Phi Mu Ending the Use Of Hand Signs

[PersistentDST]

Originally Posted by carnation

I get that and have been working towards that goal for years, as 5 of my daughters are not white (3 did pledge NPCs). The thing is, outside sources (mostly) are haranguing the NPCs to pledge many more black girls, almost suggesting that we should have quotas. If they aren't gonna rush NPC, no one can force them to.

Try to imagine if some outside source felt that your chapter should pledge 25% white girls and you were making an honest effort to do so. (Yes, I doubt that could happen but let's say that it could.) You were getting little response and yet people were on your case, blaming you. This is what's happening to some NPCs and it's not right.

...and they can keep haranguing. I tend to not worry about people that are not informed about what we are doing. We get plenty of comments about why we don’t “recruit” non-Black people or even let them in our organizations, when we don’t “recruit” Black people either and our numbers of non-Black initiates has grown. The peanut gallery doesn’t make me lose sleep at night. We control what we can control. The more “diverse” young ladies that are seen having positive experiences in the NPC, the more will feel emboldened and safe to participate.

Getting back to the hand-signs topic. I think all of this shows how much we really don’t know about each other. I wonder if our leadership ever even talks to each other.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by PersistentDST

I wonder if our leadership ever even talks to each other.

Some NPHC organizations are also members of the NIC, but my impression is that that group is more about the business end of fraternities than it is about the cultural aspects.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by Sen's Revenge

What does gang culture have to do with it?

Originally Posted by PersistentDST

Getting back to the hand-signs topic. I think all of this shows how much we really don’t know about each other. I wonder if our leadership ever even talks to each other.

Total transparency here- from the first time I saw NPC groups "throwing hand signs", I thought they'd gotten it from gang culture. I didn't know NPHC groups had hand signs until I joined Greekchat but, working in adolescent mental health, had a lot of experience with gangs and gang signs. All the high schools had to ban wearing colors and throwing signs so my frame of reference was gang signs and that was back in the early 90s. I really thought that's where the sororities got it from.

I agree there is much we don't know about each other. When I was in leadership, I often said we had much to learn about NPHC because you convey the concept of lifelong membership that we simply cannot get. The number of women who stay active in NPC orgs after graduation is abysmal. We could learn a lot from you on that topic for sure.