An "Outsider's" View of the Recruitment Threads
 

Hi! :)

I just wanted to pop in and wish the best of luck to all the PNMs in their quest for sisterhood. As a member of an NPHC sorority, I have to admit that reading the recruitment/rush threads seems a bit like "spying", but in a good way. :D I think it's so interesting to see how things are done differently at different schools, and to see how things are done differently between the systems. I love reading these threads. It's become an addiction!

Thanks to all the PNMs and current NPC members for offering this valuable insight to how rush works on the "other side". Good luck to everyone!

SoTrue1920,
Thanks for posting such warm comments. I know that I have always wondered about the differences between NPC and NPHC recruitment practices. (I imagine they differ campus to campus as well.) I know I would love to "spy" on a few NPHC rush threads--I hope we get some on this board soon!

Fraternally,
violets

That was absolutely the NICEST thing to say! I SPY TOOOOOO!:D

SoTrue1920: From what you have seen so far...how do the processes differ?


(Yes, I'm sure there is a thread out there on this....but I'm too lazy to search right now :) )

Yes, please share what you are able to share, SoTrue1920! I'd like to know more. We can all learn from one another.

Christin

(Uttering the mantra..."Discretion is Key...") ;)

My experience was a bit different than others, since I didn't become a member of an NPHC organization until a year after I graduated from college. The alumni/alumnae process is different than the collegiate experience, and I won't go into detail about "grad chapter" induction.

However, I did watch a few friends and family members go through the process from a close enough distance to say that the processes differ. Most NPHCers will say that we don't recruit. On the surface, that's true. We don't do recruitment in the way that you do it.

What happened at my alma mater (and at my niece's alma mater) is that all of the NPHC organizations had a one-day "interest meeting" where representatives of the groups stood up before the assembled guests (men and women) and gave a brief lesson on the history, philanthropies/foundations, and programmatic thrusts of each organization. After these meetings were over, NPHC groups on my campus would hold separate "teas" or "smokers" at some point during the fall or spring semesters. We don't seem to have the exhaustive round of parties and socials that NPC organizations have; my theory is that since NPHC organizations are primarily service organizations, they wish to downplay the social aspect.

While there was nothing keeping you from visiting each group's individual interest meeting, it didn't usually happen since a lot of people, from what I have seen, have a good idea of which organization they want to belong to before they get to this point, and they direct their energies toward that one group.

Each of the NPHC organizations has their own rules on how they handle "Membership Intake", so while the processes share some similarities, overall, the process differs from group to group. One thing that is different is that it seems that NPC organizations have a much longer "Pledge" or "New Member" period than we do. Again, this varies, and I don't intend to speak for all organizations, but I'm amazed that NPC organizations' New Member periods can spread out over an entire semester.

Another key difference is that freshmen/freshwomen are not usually eligible for NPHC Membership Intake unless they have completed a certain number of credit hours. Generally, new members are sophomores and juniors, there are even seniors in some new member classes. Occassionally you'll encounter a member of an NPHC group that was inducted as a freshman, but it's usually after their third quarter/second semester.

DISCLAIMER: The above statements are taken from my own personal experience and are not to be taken as a rule of law..

That's what is called a CYA statement. :D

One other thing: There are two excellent books out that explain the NPHC system in detail: The Divine Nine: The History of African-American Fraternities and Sororities in America By Lawrence C. Ross, Jr. (who is also a GreekChat member) and In Search of Sisterhood: Delta Sigma Theta and the Challenge of the Black Sorority Movement by Paula Giddings.

Both books are available from Amazon.com, and may be in your university or local public library.

Thank you for that explanation. In many ways, I think your system is better. For instance, by not accepting a freshman,
you are given some reassurance that the new member is there for the purpose of higher education and must possess a certain level of intelligence AND self disciplin. That is wonderful. I also like the way you said you present yourself as "philanthropy oriented" not social-though of course, social would naturally evolve. My daughter has said that the NPHC GLOs she has had interaction with are really solid. I can see why.

Ok, this may be a stupid question but......

Have you read the book "Sorority Sisters" ? It's about a (fictional, if I remember correctly) NPHC recruitment/pledging. I was wondering if this was close to the way things really are...

* For those who have not read it, the book was very good!*

I only just found out about it, and I doubt I could find it here in Vancouver. I've heard mixed things about it. What was the gist of the book?

Something I've always wondered.
 

The NPC strictly regulates recruitment. Besides a not being able to join more than one NPHC; does the NPHC have any intake regulations?

This is really interesting to read about. It must be so different for you as a NPHC member to see everyone talk so openly about our formal recruitment events! Trust me when I say what is being shared is only the public knowledge type things. Much, much more goes on behind the scenes. Thanks for the book recommendations, I'm going to try to find a copy of both and read them soon. All of the NPHC women I've ever met were friendly and kind and ever so proud of their organizations.

I was aware that most men and women seeking NHPC membership usually already knew which group they wished to join before ever embarking on the intake process. That isn't always as big a difference as it seems, depending on the campus. With how NPC groups recruit, we try to emphasize choice and to keep an open mind...especially when a young woman expresses that they only want one group. The goal is to match as many women to groups as possible. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't work for either the sorority or the PNM. Also, on some campuses PNMs must be 2nd semester freshmen or sophomores, but probably not very many in the big picture.

There are PHC groups whose new member period are between 4-8 weeks, with most averaging 6 weeks. There may be one (Chi Omega, I believe) or two NPC groups with semester-long NM periods but it is the exception and not the rule.

I'm also so glad (and proud of my own sorority!) that many of the PHC groups are have realized the benefits of alumnae initiation. I think it's great how the NPHC groups have done so with such regularity and success. It can be done, and I hope all NPC groups do realize that. We are alumnae members of our sororities much, much longer than we are ever collegiate members!

Thanks for sharing, SoTrue1920!
Christin

Re: Something I've always wondered.
 

They do, and without going into detail, they mostly center around length of intake period, hazing, and the abolishment of pledging or pre-pledging.

The NPHC (the governing body) and the then 8 members of the council drew up these new regulations on February 17, 1990. It was left up to the discretion of the organizations to tailor their new member education programs to fit their particular aims and needs.

I'm quoting so much because it's only 5:00 am where I am, and my brain isn't awake yet. :D

Well, I have a little bit of insight on how NPC rush works, but it's been ages. I'm sure things have changed a great deal. Also, back when I was an undergraduate, both the NPC and the NIC advisors worked assiduously to keep the organizations segregated. I was never openly discouraged from going through NPC rush, but others have been. A (white) woman who once wanted to join Zeta Phi Beta at my alma mater was told by this woman "My dear, this is the south, and these things just aren't done!" :mad: Both advisors were eventually "reassigned", and the woman who sought membership in Zeta did become one of my sorors.

At the time, I was a college freshman who had come from a background where she had friends of all races, creeds, colours, and religions. I didn't really know anything about the NPHC, and I went through NPC rush because all of my friends from high school who also attended my alma mater were going through it. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. :)

I can't speak for others, but I was "encouraged" to do my research first, get to know members, participate in their community service projects, and after about a year, make my intentions known, but not overtly. Since I didn't know anything at all about the NPHC, I attended interest meetings for all three of the sororities that were on campus at the time. My niece's experience was completely different from mine. She's known pretty much since high school which sorority she wanted to join, and that's exactly what she did once she was eligible.

BTW - thanks for the clarification about the new member period. I think I got my idea from reading threads at Greekchat where new members weren't initiated until the end of the semester that they pledged.

RE: NPC alumnae initiation, I always had the perception that involvement stopped after you graduated from college. After working as the assistant to a woman who was a very active KKG alumna, my assumption was corrected. :D

Thanks, AOIIalum! ;)

NPHC orgs and giving out info
 

Why so discreet?