Legacy Dilemma

[AKA_Monet]

The NPC sororities and NPHC sororities do vary chapter by chapter. However, with the NPHC differs in most of their chapters because of the International programmatic targets each of us uphold. Since I do not know what differences are with NPC sororities, I cannot say--some like ZTA do have a "universal philanthropy" with Susan G. Komen. But that is all I know, personally.

The reality is Taurus is that you do well in school, end of discussion. I really am unsure what your qualms are--is it that you want to join an D4 Sorority or not? If you want to join, then first and foremost, if you choose the one that your mother is a member, there are guidelines and rules in place for that. Your mother should be assisting you fully in that process within limitations.

But, if you do not want to join her Sorority and she might react to it profusely, the whole thing is if you have done all your research like others have stated, then you will know you did the best thing for you and only you. However, remember, parents are just fearful that their children will make adult choices without considering the entirety and gravity of the whole situation. Thereby alienating yourself from her "comforting arms". But, it has happened before and many people do it. So, hey, know yourself.

There is NO directed PLEDGING in any NPHC sorority--it is now called "membership intake process" or "MIP". You make an application to the organization with proof of your grades at an informational (when directed) or Rush (may or may not be invitation only). Rush is NOT the time to decided if you want to become a member--that decision should have been made a long time ago. Rush is when you are asking if you can change your life...

Consider this, just as XYZ is not your material, so is it that you may not be XYZ's material or ABC's material either--legacy or not... You may be PDQ or EFG's material... Or not... Get what I am saying?

Good luck on your education!

[taurus0426]

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

The NPC sororities and NPHC sororities do vary chapter by chapter. However, with the NPHC differs in most of their chapters because of the International programmatic targets each of us uphold. Since I do not know what differences are with NPC sororities, I cannot say--some like ZTA do have a "universal philanthropy" with Susan G. Komen. But that is all I know, personally.

The reality is Taurus is that you do well in school, end of discussion. I really am unsure what your qualms are--is it that you want to join an D4 Sorority or not? If you want to join, then first and foremost, if you choose the one that your mother is a member, there are guidelines and rules in place for that. Your mother should be assisting you fully in that process within limitations.

Okay now how should she be assisting me then? I know there's a special legacy form out there. I'm a very dilgent student so that's not a problem but why is it that when it comes to D9 organzations a person must do tons of research (which reminds me I have some books to get) but in NPC or IFC organziations it seems that people just pick the one they like. I'm not sure if that's how it works but many people I know who want to pledge NPC dont even have a house in mind before rush.

[breathesgelatin]

Originally Posted by taurus0426

Okay now how should she be assisting me then? I know there's a special legacy form out there. I'm a very dilgent student so that's not a problem but why is it that when it comes to D9 organzations a person must do tons of research (which reminds me I have some books to get) but in NPC or IFC organziations it seems that people just pick the one they like. I'm not sure if that's how it works but many people I know who want to pledge NPC dont even have a house in mind before rush.

This is true. It's due to the drastically different processes of NPHC and NPC.

With NPHC, you are encouraged to research the orgs beforehand and choose only one to pursue. As I understand it, there are many NPHC members on these boards that pursued membership in their selected organizations for years.

In contrast, the NPC members always encourage women going through recruitment to keep an open mind to all the groups and not go in with a preconceived idea of which one they want.

I'm not in a position to fully explain why NPHC focuses on research so much more than NPC, since I'm not an NPHC member. What I've learned from being on these forums is that NPHC tends on the whole to view membership as more of a lifetime commitment and thus something that deserves a long period of research, education, service, and self-improvement before membership can be granted. It's also due to the fact that each NPHC has a missional identity that is very well-developed and distinct. While all kinds of women join the NPHC sororities, they are very focused on their particular values and service and developing the same ideals. NPC is also a lifetime sisterhood and NPCs all have national philanthropic efforts but I don't think that NPCs have achieved the kinds of well-known missional identity that the NPHCs have. Frankly I think this is one area where NPC has taken a lesson from NPHC. I know my org has put a lot of emphasis on specific values-based identity in the past several years and I think it's awesome.

That's my best attempt to explain the difference and the cause of the difference from the NPC perspective. Maybe the NPHC women could give a different or better explanation.

Again, as many have pointed out, the two processes are apples and oranges.

[taurus0426]

Originally Posted by breathesgelatin

This is true. It's due to the drastically different processes of NPHC and NPC.

With NPHC, you are encouraged to research the orgs beforehand and choose only one to pursue. As I understand it, there are many NPHC members on these boards that pursued membership in their selected organizations for years.

In contrast, the NPC members always encourage women going through recruitment to keep an open mind to all the groups and not go in with a preconceived idea of which one they want.

I'm not in a position to fully explain why NPHC focuses on research so much more than NPC, since I'm not an NPHC member. What I've learned from being on these forums is that NPHC tends on the whole to view membership as more of a lifetime commitment and thus something that deserves a long period of research, education, service, and self-improvement before membership can be granted. It's also due to the fact that each NPHC has a missional identity that is very well-developed and distinct. While all kinds of women join the NPHC sororities, they are very focused on their particular values and service and developing the same ideals. NPC is also a lifetime sisterhood and NPCs all have national philanthropic efforts but I don't think that NPCs have achieved the kinds of well-known missional identity that the NPHCs have. Frankly I think this is one area where NPC has taken a lesson from NPHC. I know my org has put a lot of emphasis on specific values-based identity in the past several years and I think it's awesome.

That's my best attempt to explain the difference and the cause of the difference from the NPC perspective. Maybe the NPHC women could give a different or better explanation.

Again, as many have pointed out, the two processes are apples and oranges.

Yeah this is going to take more research....luckliy I have a few months to work with.

[rhoyaltempest]

Originally Posted by breathesgelatin

This is true. It's due to the drastically different processes of NPHC and NPC.

With NPHC, you are encouraged to research the orgs beforehand and choose only one to pursue. As I understand it, there are many NPHC members on these boards that pursued membership in their selected organizations for years.

In contrast, the NPC members always encourage women going through recruitment to keep an open mind to all the groups and not go in with a preconceived idea of which one they want.

I'm not in a position to fully explain why NPHC focuses on research so much more than NPC, since I'm not an NPHC member. What I've learned from being on these forums is that NPHC tends on the whole to view membership as more of a lifetime commitment and thus something that deserves a long period of research, education, service, and self-improvement before membership can be granted. It's also due to the fact that each NPHC has a missional identity that is very well-developed and distinct. While all kinds of women join the NPHC sororities, they are very focused on their particular values and service and developing the same ideals. NPC is also a lifetime sisterhood and NPCs all have national philanthropic efforts but I don't think that NPCs have achieved the kinds of well-known missional identity that the NPHCs have. Frankly I think this is one area where NPC has taken a lesson from NPHC. I know my org has put a lot of emphasis on specific values-based identity in the past several years and I think it's awesome.

That's my best attempt to explain the difference and the cause of the difference from the NPC perspective. Maybe the NPHC women could give a different or better explanation.

Again, as many have pointed out, the two processes are apples and oranges.

To add to this, Alumnae/Grad membership is expected of all NPHC members so continuing to honor your lifetime committment by being active in your org after college is not taken lightly and although some members don't remain active after college, the idea is for potential members to understand fully what they're getting into so that they will indeed strive to remain active once they become members. Hence the need for all the research and reflection. Just to give you an idea of how important Alumnae/Grad membership is in NPHC orgs, some of the NPHC orgs have more Alumnae/Grad active members than they do undergrads; in some cases as much as 70%-75% Alumnae/Grad. The NPC and other councils cannot say that about their Alumni participation or even come close.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by rhoyaltempest

To add to this, Alumnae/Grad membership is expected of all NPHC members so continuing to honor your lifetime committment by being active in your org after college is not taken lightly and although some members don't remain active after college, the idea is for potential members to understand fully what they're getting into so that they will indeed strive to remain active once they become members. Hence the need for all the research and reflection. Just to give you an idea of how important Alumnae/Grad membership is in NPHC orgs, some of the NPHC orgs have more Alumnae/Grad active members than they do undergrads; in some cases as much as 70%-75% Alumnae/Grad. The NPC and other councils cannot say that about their Alumni participation or even come close.

I don't think that NPC will ever have a larger active alum population than undergraduate. Our organizations are designed primarily as college based groups with alumnae status as an afterthought. In fact, the object of AOII includes "college loyalty" implying that our main purpose is to support women during the college years. The lifetime commitment likely was originally to continue to values of the organization after graduation rather than remain a t-shirt wearing active alumna. Now, however, we realize that we need more alumnae support to keep the organization strong. We also have discovered that for some women going through recruitment, having a strong alumnae programming initiative is an important factor. Lifetime commitment doesn't have to mean monthly attendance at an alum meeting, but it would be nice if everyone found at least some way to give back to their fraternity once they go alum.

[rhoyaltempest]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

I don't think that NPC will ever have a larger active alum population than undergraduate. Our organizations are designed primarily as college based groups with alumnae status as an afterthought. In fact, the object of AOII includes "college loyalty" implying that our main purpose is to support women during the college years. The lifetime commitment likely was originally to continue to values of the organization after graduation rather than remain a t-shirt wearing active alumna. Now, however, we realize that we need more alumnae support to keep the organization strong. We also have discovered that for some women going through recruitment, having a strong alumnae programming initiative is an important factor. Lifetime commitment doesn't have to mean monthly attendance at an alum meeting, but it would be nice if everyone found at least some way to give back to their fraternity once they go alum.

Exactly. But I could tell that the OP was having a hard time understanding why the NPHC orgs stress the importance of researching, observing, and taking time to find the right org to pursue.

[sigmadiva]

Originally Posted by rhoyaltempest

Exactly. But I could tell that the OP was having a hard time understanding why the NPHC orgs stress the importance of researching, observing, and taking time to find the right org to pursue.

Maybe not so much today, but in my mom's day when she joined SGR in the early 1960's, joining a NPHC org also meant entree' (?sp) into Black High Society. It was a lot of the NPHC orgs back then that gave the swanky dances, fashion shows, parties, cotillions and beautillions for the Black community.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

I don't think that NPC will ever have a larger active alum population than undergraduate. Our organizations are designed primarily as college based groups with alumnae status as an afterthought. In fact, the object of AOII includes "college loyalty" implying that our main purpose is to support women during the college years. The lifetime commitment likely was originally to continue to values of the organization after graduation rather than remain a t-shirt wearing active alumna. Now, however, we realize that we need more alumnae support to keep the organization strong. We also have discovered that for some women going through recruitment, having a strong alumnae programming initiative is an important factor. Lifetime commitment doesn't have to mean monthly attendance at an alum meeting, but it would be nice if everyone found at least some way to give back to their fraternity once they go alum.

Well, I think part of it too is the way NPC vs NPHC rush. It's been said on here that for NPHC, undergraduate and graduate chapter rush are more alike than different. Can you imagine taking a collegiate NPC rush and transplanting it to the alumnae arena?

I don't think the NPC sororities are ever going to be able to develop as distinct of "identities" as the NPHC groups are...simply because there are 6 times as many of them.

For NPC to have the kind of alum participation that NPHC groups do, we would have to radically rethink the way we rush and choose members, and groups would probably die in the process.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Well, I think part of it too is the way NPC vs NPHC rush. It's been said on here that for NPHC, undergraduate and graduate chapter rush are more alike than different. Can you imagine taking a collegiate NPC rush and transplanting it to the alumnae arena?

I don't think the NPC sororities are ever going to be able to develop as distinct of "identities" as the NPHC groups are...simply because there are 6 times as many of them.

For NPC to have the kind of alum participation that NPHC groups do, we would have to radically rethink the way we rush and choose members, and groups would probably die in the process.

I agree. You would also lose sorority houses since filling them would become a problem is you switched to the NPHC system of recruitment. In many ways, though, I like the way that NPC does it because there are often women who join that would not have gone through the trouble of researching and waiting to join a group that have ended up highly active alumnae and have contributed a lot to our organizations. NPC needs to find a way to convince the women that do go through our system that there is more to membership than just 4 years. Maybe recruiting our seniors into our alum groups and advisory councils like you recruit NMs would be feasible.

[AKA_Monet]

Originally Posted by breathesgelatin

With NPHC, you are encouraged to research the orgs beforehand and choose only one to pursue. As I understand it, there are many NPHC members on these boards that pursued membership in their selected organizations for years.

What I've learned from being on these forums is that NPHC tends on the whole to view membership as more of a lifetime commitment and thus something that deserves a long period of research, education, service, and self-improvement before membership can be granted. It's also due to the fact that each NPHC has a missional identity that is very well-developed and distinct. While all kinds of women join the NPHC sororities, they are very focused on their particular values and service and developing the same ideals.

Based on our "official intake processes" we need to know if the person we take in will do the work and pay the money as needed or in the case of an undergraduate, continually have a superior GPA. Also to give the best representation of said organization at all times. If you review our Founders, and historical membership roster, many of these women had a crisp womanliness, yet activism to change the world.

For my Sorority, my Soror Rosa Parks--do I need to say any more... How about my Soror Coretta Scott King...

Are there others in the D9 I admire--oh yeah!!! Sistergreek Mary McLeod Bethune... My grandfather would not be employed if it was not for her...

Sistergreek Zora Neal Hurston--if it was not for her, her personal account and literary style of her books would not have been studied at Bethune-Cookman University...

Sistergreek Hattie McDaniel--if it was not for her, acting in film and television for a Black woman would have NEVER happened.

Taurus--that is what we mean by doing your research... Know great members in ALL organizations that you want to emulate. You are NOT the first person to ask these questions. And you have primary source material!!! So maybe that is why some of us are

[ladygreek]

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

Your mother should be assisting you fully in that process within limitations.

Her mother hasn't been active since college. I doubt there is much she can do to assist her, since she would not know the current process. In fact, in DST a mother's "help" can be to the detriment of the daughter, especially since we do not have a legacy clause.

[taurus0426]

Originally Posted by ladygreek

Her mother hasn't been active since college. I doubt there is much she can do to assist her, since she would not know the current process. In fact, in DST a mother's "help" can be to the detriment of the daughter, especially since we do not have a legacy clause.

That's what I meant....she only knows the 1973 editon of how it works. But I do know some actives that could help out with rec letters if I needed them.

[rhoyaltempest]

Originally Posted by ladygreek

Her mother hasn't been active since college. I doubt there is much she can do to assist her, since she would not know the current process. In fact, in DST a mother's "help" can be to the detriment of the daughter, especially since we do not have a legacy clause.

You learn something new every day. I thought you all did have a legacy clause. I know I heard that somewhere before but it must have been hearsay. We don't have a legacy clause either and I agree that a mother's "help" can sometimes be a detriment.