Quote:
Originally posted by IvyDeviness
I feel like we are becoming like the white sororities with all the emphasis on intake.
AKA is an ELITE and EXCLUSIVE organization built with the crème of the crop women dedicated to sisterhood and serving the community. There is a certain aire about being an AKA. This exclusivity, elitness, and aire would all be non-existant if we let to many people in. Do we really want to be as over crowed with members as our white counterparts? AKA has servived almost a hundred years and we’re no way near as big as some of the other organizations, but our impact has been felt.
I personally don’t believe we should initiate at the Graduate Level at all. If you didn’t pledge undergrad then obviously something is suspect about you. Most people go grad because they didn’t get picked undergrad, or because they want to get in the easy way. Becoming an AKA is hard. I had to go through a lot in humbling myself to my sorors and making my self stand out. I resent it when someone has a friend who’s a soror who gets them in at the grad level. It takes away from the process and they could never appreciate anything that’s handed to them. I say that undergrads should be more selected and have a line atmost once every 4 years. That way, people only get one chance. I disagree with graduate intake, but once every 10 or 15 years is a good compromise. It’s hard to get anything done when your chapter is too big. We should focus on the people who are inactive….these are the examples of people who just pledged for the name AKA. It wouldn’t make any sense to initiate new people when we still have some old T-Shirt wears to deal with. If we could reclaim all the inactive sorors we have now, we wouldn’t need any new members for a very long time. I think an reclaimed soror will be a better asset to the organization than a new soror, because the inactive soror has already paid her dues to become a member and she knows what AKA is TRULY about from experience.
Besides, the top people woun’t be as interested in AKA if it’s too big. People want to feel like they are elite and a part of something that most people can’t get into. This makes the organization more close knit and looked upon with envy and awe. If we want to stay the premier African American Sorority, we must not open so many doors for outsiders and instead develop the close knit bond we have amongst each other.
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Thats an interesting perspective on the idea of being an elite organization. I don't suscribe to the philosophy of keeping the doors of APhiA shut or trying to remain as small as possible. I believe there is strength in numbers and enlarging our organization will make us more powerful and influential. I TOTALLY agree with being very VERY selective, but I feel that limiting opportunities is counterproductive and not what our founders had in mind when envisioning the longevity of our frat.
At our school, we were flattered that most men wanted to pledge Alpha and encouraged this frame of thought. The many men who DIDN'T qualify were not DISSED or SNUBBED or treated SHADY. We infact encouraged them to try again and gave them direction on what they need to show to gain our serious consideration. We had programs and mentorship groups for the campus as a whole to promote leadership, community service, and academic excellence. By participating in these programs, some
Alpha rejects (as well as non-greek seeking students) developed skills and qualities that made them eligible for membership into Alpha. Some eventually pledged Alpha...some even pledged other orgs.
I just believe that its OK to be elite...its OK to be exclusive and have HIGH standards...its OK to reject people who don't qualify for membership....I just think there is a certain way you should treat people. I don't think it's cool to laugh and gloat at a rejects and make them feel small; or dance in their face with our letters bragging on how they'll never get in. I'm not saying YOU do that Ivy Deviness, but I've seen alot of BGLOs do that sort of things. I think we should seek to build up all of our black men & women to the caliber we claim to have attained. Once you've done that, their will be plenty of dedicated potentials for the choosing.
I don't understand how it could harm the organization to have an abundance of dedicated, qualified members. What advantage is gained by shading these high caliber people or making them wait 15 years for consideration into your organization? I don't see how they can negatively effect efforts to reclaim other members you have "pledged" to be in your organization and who's interest in their frat/sorority is so strong that they remain inactive.
As far as reclamation, I think we have to bridge the gap between grads and undergrads...which means letting go of our issues regarding each others "process of initiation". Both need to find some common ground to work with each other. This will make the transistion from undergrad to grad have a smooth road already pre-paved. We graduates also need to try and make grad chapters more exciting. I know BUSINESS is the 1st priority, but we should find somewhere to prioritize brotherhood and socialization. This is how you develop relationships where people will get to REALLY know you and enjoy your company. They will enjoy you because you are YOU. (Not because you are my frat and I'm supposed to). If people enjoy each other, they'll wanna be around each other more and ENJOY WORKING together. Its easier said than done, I know. But I think the key is creating an atmoshere of fun and comraderie.