Quote:
Originally Posted by SWTXBelle
My concern has been when percentages are bandied about - if 20% of a student population is a minority, that doesn't necessarily mean that 20% of NPC group members should/could be minority. We need to acknowledge that they may have options in NPHC and multi-cultural Greek organizations, while making sure that NPC groups are open to them as well.
I like Sen's idea of an across the board introduction to all groups for students. Even if they aren't interested in joining, it would be good for students to know about the other groups. I know that my alma mater has a kind of open house for freshmen, but it is all campus groups, not just Greeks. I will note that when I suggested including NPHC sororities in our sorority information session for Murray State we were politely refused by the NPHC groups. That was over 10 years ago, so certainly a great deal has changed.
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At my alma mater they currently do a large scale program introducing the fraternities and sororities on campus. Each chapter does an intro and some background information, along with a step, hop, stroll, chant or a song. Afterwards there is a fair. I’m not sure if the program is successful, but Greek Life has been growing rapidly there regardless.
The university I work at also does a similar program every semester and I’ve observed. It looks like an awkward clash of cultures. Most of the POC go straight to the NPHC tables. They wait for their chapter of interest to stroll, say hi to their friends in other organizations and then head out. The NPC/NIC orgs awkwardly watched the strolls and then went back to talking about recruitment with the mostly white PNM’s. I know the formatting will be changed to something more structured and programmatic moving forward, but I still wonder how much it’ll help diversity.
I think the NPC should also think about inclusion outside of recruitment activities. Perhaps chapters make a commitment to meeting, collaborating and supporting diverse organizations on their campus. Not a mandate...but a genuine commitment. Build trust with the campus community outside of the NPC/NIC. It’s about creating the culture. Once others see and feel that commitment, you may be surprised who approaches about joining. Sometimes it’s about learning to be comfortable in those spaces and meeting the diverse PNM’s where they are.
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