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Interesting topic
This is a very good topic, and there are a couple of things that I have observed from other GDIs at my school.
#1. More Blacks are pursuing majors in the maths and sciences, which does make it impossible to even consider pledging and graduating in 4 years. With the hectic schedules that many engineering and pre-med students have, it is difficult enough to stay afloat even w/all your time dedicated to school. Let alone trying to pass all your subjects, while dedicating all of your time to an org.
#2. Many of the UG chapters don't seem to have very much to offer. At my school the avg. chapter GPA for BGLOs is around 2.5. I think only one org. even breaks the 3.0 line. This is compared to an avg. chapter GPA of around 3.5 for WGLOs. That fact might be a deterent for a student w/a 4.0. Also, many of the UG chapters are not doing very much community service or quality campus programing. So many blacks students seem to feel that they can join the Student Government or Black Students Association or the local NAACP, and still get to network w/other dedicated students while also participating in community/campus involvement. Lastly, going Greek is known for building bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood. However, when you see chapter members fighting with each other at parties, stabbing each other in the back or stealing from the house, it makes all the bonding stuff less believable.
Now I really feel that students who come to college w/the intention of joining an org. are able to see past the negatives on their campus or work through the difficulties of their hectic college lives. However, students who ordinarily may have gotten to college and then decided to go Greek, are choosing other alternatives that work much better for them.
Marie
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