Quote:
Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby
I wish that NPC groups didn't do such a poor job of keeping members engaged after college.
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There are two ways to look at this (and I definitely agree with you).
There's the thought that NPC orgs suck as alumnae engagement. Having now supervised/mentored a member of an NPC organization, I do find it startling how few opportunities there are for her to use her sorority as a method of professional and personal advancement outside of college.
On the other hand, the women's fraternal movement/NPC specifically has always had organizations that (prior to desegregation and such - white) women were able to join, such as Junior League, OES, and whatever else is out there of a civic, service, and social nature.
Meanwhile, African American families have only far more recently (past century) had similar outlets available to them, and that outlet itself has been the NPHC sororities and fraternities.
So what do I mean by that in 2012? I mean that NPC women "graduate" to other organizations, if they feel so inclined, while NPHC women "graduate" to alumnae chapters of their own organizations.
There is also a very real cachet which comes with being in an NPHC sorority, in the form of community respect and such.
That said, NPC organizations probably need to to compare their alumnae experience to that of the Junior League and whatever else it is that women are joining in the mainstream in order to keep women engaged.
(I have said, similarly, that Alpha Phi Omega needs to look at the Kiwanis, Jaycees, and other civic/service organizations to measure itself against.)
Sorry for rambling... I just wanted to say I agree with you and provide some observations.