[jubilance1922]

Originally posted by IotaNet
To the Group -

I have another perspective on this discussion that may spur some additional thought.

A few years ago, I was chatting with Darryl Matthews (Executive Director of the National Association of Black Accountants and current General President of Alpha.) He recounted a conversation he had at a NABA convention with some undergraduate students.

Specifically, he asked a group of them whether they were members of BGLO's and the vast majority were not. When asked, the general consensus was, "Why Join a Fraternity/Sorority? We get what we need from NABA."

When you think about that, it goes pretty deep.

Back in the early days of Greekdom, Blacks had very few places/organizations we could feel welcome and validated. I was recently reading the Kappa ahistory book and it spoke at length about how Kappa was founded largely to provide Black college men at Indiana with a sense of "community" and support.

By and large, we didn't have access to mainstream organizations or middle class affluence. Heck, we couldn't even stay at most hotels. BGLO's gave us a place to be comfortable and receive a measure of this validation.

Nowadays, the world has changed. We (ostensibly) have full access to places, travel, resources, and the like. In other words, we don't need to go to the changes of seeking BGLO membership just for social/personal validation. Indeed, those in the middle class can afford to go to Hawaii, the Bahamas, or Europe if/when we choose to do so. We make enough money to go and BUY some validation if we please.

Additionally, there are a number of campus-based organizations (not necessarily Fraternity/Sorority) from which young Blacks can choose. There's NABA, NSBE, BDPA, NBMBAA and a whole host of others. the added bonus is that these groups don't necessitate the rigors (foolishness?) of hazing that some of our BGLO's won't let go of.

On the other hand however, these groups offer valuable training, development, and networking opportunities that will enhance the lives of those students.

Consider this concept:
If you are a Black undergraduate student, carrying a 3.75 in Engineering, would you spend yoour time joining NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers) where you know there will be academic support, networking, and no hassles for entry or XYZ Fraternity where you will "go through some changes that might affect your GPA?"


I have seen this example up close and personal. My SO is a neophyte AKA (Grad chapter in 2003.) Her daughter just graduated from a VERY prestigious (sp?) University with a 4.0 in Mechanical Engineering. When her mother went over, the subject of AKA came up for her.

We ALL agreed that nothing (including messing with AKA on the undergraduate level) should come between her and keeping her 4.0 and scholarship. I told her point-blank: "AKA has been around almost 100 years -- it will be still be around AFTER you graduate. You just worry about keeping that GPA intact."


I'm not debating the merits of those organizations vs. Greekdom, I'm merely laying out the value proposition though the lens of a prospective member.

We, as a system, need to get away from thinking that we are "doing a favor" to the people who consider membership and understand that we better be about the business of delivering REAL value and useful experiences to them.

Just my .63

This is a good point. As an undergraduate, I was a member of NSBE and several organizations that supported my academic endeavors and professional development. However, I didn't say "I want to join Sigma Gamma Rho for professional development." I joined Sigma for sisterhood and the opportunity to impact my community, which are things that I felt those other orgs could not give me. I think its important to stress how we are different from these professional orgs, especially because some of them are incorporating "BGLO culture" into their orgs (stepshows, handsigns, chants, etc.)