CPC and NPHC Sororities: An Official Study on the Differences and Silimarities

[sfksfl07]

Thank you everyone for all of your comments and ideas. Looking through your posts has given me even more insight than I had expected to get. I also want to thank everyone who has taken the survey. I am amazed by how many surveys I have gotten back just in the past few hours! In addition if anyone here feels they can offer more insight and ideas please pm me because I am taking all of your comments into consideration for future studies that I plan to do.
If it seems like I dont know something then that is an oppurtunity for you to teach me (via PM), but I would rather not people think I am doing this study to push stereotypes!
Thanks Again!

[PhDiva]

My concern with the NPHC survey is that no distinction has been made between members who join at the collegiate or alumnae level. That needs to be accounted for in NPHC orgs. I came into SGRho at the alumnae level and I'm very new to the organization. But my age, past academic career, current job standing, etc is going to shape my experience differently than a member who joined in their early 20's during undergrad.

I definitely was taken aback by the OPs rude disposition when others tried to point out the flaws in her survey. By challenging the integrity of your test construction is something you should welcome because it will save you time and energy down the road. Did you field test this survey with a sample of NPC and NPHC members at your college? Had your advisor required this, you would have been in a better position to spot errors, poorly worded questions, etc. Any college professor worth his or her salt would demand this of their students esp. if they are conducting quantitative research.

I fail to see the educational significance of this study beyond NPC and NPHC getting to know one another. So what? Is having this knowledge going to result in collaboration on a few service and social programs? Is this going to help NPC sororities learn how to better market themselves as diverse or help NPHC sororities market themselves as multicultural and therefore more open to non-African Americans? I think the purpose of the study needs to be fleshed out more thoroughly and included in the description of the survey. Also, it's bit suspect when you do not list your name and college information when doing a survey because it seems to me that you have not gotten Human Subjects approval to conduct this study. In just about any university in the US, you need this approval from the Institutional Research Board b/c if they discover you did not go through Human Subjects Review, your degree can be revoked and they would publicly censure your advisor.

I think questions #14-16 need to come before #10 because #10 gives the impression that everyone came through an undergraduate pledge process. #12 should probably read, "How do you feel about a member of your sorority who is unfamiliar with the organization's founders, founding date and location and guiding principles?" In its current form, it's likely that someone will misinterpret the intent of the question.

#13 - with regards to the NPHC again, members can join at the alumnae level so this question needs to be explicitly directed toward members who joined at the undergrad level or removed altogether. (Probably removed because it sounds like a question more specific to members of NPC sororities).

Instead of asking participants to name their founding year, location, mascot and founders, why not simply ask "which sorority do you belong?" Or are you trying to assess a person's commitment to the orgs. by quizzing them on their organization's history?

Rework some of the questions for the NPHC sororities and I think your results will yield better data. I refuse to submit my survey because the fact that I joined as a Alumnae/Grad member will schew your results.

PhDiva