Why So Many Greek Letter Orgs?

[preciousjeni]

Originally Posted by DSTRen13

I think what you have to understand that there is a cultural difference between the two types of Greek systems, not just with regard to the racial makeup, but in how the orgs are run, their aims, and their purposes. I didn't choose an NPHC sorority because of my race, I chose it because of that cultural difference (among other reasons) - what the NPC system has to offer wasn't something that was appealing to me, although that's great that it works out for others.

If you look at each system simply for its merits without thinking about the racial aspect for a minute --- or better yet, taking your own race and GLO-bias out of the equation and just looking at the whole thing objectively that way, it's a pretty interesting perspective. It may help you understand better what I'm talking about.

I strongly co-sign this, sistergreek. It's what I was trying to hint at when I said:

Originally Posted by preciousjeni

You also have to consider that the internal culture of Latin/Asian/Multicultural orgs is different from that of NPC/IFC or even NPHC. You can't get the multicultural Greek experience in an NPC/IFC group.

It seems as though too many people really have no idea what goes on outside of their own organizational type or they have notions that are false. For instance, I have had to correct my own sorors who had it in their heads that NPC organizations were only about socializing and tea parties. One of the things that I admire most about NPC orgs, particularly where you have larger chapters, is the organization and effort it takes to keep things running smoothly. Those skills will serve the members well in the business world.

On the flipside, NPHC, AGLO, LGLO, MCGLO, etc. org generally operate with few very few members (intentionally) but produce massive programming for their size. Even if you have only two members on a campus, you shouldn't be surprised to see them hosting large-scale events. In most cases, there's a lot of local and regional support where, though you may only see two members, there are really dozens behind the scenes providing assistance in some way.

[GirlNextDoor1]

On my campus all other social greeks are national organizations. Here is why my founding sisters and I started a local:

1. We believe the sisterhood and fraternity can get lost when it gets caught up in the policies & procedures of nationals & npc.
   
2. We believe its easier to communicate and follow ideals, morals, and values as a local organization. Thus, we believe in being a sole, independent, local chapter.
3. We do not believe in recruitment parties. Therefore, how we recruit is alot different.

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by GirlNextDoor1

On my campus all other social greeks are national organizations. Here is why my founding sisters and I started a local:

1. We believe the sisterhood and fraternity can get lost when it gets caught up in the policies & procedures of nationals & npc.
   
2. We believe its easier to communicate and follow ideals, morals, and values as a local organization. Thus, we believe in being a sole, independent, local chapter.
3. We do not believe in recruitment parties. Therefore, how we recruit is alot different.

There are a lot of policies and procedures that go along with being in a national organization, but that shouldn't prevent you from experiencing brother/sisterhood. Most of my bonding has come from "Hey, bro, let's go hang out today!" rather than "Hey, bro, nationals said we have to have a brotherhood retreat today!" Also, there are several non-NPC organizations that hold recruitment without the parties, so there are other options out there.

Originally Posted by PhiMu_Gator

that's what I meant, there are so many NPC, NPHC, IFC, professional orgs, interests orgs, all greek letter orgs that it seems a little crazy to be creating brand new ones all the time. all of the ones currently have many years of tradition (especially npc, ifc, and some pro groups) so why continue creating so many new ones? to me, the point of joining an org is to give something back to them and get something out of it as well. you're supposed to make it your own and mold it into the best experience you could possibly have. if you can't find your "niche" maybe greek life isn't what you expected, but there are still many ways to create a niche in your org or join some other org. I just feel we're a little "if it's not exactly what we want, then we'll just make our own!" crazy. =) I'm for joining pre-existing orgs because each one is different but let's face it, if you are going out to join a social sorority, then you have to be ready too meet those expectations like being social, outgoing, attending public events like greek week and philanthropies. if you're more interested in something academic, there are plenty of honor societies out there or honor frats.

I agree. Speaking from the NALFO aspect, I think there are WAY too many organizations (in the council, and the new ones popping up every day -- that's a WHOLE 'nother topic though). Back in the 70s/80s, it's understandable since most of the organizations were regional back then. But with the creation of the internet, I find it hard to believe that someone can't find ANY organization already in existence with aligning goals/values. Too many people with founder-itis.

FYI - NPHC and many of the NALFO Greeks have rich histories as well, so let's not count them out

[H0NEY1987]

Originally Posted by PhiMu_Gator

that's what I meant, there are so many NPC, NPHC, IFC, professional orgs, interests orgs, all greek letter orgs that it seems a little crazy to be creating brand new ones all the time. all of the ones currently have many years of tradition (especially npc, ifc, and some pro groups) so why continue creating so many new ones? to me, the point of joining an org is to give something back to them and get something out of it as well. you're supposed to make it your own and mold it into the best experience you could possibly have. if you can't find your "niche" maybe greek life isn't what you expected, but there are still many ways to create a niche in your org or join some other org. I just feel we're a little "if it's not exactly what we want, then we'll just make our own!" crazy. =) I'm for joining pre-existing orgs because each one is different but let's face it, if you are going out to join a social sorority, then you have to be ready too meet those expectations like being social, outgoing, attending public events like greek week and philanthropies. if you're more interested in something academic, there are plenty of honor societies out there or honor frats.

My local is my only access to an organization that makes me feel comfortable. And as stated in previous posts, we'll see how many of these newer orgs will be able to stand the test of time. There's so many personal reasons as to why people begin new groups. But I think it relates to more than just greek life. In general, some people find "new" to be of more interest.

Example, while many people choose to stick to a a daily exercise regime and healthy eating to stay in shape, more and more "doctors" are producing new methods, pills, patches, and equpiment that all could have similar results. We know of weight watchers, and slimfast, but what about jenny craig and others? People continue to create while there already exists a number of programs that have been scinetifically proven to be effective. Not even just living healthy, this "new is needed" is diplayed in other areas of life. The production of "new" shopping stores, they all sell the same things, so why are we seeing so many new store fronts opening up?

My point is, though there exists 'older' orgs with strong effective memberships, many people still choose to create something new, because there are people out there who believe there needs to be something else. Some founders were previous members of other organizations, just because they couldnt make their experience in the former group more appealing to them, shouldnt mean that they are forced to change things from within. It could be difficult to change years of tradition. But very easy to say "enough is enough, im out of ABC and im creating ABD, where we wont do this, but we'll do that"

these newer orgs arent a representation of what 'we couldnt have' but a representation of 'what we really want'

[PhiMu_Gator]

I'm loving all the responses! I've never heard of a local frat or soror until greekchat since my entire campus has national glos. I think someone pinpointed my frustration earlier with the "founder-itis". I think in a lot of cases we have a few people who want to dyi with a frat and soror. So, they make up traditions, rituals, meanings, everything, but the purpose behind this all was that they themselves maybe are spiting other orgs or they might have missed the point of a glo in the first place. Each one, whether it be social, professional, cultural, academic, or religious has that as a very important part of it. I come from a massive campus that hosts numerous glos, so options are rampant here. I've never had experience with a smaller campus and smaller numbers of glos, so I didn't understand the reasoning behind creating more. I do think that innovation and new ideas are extremely important for progress and encourage people to create a new chapter or new glo all together, but I just worry that many of the founders of new glos don't really research all the options and existing glos available. I'm not insulting anyone who is in a local or newly founded org or looking down upon them, simply wanting a little input in a subject I don't know much about. The posts have been very enlightening and I've enjoyed reading them all! Thanks! =)

ps- one of the most confusing decisions for me was joining an academic glo honor society. there seems to be a bajillion so it's difficult to pick one that you think is prestigious or exclusive. I think some of the alternate academic orgs might have been created because they are shying away from what they are all about - academics - and they don't want to be bothered to follow those national rules like having a high gpa, instead they lower standards to a mid-range gpa and up the social activities. I guess I don't understand where those founders are coming from because I thought the whole point to an academic glo was to keep a high gpa... You can see my confusion, so any input would be lovely!

[NutBrnHair]

Originally Posted by PhiMu_Gator

ps- one of the most confusing decisions for me was joining an academic glo honor society. there seems to be a bajillion so it's difficult to pick one that you think is prestigious or exclusive.... You can see my confusion, so any input would be lovely!

Phi Beta Kappa is the best one. I think there's a thread about their "prestige" somewhere on here.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by GirlNextDoor1

We do not believe in recruitment parties. Therefore, how we recruit is alot different.

NPC recruitment is not exclusive to recruitment parties - I realize it may be this way at your campus, but more and more NPC groups have been impressing on their members that they should "recruit" rather than "rush."

[Elephant Walk]

[QUOTE=CULater;1651897]LTA's biggest line (29) was UCLA (spring 2008), and I know personally asian sororities in cali get soooo many girls to rush, bids, pledge, etc.QUOTE]

I've always found this fairly interesting and it is a total hijack of the thread...but why do Latino/other ethnic group sororities tend to follow the BGLO pattern instead of the traditionally white GLO pattern?

[preciousjeni]

Originally Posted by Elephant Walk

I've always found this fairly interesting and it is a total hijack of the thread...but why do Latino/other ethnic group sororities tend to follow the BGLO pattern instead of the traditionally white GLO pattern?

This isn't necessarily the case. But, first, what are the characteristics of a "BGLO pattern" and a "traditionally white GLO pattern"?

[nittanyalum]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

Phi Beta Kappa is the best one. I think there's a thread about their "prestige" somewhere on here.

You and oldu need to get over yourselves (yourself?)

Prestigious honor society struggles with lack of name recognition
Students regard Phi Beta Kappa as just another honor society

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (KRT)

ST. LOUIS -- Phi Beta huh?

Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most prestigious college honor society, just isn't ringing the same old bell with college students.

At St. Louis University this spring, 23 out of 77 of them never answered invitations or follow-up calls. Ditto for 27 of 84 prospective inductees at the University of Missouri at Columbia.

University of Missouri senior Brian Quigley was among the nonplussed. To him, Phi Beta Kappa just didn't stand out among many organizations with "three different Greek letters" that he says have bombarded him with offers to join.

"I never even look into them anymore," he said. He admits that he probably would have passed up membership, except for some prodding from a faculty member who told him what a singular honor Phi Beta Kappa was.

The name recognition just isn't there anymore, said Nancy Pope, assistant dean of Washington University's graduate school of arts and sciences and a point person for Phi Beta Kappa there. "We thought we were a known quantity, and we stopped being known."

The parents of Washington University senior Dan Rubin knew, though. He first heard about Phi Beta Kappa from them, and their message was that he should grab it if he got a chance. Yet, when his invitation came this spring, he hesitated, still unsure what the organization was all about. After Pope filled him in, he was happy to join _ but not excited, he said.

At the initiation, he learned more about the society, met other members -- all people who "really enjoy learning" -- and got fired up. "The more they talked about it, the more I thought it was right up my alley," he said.

Once the obvious standout, Phi Beta Kappa stands now, more and more obscured, in a field crowded with those many Greek-letter groups that bombard Quigley and other students with solicitations.

http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/s...me.Recognition


ETA: and isn't it only on less than 300 campuses?

[knight_shadow]

[QUOTE=Elephant Walk;1652704]

Originally Posted by CULater

LTA's biggest line (29) was UCLA (spring 2008), and I know personally asian sororities in cali get soooo many girls to rush, bids, pledge, etc.QUOTE]

I've always found this fairly interesting and it is a total hijack of the thread...but why do Latino/other ethnic group sororities tend to follow the BGLO pattern instead of the traditionally white GLO pattern?

I know there have been threads about this in the past. I'll post links if I can find any.

[preciousjeni]

[QUOTE=knight_shadow;1652726]

Originally Posted by Elephant Walk

I know there have been threads about this in the past. I'll post links if I can find any.

I don't recall any threads that talk about why orgs go one way over another. But, I do know that there are many LGLOs/AGLOs/MCGLOs/etc. that use a more structured NPC-style formal recruitment as well as those that do things other ways. And, there are some that pledge in classes and some that pledge in lines, with all the differences that those words imply.

Within multicultural sororities, some, like Delta Xi Phi, are much more NPC-style oriented than orgs like Theta Nu Xi. And, others, like Zeta Sigma Chi, do things similarly to LGLOs. But, in all cases, it's not purely one way or another. Each org has its own uniqueness, so it's too simple to say they have NPC characteristics vs. NPHC characteristics.

I would also say that people don't allow for the possibility that newer orgs are creating a different category altogether that borrows from many different traditions. I believe it's in the "Incorporated" thread where an NPHCer stated that newer orgs emphasize innnnnncorporated because the founders thought it was cool when NPHC orgs did it. However, that's not entirely the case. OF COURSE, newer orgs borrow from older orgs, but it is not simply copycatting. The newer orgs may adopt some traditions, but they make them their own...similar to the way older organizations borrowed traditions from even older organizations and made them their own. And, honestly, some of the traditions that Greeks consider "theirs" today were a) not developed or instituted at the founding and, worse, b) frowned upon by the founders when they were still living.

Perhaps this topic should be brought up for discussion in its own thread. It may make for a good conversation. Want to start it, knight_shadow?

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by preciousjeni

I don't recall any threads that talk about why orgs go one way over another.

I just tried finding links to previous threads, but I think answers have been mixed in with the "Why are there LGLOs/MCGLOs" and "Incorporated" threads.

Perhaps this topic should be brought up for discussion in its own thread. It may make for a good conversation. Want to start it, knight_shadow?

Will do

ETA:

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...ad.php?t=96395

[NutBrnHair]

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

You and oldu need to get over yourselves (yourself?)

Excuse me?

Prestigious honor society struggles with lack of name recognition
Students regard Phi Beta Kappa as just another honor society

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (KRT)

ST. LOUIS -- Phi Beta huh?

Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most prestigious college honor society, just isn't ringing the same old bell with college students.

ETA: and isn't it only on less than 300 campuses?

I bet it's still the oldest and most prestigious to the individuals who are hiring today's top college students.

300 campuses is correct, I would say.

[ForeverRoses]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

Excuse me?



I bet it's still the oldest and most prestigious to the individuals who are hiring today's top college students.

300 campuses is correct, I would say.

Isn't Phi Beta Kappa limited to certain majors though? So a business major isn't eligible, even if they have a 4.0 and a bazillion activities. I know at Ohio University, students in the College of Communications weren't eligible for Phi Beta Kappa either (nor were College of Health and Human Services students or College of Education). So I guess what is the best academic honor society depends on what your major is. (but I would agree that Phi Beta Kappa is the best for those that are eligible for it).