[Wolfman]

Originally Posted by Siggy_lxvi

In the thread on the Iota chapter pres getting arrested:





I've seen this sort of attitude a lot from members of NPHC GLOs, and it kinda bugs me. It seems like the NPHC refuses to talk about itself and the way they do things.

Please note, I'm not ragging on any organization, I'm honestly curious as to WHY.

Examples of the secretiveness and insularity:

Getting snippy (as above) when people post about RM issues or just issues that are going to cause PR problems for greeks in general when those issues involve a member of an NPHC fraternity or sorority.

Refusing to talk about how to join an NPHC org. I mean, if someone comes on and asks how to go about joining their local XYZ chapter, and the answer is: fill out the application at www.xyz.org/join/app.pdf and turn it in to your local president who should be listed at www.xyz.org/chapters/presidents.html, why don't they just say that? or even just say go to www.xyz.org, click join, and follow the directions there. Seriously, even joining the masons, those bastions of secrecy and cloak-and-dagger conspiracies, is as simple as going up to a mason and saying, "Hi! How can I join the masons?" NPC and NIC orgs make it extremely clear how to join: Go through formal rush, or make friends with a bunch of group members during informal rush, if we like you, we'll take you.

Now, normally I find conspiracy theories silly and far-fetched, but all this gives me just the slightest suspicion that maybe there is some sinister purpose behind certain organizations.

I'm not trolling here, I'm honestly curious for the reason behind all the secrecy, and I'm sure others are, as well.

I have a bit of a different take on this. There are different systems of intake which puts the onus on the aspirant to seek out the organization amongst BGLOs. Thus, the attitude of the organizations to its role to the aspirant, traditionally speaking, is like that of a neophyte to the mystery religions in the Greco-Roman world. But the model of the traditionally white GLOs makes sense in an extremely competitive environment where, because you often have palatial homes for undergrads, you have to have members, so active recruitment is a must. BGLOs for the most part operate under the competitive model of an oligopoly. If NPHC groups changed their MO and started major building programs for their undergrad chapters, they'd have to change also.Screw the false mystification of this phenomenon.

On a wider note, the "insularity" which was made note of does, I think, have to do with the segregated nature of reality in this society,to a large extent. For most of our histories NPHC organizations have operated outside of the purview of the "mainstream media" in our world. Only in the '70s and '80s did our groups expand en masse to predominantly white campuses and become subject to the rules and regulations of this milieu. There were ensuing cultural conflicts and misunderstandings made more relevant by lack of trust and different practices in the BGLO context. (I was a part of group that started the first BGLO on my campus in '79-'80; those supervising us refused to give our Constitution/ByLaws to the Greek Life Office which had them for all the extant groups on campus.)

Finally, this attitude not only operates interorganizationally but intraorganiztionally more than it should. From our churches to other organizations (including BGLOs) the leadership and leadership ethos TENDS to be very closed and authoritarian. And the culture of secrecy goes with this.This is something that needs to change for the overall health of the organizations. I know that this is something that is discussed in my organization a lot by those who have been in national leadership and who've been around for a long time. (An extreme example of this is the leadership crisis in ZPHIB which recently spilled over into the "mainstream media" b/c the Feds were going to get involved.) In reality, all GLOs have intraorganiztional issues; more transparency will us good. The bottom line is this: if we want to exist in the wider arena at the intercollegiate level, we'd better get used to the greater scrutiny that comes with the present climate in relation to risk management issues and college administrations tightening up on all GLOs. If you want to play, you gotta pay!Many of us in BGLOs act as if we're still operating in a segregated environment and that we can do as we please.