[MysticCat]

Originally posted by KappaKittyCat (in part)
At my school we have 1300 students, 10% Greek participation (that's IFC/Panhel, those who are registered with the Greek Advisor), 5 IFC fraternities, and 3 NPC sororities, as well as chapters of SAI and Sinfonia. It's not the IFC/Panhel Greeks who exclude SAI and Sinfonia. It's they who alienate themselves from us. SAI's really much worse about it than Sinfonia.

It's common knowledge on our campus about the SAI/Sinfonia single sex Title IX social thingie... common knowledge amongst IFC/Panhel, that is. SAI/Sinfonia deny it. They insist that they're "professional" and therefore are far superior to us social groups.

. . . This year IFC/Panhel asked SAI and Sinfonia to join in Greek Week (which, btw, is a free event at our school). Delta Gamma invited them to have teams for Anchor Splash (on our campus, everyone from GLO's to athletic teams to dorms have Anchor Splash teams). Each declined, turned up their collective noses, and said, "We're not Greek. We're not social." We've extended the olive branch to them many times and they've declined.

I have little experience with SAI (we didn't have a chapter at my school when I was there), so I'll limit more or less my response to Phi Mu Alpha. What you describe isn't necessarily common or the rule across the country, but it isn't uncommon either -- unfortunately.

Phi Mu Alpha's history has given it what might be termed something of an identity crisis. It was founded as a social fraternity for musicians , who often were at schools (primarily conservatories) where there were not any students of other disciplines or where interaction with students of other disciplines was limited.

Over the years, the fraternity moved more into the "professional" arena. We helped form the Professional Fraternity Association and called ourselves "The Professional Fraternity for Men in Music." This was partly due to the demographics of the fraternity -- many if not most members, and all national leadership were professional musicians -- and partly, as the 60's and 70's with their anti-establishment atmosphere approached, as a result of the belief that the fraternity would only survive if it differentiated itself from social fraternities. I think many today would say that those who took us down that road meant well, but moved us away from our roots and the basis of our brotherhood.

In the 80's, the National Assembly of Phi Mu Alpha made the decision to officially return to social status. As you note, it was the desire to remain single sex that spurred this decision. But the decision would not have been made, I don't think, if many brothers -- particularly collegiate brothers -- had not felt that we really were truly social, that professional classification did not fit us. The fact is that we had always had more in common with social fraternities than with professional fraternities. Title IX was the excuse to move us back where many thought we belonged.

Some old habits die hard, though. Some chapters still refer to Sinfonia as a "professional fraternity," even when Nationial says "no we're not." Barriers built by years of separation from other GLO's campus are not broken down overnight. Some Sinfonia chapters have been on their campuses longer than other social GLO's because they were chartered when their schools only allowed professional GLO's (and when Sinfonia was classified as "professional"). Some chapters have a true superiority complex such as you describe -- "we're not like other fraternities." (I notice in another post you commented that yours is a fairly anti-Green campus. Perhaps that contributes to the unfortunate "we're not really Greek" attitude.) The fact that many music schools/departments still maintain some distance from the rest of the school doesn't help. I think such chapters are shooting themselves in the foot with this kind of attitude.

Elsewhere, however, chapters are joining their campus's IFC's (like at PSK480's school -- and sorry PSK480 if I came on too strong on my response to you) and are participating fully in their school's Greek life. Reports are that, as a general rule, such chapters are finding that their recruitment and chapter life otherwise is improving as a result. My understanding is that National is actively considering joining the NIC.

Yes, I guess we would be a special interest social GLO, much like Triangle, Farmhouse, AGR, or SA. But unlike some of those groups, we do not limit membership to students in any particular majors -- you just have to love music.

The bottom line is what has been said in this thread quite a few times by quite a few people: Phi Mu Alpha is a social fraternity. On some campuses, its chapters particpate fully in social Greek life, on other campuses, they don't. Some chapters are still stuck in the 1970's. Some chapters want to get out of the 70's but haven't figured out how yet. So whether Sinfonians would be "honestly considered fellow Greeks" by NIC, NPC, or NPHC groups will depend on the specific campus in question.

Sorry to run on so long. Good luck at your school this year, hope things look up for Kappa (cheers to Kappa -- Ms. MysticCat is one) and for Sinfonia!