What makes Greek life "hot" in the south?

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by 33girl

LOL.

I think there were more than a few chapters at private colleges in the North that either turned in their charters or went local over white clauses.

True, but given his other posts, I assume he was talking about the Vietnam War and the accompanying Question Authority/Down With Tradition/Never Trust Anyone Over 30 sentiments that caused a significant decline in Greekdom in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

True, but given his other posts, I assume he was talking about the Vietnam War and the accompanying Question Authority/Down With Tradition/Never Trust Anyone Over 30 sentiments that caused a significant decline in Greekdom in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Ehh. Overrated. There were still people joining fraternities and sororities, fraternities and sororities just became a different thing for different people (i.e. there were hippies in them). Plus, this really depends what schools you're talking about. Look at some of the smaller state schools in the late 60s and early 70s and you'll see fairly large chapters - because the people going there, for the first time, had the funds to afford it. My school chartered 4 Greek chapters in 1966-1967 (3 of which are still there) so obviously our system wasn't declining.

I just don't think "big membership and big new house" instantly equals "awesome Greek experience," so IMO, the whole discussion is flawed.

[banditone]

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Ehh. Overrated.

The point is that based on his other posts in other threads, I think when he said "meltdown," he was referring to anti-tradition student movement/mentality in general rather than to the civil rights movement. Whether you think he has correctly identified the effects that late 60s-early 70s student movement/mentality is a different discussion.

Originally Posted by 33girl

I just don't think "big membership and big new house" instantly equals "awesome Greek experience," so IMO, the whole discussion is flawed.

I agree completely.

[bowsandtoes]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I just don't think "big membership and big new house" instantly equals "awesome Greek experience," so IMO, the whole discussion is flawed.

I find it funny that so many people on this site feel this way. It seems the majority who do so are from the North, where small chapters and houses seem to be the norm.

Not to criticize those schools, but let me just explain how it is at Texas. The largest chapters tend to be the ones that have the most expensive dues. Even then, the number of men who want to join those chapters is so great that they are able to be extremely selective in who they take. This allows those houses to take pledges classes of 40-50, all of which are quality guys. With a chapter that size, and with dues that high, this means a lot of money for the chapter. More money means bigger nicer houses, huge parties, and a more notable presence on campus. With that presence comes recognition from the rest of the student body. Saying "I'm a Fiji/SAE/Sig Ep" carries a lot more weight than "oh ya I'm in Alpha Beta [insert random greek letter]". And of course, there's always the alumni factor. A chapters that's had a large presense on campus for decades will help much more than some guys who colonized a few years back and live in a converted duplex.


In the end, I'm not saying the small northern chapters aren't 'good' at what they do. I just think that the two different types of chapters we're discussing have different goals, and that should be taken into consideration.

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by bowsandtoes

I find it funny that so many people on this site feel this way. It seems the majority who do so are from the North, where small chapters and houses seem to be the norm.

Not to criticize those schools, but let me just explain how it is at Texas. The largest chapters tend to be the ones that have the most expensive dues. Even then, the number of men who want to join those chapters is so great that they are able to be extremely selective in who they take. This allows those houses to take pledges classes of 40-50, all of which are quality guys. With a chapter that size, and with dues that high, this means a lot of money for the chapter. More money means bigger nicer houses, huge parties, and a more notable presence on campus. With that presence comes recognition from the rest of the student body. Saying "I'm a Fiji/SAE/Sig Ep" carries a lot more weight than "oh ya I'm in Alpha Beta [insert random greek letter]". And of course, there's always the alumni factor. A chapters that's had a large presense on campus for decades will help much more than some guys who colonized a few years back and live in a converted duplex.


In the end, I'm not saying the small northern chapters aren't 'good' at what they do. I just think that the two different types of chapters we're discussing have different goals, and that should be taken into consideration.

Let's put this into perspective. Comments were not made on pledge classes of 40-50. They were made on pledge classes of 80-90 and house totals of 200 - 300.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by bowsandtoes

In the end, I'm not saying the small northern chapters aren't 'good' at what they do. I just think that the two different types of chapters we're discussing have different goals, and that should be taken into consideration.

We are in agreement, then. I didn't say you NEVER have an awesome Greek experience w/ big membership and big house, I said that those things don't AUTOMATICALLY make a person the happiest Greek in Greekland or automatically make the chapters the "best."

You would be miserable at my school, I would be miserable at yours. In the end, we both got what made us happy.

[jwright25]

I think this sums up the answer to this whole argument of North vs. South.

Originally Posted by 33girl

You would be miserable at my school, I would be miserable at yours. In the end, we both got what made us happy.

[ladygreek]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

True, but given his other posts, I assume he was talking about the Vietnam War and the accompanying Question Authority/Down With Tradition/Never Trust Anyone Over 30 sentiments that caused a significant decline in Greekdom in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Interesting, because it was the late 60s early 70s during which BGLOs grew in leaps and bounds. New chapters we being chartered all over the place.

This whole thread is interesting to me and very informative. I will say that BGLOs are "hot" everywhere. Granted there are more chapters of orgs in the South, but that is due to the number of HBCUs located there.

BGLOs have always played a vital part in the Black community so knowledge and interest is not geographically skewed. Many of our leaders during the civil rights movement were member of BGLOs (which could partly explain the surge during that time.) I also think that our alumni(ae) structure plays a big part in the universal appeal, because we have never been thought of as just a collegiate activity. And did our Founders did not intend for that to be the case.

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by ladygreek

Interesting, because it was the late 60s early 70s during which BGLOs grew in leaps and bounds. New chapters we being chartered all over the place.

This whole thread is interesting to me and very informative. I will say that BGLOs are "hot" everywhere. Granted there are more chapters of orgs in the South, but that is due to the number of HBCUs located there.

BGLOs have always played a vital part in the Black community so knowledge and interest is not geographically skewed. Many of our leaders during the civil rights movement were member of BGLOs (which could partly explain the surge during that time.) I also think that our alumni(ae) structure plays a big part in the universal appeal, because we have never been thought of as just a collegiate activity. And did our Founders did not intend for that to be the case.

Yep and I touched on some of this in that "worst of times" thread.

[exlurker]

A recent opinion piece from the student paper at a (more or less Northern, not especially large) college about Greek life and its connection to other social opportunities at that school:

http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2008/02/13/20067/

The opinion piece is favorable to Greek life.

Terminology note: "Bicker clubs," as I understand it, are the eating clubs whose membership is by invitation only. For recent statistics on these selective clubs, check out:

http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2008/02/11/20033/

Just a reminder that individual Northern schools can have their own sets of traditions that may mystify other people.

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by PhiGam

As for the comments about Florida- you couldn't be more correct. The greek life at UCF, USF, FIU, etc. is comparable to that at northern colleges, Sigma Chi at USF being an exception.
I spent a lot of time in Michigan growing up and I can say that greek life is frowned upon there because it is viewed as a bunch of partiers with no ambition where as I was raised with the mentality of a fraternity being a great tool. If you want to network in college here you almost have to be in a fraternity. It's a system- to get a bid from a decent fraternity you have to be very sociable and to make it through pledgeship you have to be able to work as a team, essential skills for any career. My university president (Wetherell), governor (Crist), and president are all southerners and they're all greeks... its hard to paint us as unmotivated party animals with those kind of results.
"its not the grades you make, its the hands you shake."

Originally Posted by PhiGam

I said nothing of ambition and I have no idea what Theta Phi Alpha is.

I bolded that for you. I'm also sorry that you didn't bother to use Google.

Originally Posted by SECdomination

I don't think he was attacking Theta Phi Alpha- VandalSquirrel just gave a response that made her seem all victimized or something.

I am a victim, a victim of other people's ignorance and lack of research skills. But it is the hands you shake, not the grades you make.

[bowsandtoes]

I did take the time to google it. The only chapters in the South were in Florida, Louisiana, and one in Texas, all at very small schools not known for their greek life, so not knowing what sorority that was is understandable. When we think sorority, we think tri-delt, chi-o, zeta, pi phi, kappa, theta, the ones that have national name recognition.

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by bowsandtoes

I did take the time to google it. The only chapters in the South were in Florida, Louisiana, and one in Texas, all at very small schools not known for their greek life, so not knowing what sorority that was is understandable. When we think sorority, we think tri-delt, chi-o, zeta, pi phi, kappa, theta, the ones that have national name recognition.

At least you googled it, but seriously, just because (general you) don't know about doesn't mean it doesn't have worth or value. I've never met a member of Alpha Delta Phi but I know about them (as well as the other 25 other NPC sororities and NPHC groups) because I had a complete fraternity education that included learning about the history of greek life beyond my campus. That knowledge might be useful while applying for a job or in other social situations. If an interviewer has some paraphenalia of a group and I recognize it, that may be the hand shaking that puts me above the other people who were also grade making.

[SWTXBelle]

I have to say that ALL NPCs have "national name recognition". There are only 26 of them, after all. Just because a GLO isn't on your campus, or even big in your geographic area, doesn't mean they aren't important. It's rather dismissive to say the only glos that matter are the ones you know.
Like Vandal Squirrel, I think it is important to know all the members of your GLO umbrella group - and others, as well. Heck, you don't even have to google it - just go to www.npcwomen.org .