[JayBEE!]

But see, you know during the times and dates NPHC was founded. The affiliates have long been fighting Civil Rights before MLK attended Morehouse... There were numerous
out-reachings made by caucasian folks toward Black colleges. I still do not understand
your logic for saying that. Are you saying, that your organization broke the "color barrier"? Because, my in 1941...

Of course not, The race riots was not all in one year. I'm saying that blacks too in this organization should be in history for doing for doing their part. I'm saying that our organization took a bold step in race relations by allowing us to exist as members "just as" your organization took one in allowing your soror Eleanor Roosevelt became an Honorary member 1941. I'll never say anything that isn't written down somewhere, but I'm sure what our organization did during that time should count for something in the black culture. The focus was a color blind focus. It was on young men.

Is your organization a part of ANY National Council such as IFC, NIC, NPC because my
Sorority constitution specfically states, must not have pledged to a NPHC or National
PanHellenic Conference Sorority. I don't think you guys are under those rules 'cuz pretty much you all sound like you are much like the "Golden Key" or "Soroptimist" or "Boule" groups.

No we are not apart of any National Council. Neither organization is.

So, why couldn't you recruit through the NPHC affiliates--or rather, have folks join your organization as a "stepping stone" to a NPHC affiliate? They'd get some prior experience and add your organization for their resume. I aske because the tone that I am getting from your words is that your organization and the NPHC affiliates are "drawing" from the same pool of applicants which makes things a little redundant... As far as the "community service" aspect goes for "young men"--we can never have all those bases covered.

You know that the time at school is a fraction of someone lifetime. We are only talking about 4 to five years. Most NPHC groups don't even pledge freshmen. So the time is even shorter than that. We have an open membership policy. So you can be a freshman and join as long as it's okay with the campus policies. People can look at it a multitude of ways. They might want to get some pledge experience with Gamma Sigma Sigma before they join AKA. Or an AKA may want to get some more service hours as a member of Gamma Sigma Sigma. Or just to add either organization to their list of organizations with membership. Who knows? I don't know what Mae Jamison, the astronaut, did. But she is both and AKA and a Gamma Sigma Sigma.

We are drawing from the same pool of applicants and if you know the effects of the NPHC on individuals, its harder for a non-NPHC group to exist. The effects: Some don't understand a organization outside the
NPHC. Some individuals inside the NPHC degrade organizations outside the NPHC, to individuals not in any organization. Dillard University had an old chapter of Gamma Sigma Sigma. They were just about to blow up on campus because they had a line that started out with 39 in the spring of 1998. We've had numbers like this before but this was the largest recently. But I knew the hold that the NPHC had on that campus. I visited the campus one time and sisters of Gamma Sigma Sigma didn't even speak to me for fear they would not be selected in an NHPC organization. So with the size of that pledge line, I knew they were in trouble. The president of GSS was pledging Delta Sigma Theta. I even went so far as to try to schedule a national event on their campus in the fall of 1998, so that they would get the support for being in Gamma Sigma Sigma. By the end of the pledge period there were 28 pledges that crossed. The numbers started dwindling. In the Fall they had only 9 members coming to meetings. The new president of GSS was pledging Zeta Phi Beta. And by the end of the spring 1999, GSS national declared that chapter inactive. That hurt me because that was a great sister chapter.

But, IMHO, I think a step show given by any ole greek will get tired, very
fast... I am sure you are not saying you want a "step show" every night?

No I think that every night is just too much. Every week is too! But what you are beginning to get is NPHC organizations with their weeks. We have weeks as well. Both of us are having step show during that week. So you may have as many step shows as your semester has Saturdays. It only makes sense to get the organizations that can take part in the step show at that time. And if there is a huge step show that is already large, and it's a NPHC sponsored event, as long as it not an event that is apart of the schools events, then we shouldn't be allowed. I hate 3 hour long step shows! Now in the case of a school sponsored event, as in a night of a classic weekend, any organization that steps on a represented campus should be able to audition and participate in the contest. I think it should be considered even unfair, to have a step show during a classic weekend and know that other organizations on that campus have a history of stepping. That's like not allowing some organizations to have floats in a homecoming parade.


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JayBEE!

Ay-Phi-Que!
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Fall, October 18th 1980
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