Quote:
Originally posted by brownsugar952
Since it seems like the main reason why there is a decline is because of the decline of quality members, what are greeks doing to help students get better grades? Any study tables? Programs on how to succeed in college? Maybe it was just on my campus but the BGLOs did nothing to encourage students to stay in school and do well while there. For all of the campuses that are experiencing a decline in quality members, maybe your chapter should think about what you could do to change that fact instead of sitting around and complaining about how your fellow students aren't "good enough."
|
brownsugar952--
Before anyone tries to blast you for posting this kind of information, let me be the first one to tell you I appreciate your courage to explain it like it is...
Most of the folks that have posted are waaaay outside of college except for the few who are not in greek-lettered organizations. I for instance graduated from Spelman College in 1990. Some of us on Greekchat have graduate degrees from graduate or professional schools. I for instance have a Ph.D.
That is just to say that many of us that commenting on the issues here have been outside of the collegiate system for awhile. That is all I am saying.
As I understand it, you are saying what seems to you what it looks like on a college campus. So, I am guessing you are still in college?
I think what is at issue is ALL of the NPHC organizations as well as others have DEMANDS placed on them from their graduate or alumni organizations, as well as their International Headquarters. It is the International Headquarters that demands that all members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. who are undergraduates maintain a strict GPA to be members in the chapter and we hold our members to that strict code. However, we are unable to prevent members and some chapters representing my Sorority in paraphrenalia at various locations. At best we get outsider reports.
The other issue is the undergraduate members are themselves college students that are trying graduate also. As alumni members, we also strive to graduate our own from college. Herein lies the problem, we can barely get our own out of school, yet we demand interests to come walking in the door already prepared...
Now, that is unfair. But that is EXACTLY what most if not all academic institutions are requiring their incoming freshmen and transfers to have. So, should we as NPHC members have lower standards? All of us say a resounding "NO". We want the best and the brightest... But the best and the brightest are not always the one's who gravitate to our organizations, for whatever reason...
The other thing that many of our young people suffer from not being prepared for college, but the university reserves a slot for students because it looks good on paper for "diversity's sake"... The sheer numbers of entering college freshmen who are African American who do not need remedial education is small at best, especially at a large mainstream university. At a HBCU, there are different issues. I am not talking about HBCU's. I am only talking about mainstream universities.
Most of those young people barely make it into college. The barely make it into college are the "selection pool" that we have. If you have all 9 groups on a mainstream university campus, what straws are you grasping for? Just by population alone, you don't have much...
How do you better prepare students? Isn't that what high school is suppose to be doing? Almost all the alumni chapters of NPHC organizations have active programs for high school students. However that often gets lost in the transition to college level coursework. Why? My theory is you just don't have that many professors of color on a mainstream campus in the majors our young folks often pursue initially, i.e. Pre-Med, Pre-law, Engineering... Now I can attest to that. I am starting my pursuit for an associate professorship at a mainstream university, do you have any idea how competitive it is to get these positions--aside from the fact that "they" don't want you there in the first place??? And this process take a minimum of a year...
You stated "how does one succeed in college"? You should have learned that before you got into college, period. That is what the school you attend demands of you, that is why you were accepted on based on your application. The "entities at your school" have given you all the tools and resources you need to succeed in college, so there should be no reason why you should not... Right??? Do you really believe that??? Because, personally, I don't and I have several years of experience and research to back my position up. It has to do with how African American students learn, in general... The HBCU's have the hardline approach to learning, that is why 80% to 90% of their "matriculating" student population graduates--meaning the young folks that stay in school. Most of our African American student drop out of college, period. And the mainstream institutions could care less if we even stay...
So no amount of test banking, study skill sets, etc. will change the deficiencies that the bulk of the entering African American college student faces, especially at mainstream universities...
Yes, higher powers must be employed to tackle that issue alone. And that takes money...