Why So Many Greek Letter Orgs?

[PANTHERTEKE]

Originally Posted by DSTRen

I would hope that no one joins any organization solely based on their race or ethnicity. I realize that you've stated these organizations do not have a strong presence on your campus, but maybe you misunderstand what they're about?

I'm sorry if I came off as not understanding what they're about. I understand that they fit a purpose in the Latin community and I appreciate it, but my post was referring to people who were talking about serving a "niche" catered to minority students. I was just trying to say that niches can change, and that it'll be interesting if the niches are the same 50 years from now.

Originally Posted by Ch2tf

It seems like you are demeaning or downplaying people's decision/the way they make their decision to join a particular GLO. That's like me assuming you said "I'm Hispanic, but assimilated, so I will join an IFC org". That's an uniformed assumption.

Again, if it came off like that then I didn't mean for it to. What I was trying to say that now there are still a lot of minorities that do not feel comfortable joining IFC/PC groups, which adds to the popularity of the cultural organizations; but 50 years from now, as the "minority" population grows and acceptance of other people grows and discrimination and racism decreases (hopefully it will), then maybe there will be more minorities who feel at home in an IFC/PC group and that the niche that these cultural orgs serve will not be as strong as they are now. I hope you can understand what I'm trying to say. But I get you're point, I didn't mean to imply that people who join these cultural orgs only do so because they're latin/asian/etc.

Originally Posted by preciousjeni

For instance, we have chapters that consistently have a pool of 50+ interests, but we can afford to be uber-selective and end up with lines of 6-10.

Well now I know.

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

At the same time, race and ethnicity of the majority of aspirants and members will always be a big factor. That is a huge component of why we were founded, all that we have accomplished, and much of what we continue to do.

Exactly. That was part of the point I was trying to make in my post. Race and ethnicity is/will always be a big factor of why people join these cultural organizations.

But 50 years from now, if we can imagine an America thats more integrated/tolerant/non-discriminative/whatever (if that ever happens) and more minorities feel at home in IFC/PC and join those orgs, then how will that affect the niche and role of these cultural orgs?

Then again, I'm sure there will always be people who aren't interested in "white" fraternities and sororities.