Minorities in 'white' frats/sororities

Baylor has a really strong NPHC so I think that may be a reason why there has been a low number of African American women go through formal recruitment with NPC. I can remember 3 in the four years I was there.........one went ADPi, one went Chi O and one went KD. There were quite a few Hispanics and Asians in the "white" NPC sororities so I don't think that racism or anything like that was really an issue.

[Little E]

I hope this thread remains civil...


When I joined my chapter, we were 1/3 black, 1/3 white, 1/3 Asian and Hispanic (sorry to lump, just wanted to give an idea of the racial breakdown) About 8 women were from foreign countries and we represented 10 US States. That is pretty racially/ethniclly(sp?)/geographicly diverse for a chapter of 25 and at a liberal arts college in Wisconsin. Our campus had a pretty open culture regarding race and acceptance of diversity. The famous Greek event at Beloit, was the DG chapter initiating a black woman in the 1960s before national policy allowed, then chapter then lost their charter. (The whole story: http://www.beloit.edu/%7Etheta/home.html )

I guess what I'm getting at is that I think our organizations can take on the personality of the campus on which they are located. Beloit was accepting, so people crossed lines that they wouldn't have had they gone to a different school. Granted it may have mattered that AKA told a group they would not be willing to colonize on our campus. The choices were local or AST.

[Kevin]

As for NIC/NPC groups, I think we all get just about the same consideration from minority rushees. However, there seems to be a real pressure with minority students (especially AA) to rush one of the NPHC groups -- especially if they live in the dorms. A gentleman that I was trying to recruit told me that if he went anywhere, it'd have to be to a 'black' fraternity or he'd basically be ostracized and that otherwise, he'd have been interested.

I just don't think that to my chapter, race is a big deal. We try to judge folks on what we think they bring to our chapter.

And although we have minority members, I don't keep a running tally as to who is what in my head, sorry.

[TheEpitome1920]

Originally posted by ktsnake


And although we have minority members, I don't keep a running tally as to who is what in my head, sorry.

Yeah, I think that's interesting that some do...

I feel like we have beat this horse beyond recognition. People seek membership where they feel comfortable, period. Don't worry about other people think about your membership, unless they are paying your dues,lol.

[ZTAngel]

Originally posted by ADPiZXalum
Baylor has a really strong NPHC so I think that may be a reason why there has been a low number of African American women go through formal recruitment with NPC. I can remember 3 in the four years I was there.........one went ADPi, one went Chi O and one went KD. There were quite a few Hispanics and Asians in the "white" NPC sororities so I don't think that racism or anything like that was really an issue.

Same with my school. Our NPHC is really strong on campus with all 9 sororities and fraternities being represented. Therefore, I think most African Americans rushed the NPHC groups rather than the NPC/IFC groups. We had only a few African American girls in my chapter but it wasn't because of discrimination; there just was not many African American girls going through NPC recruitment. We do have a large number of Asian and Hispanic women going through NPC recruitment and we had many of those women in my chapter.

[Taualumna]

Originally posted by Sistermadly
I think it depends on the area of the country you live in. Chapters of almost every Fraternity and Sorority represented in Canada are ethnically diverse, and don't seem to make a big deal out of it -- pretty much like the country itself. In areas where there is more tolerance for interracial friendships, chapters will be more diverse. In areas where the NPHC, NALFO, or MGC chapters are very strong, more women of color will gravitate to those chapters. In areas where NPHC/NALFO/MGC representation is rare or non-existent, you'll see more women join NPC.

Personally, I say get in where you fit in, and stop worrying about whether you're a minority in a predominately white sorority. You're a Chi Omega - that's what matters most.

Sistermadly,

I would say that sororities and fraternities at UBC and U of T are very ethnically diverse, but I wouldn't say that for schools with a smaller minority population. I don't know about UBC, but U of T has a strong non-Canadian student body, but these students are unlikely to rush. The (overwhelming) majority of minority Greeks at U of T are Canadian born and raised.

As for other historically white organizations: I think it's a lack of awareness that is sometimes the problem. We were talking about strategies to diversify JLT (Junior League of Toronto) the other day. We have like 130 or so active members (small, I know), but only a handful are minorities.

[PiPhiGirl2005]

I'm impressed by all the civil conversation and excellent points made in this thread.

Since joining GC and learning first about the NPHC (I had never heard of these organizations before) and then about the debates surrounding this very topic, I have often times felt bad that my chapter is not more "diverse". However, my campus lacks racial diversity of any sort - there are perhaps 10 African-American students, and a handful of Hispanic or Asian-American students. We just don't have a lot of racial diversity, period. This is by no means a fault or downfall of my school, just a fact. Hence, all of our Greek houses are lacking in traditional racial diversity - for the most part, we're just a bunch of "white kids". I would hope, however, that minority students who were interested in Greek life would feel comfortable and welcome at our recruitment and COB events.

Racial diversity within our chapter is not something which we have given much thought to, and I'm sure that if an African-American, Hispanic, or Asian-American woman went through recruitment, we would give no pause to the color of her skin, but view her as we would any other PNM. One of our seniors who graduated last year was Mexican-American, and always joked about how she stuck out in our composite... However, I think the only reason she really stuck out is because she was drop-dead gorgeous.

Due to our campus' visible lack in racial diversity, our chapters strive to gain a membership that is as diverse as possible in other ways - students involved in different campus groups, with diverse interests and talents, who come from all different backgrounds. In my mind, this sort of diversity - and I would, without hesitation, say that our houses are more than diverse in this manner - is certainly as important as having a racially diverse house.

Hope my post doesn't offend anyone.

And my two cents on the actual question at hand (since my post is a bit of a hijack) is pretty much what everyone else has been saying. Humans nauturally gravitate toward their "comfort zone" and seek to belong to groups in which they feel most comfortable, and this rule certainly applies to selection of a GLO. If I were, say, an African-American woman, I could certainly see myself being attracted to an NPHC group or an multicultural GLO if that is where I felt the most comfortable.

[starang21]

Originally posted by TheEpitome1920
Yeah, I think that's interesting that some do...

I feel like we have beat this horse beyond recognition. People seek membership where they feel comfortable, period. Don't worry about other people think about your membership, unless they are paying your dues,lol.

where's that good idea icon at?

[sambadoll]

I didn't mean to beat a dead horse. As you can see I'm still learning how to use this thing. I tried searching for the topic bc I know how annoying it can be to see the same topic a million times, but I was unsuccessful.

Thanks for all of your perspectives. It's just a personal query of mine. I tried to make the point that I understand that it isn't hugely important in the scheme of things nowadays bc it's about where you're happy. Just wanted to reiterate that again.

I just feel, for me, Somethings are different and I don't always fit in culturally. But that's why diversity is good. We both learn something new. There's just a whole lot of 80s rock classics to learn

[DeltaSigStan]

One of the best things about SDSU's system is that, along with the 15 cultural based GLOs, our IFC and Panhellenic, save a few houses, are extremely diverse.

However, some of the cultural groups have gone up to IFC and Panhellenic groups and asked them not to rush certain minorities so that they can be solicited to join the cultural groups. But we mostly ignore that and rush people we think will fit right for our houses.

[texas*princess]

Originally posted by DeltaSigStan
However, some of the cultural groups have gone up to IFC and Penhellenic groups and asked them not to rush certain minorities so that they can be solicited to join the cultural groups. But we mostly ignore that and rush people we think will fit right for our house.

I'm glad ya'll don't listen to them when they ask you that! That request is pretty ridiculous.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally posted by TheEpitome1920


I feel like we have beat this horse beyond recognition. People seek membership where they feel comfortable, period. Don't worry about other people think about your membership, unless they are paying your dues,lol.

TheEpitome1920, I think I love you.

[TheEpitome1920]

Awwww *hugs*

[pinkyphimu]

it may also just be a reflection of the make-up of your campus. if you go to a school with 3% minorities, then consider how many of them will go through a recruitment process...you are looking at a very small number.

[roqueemae]

I would love to see more diversity in our chapters. Whenever I have someone call or come by Greek Affairs about "Rush," I have no idea how to respond. How do I figure out if I tell them about Recruitment or Intake? Usually it works to ask if there is a chapter that they are interested in, but sometimes they say no and I am left trying to ask questions without unwittingly suggesting one or the other. The dean calls them Historically African American/Caucasian Sororities or Fraternities. Such a mouth-full. It also tends to have the potential member lean one way or the other. How to solve this? Suggestions?