nebraska people are in general just awesome!!! (Hah, is it obvious that's my home state?) Anyway, congrats!!!

another day in the life of an NPHC member org...
 

Courtesy of AJC.com

Fraternity boosts heat safety effort
County gives fans to seniors
William Wan - Staff
Sunday, June 30, 2002

Ernest Singleton sweats all day in his air conditioned-less apartment near East Point. At 4 p.m. when the heat is worst, the 66-year-old strips off his shirt, makes paper fans and tries to think cool thoughts.

The only real fan he owns is rusted and was missing its front grill when he found it last year in a Dumpster outside his apartment.

Singleton found something better waiting next to the Dumpster on Saturday morning --- four men in purple shirts delivering a new 20-inch box fan.

Singleton was one of 81 senior citizens who received fans Saturday. Fulton County's Office of Aging delivered almost 1,000 fans last year to protect seniors who are especially vulnerable to heat exhaustion, said project coordinator Matoya Carruthers.

This year, the project is getting a boost from the Fort MacPherson and Fort Gillem alumni chapter of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

"We're basically the delivery boys," said Darren Graham, who pledged this year.

Twenty-one fraternity brothers turned out on Saturday, but many more will help over the next month and a half, said Graham.

"We're going to keep on going until August 30," he said. "We're aiming to deliver 2,000 fans." The chapter has been raising money since June 10 to buy the $10 fans from the Home Depot.

"It's a relief to have help," said Carruthers. "Last year we had around 1,000 requests and it was just me and five co-workers."

Chapter President Rick Thompson said the rewards go both ways.

"What we get out of this is brotherhood," he said.

All the fraternity brothers are college graduates and most are in the military, ranging from sergeants to one major general, said Thompson, a retired lieutenant colonel.

Singleton said he doesn't know much about the men who delivered his fan but he'll take all the help he can get.

"I got to to find some way to get rid of the heat," he said.

> To donate money or fans to "Operation Cool Breeze" or to request fans for the elderly, call 404-730-6000.

Good job, Omega Psi Phi!
 

Thanks for posting that article! :) Very good PR for the Omega Psi Phi men, and Greeks in general. :D