UK official urges 'segregated' Greeks to cooperate

[AlphaFrog]

I love my sister and my tld221 Pan-Hellenic sister!

I'm so moving to NYC so you two can entertain me constantly.

[cuteASAbug]

Yay! Please do! ALAM <3!

[TSteven]

Photo from The Kentucky Kernel

Leading in Diversity

This year [April 2005], The Epsilon Chi Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. held their first annual Stomp-a-Palooza. This event is a Stepping Competition open to various Greek Letter Organization at the University of Kentucky. What made this competetion differ from any other step show in years past at UK was the fact that all the teams participating were from historically White Greek letter Organizations. Albeit some question the degree of diversity on UK's campus, EX has been interacting with historically White Greek letter Ogrs for years. This event especially, exemplifies that EX is a trailblazer when it comes to breaking down the barriers of race among Fraternities and Sororities at the University of Kentucky.

[Senusret I]

heyyyy my friend is a recent alum from that chapter.

I think he was a stepmaster at one point.

[_Lisa_]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

I did, too.

The problem STARTS with whoever (meaning the person(s) who wrote/contributed to this article) is perpetuating the idea that NPC/IFC are the "white" GLOs.

Sigma Kappa at UK has many different races in their chapter, and even though I am only speaking for them because I advise them, I assure you that most NPC chapters at UK aren't the "white" GLO's.

[Tom Earp]

Originally Posted by _Lisa_

Sigma Kappa at UK has many different races in their chapter, and even though I am only speaking for them because I advise them, I assure you that most NPC chapters at UK aren't the "white" GLO's.

Thank you and it is not only at that school, but many others.

Some just want to seem to make it that way.

[tld221]

Originally Posted by _Lisa_

Sigma Kappa at UK has many different races in their chapter, and even though I am only speaking for them because I advise them, I assure you that most NPC chapters at UK aren't the "white" GLO's.

you mean, in your experience, the NPC chapters at UK tend to exhibit more "diversity" than chapters at other schools, or moreso than other orgs?

[_Lisa_]

Originally Posted by tld221

you mean, in your experience, the NPC chapters at UK tend to exhibit more "diversity" than chapters at other schools, or moreso than other orgs?

No, I mean to say that currently, the NPC chapters at UK are pretty diverse.

[SmartBlondeGPhB]

Originally Posted by TSteven

Separation of white and black Greek communities on campus begins at the top, Rafiuddin said. Each Greek organization has separate assistants who have graduated that oversee their community.

The Interfraternity Council oversees white fraternities, the Panhellenic Council oversees white sororities and the National Pan-Hellenic Council oversees both black sororities and fraternities.

Maybe it's just me but it sure sounds like she wants them all to be overseen by one Council.....

[TSteven]

Originally Posted by SmartBlondeGPhB

Maybe it's just me but it sure sounds like she wants them all to be overseen by one Council.....

You may be right.

Currently, The University of Kentucky has the Inter-Greek Programming Assembly (IGPA) which regulates and schedules all programming that is sponsored for the UK Greek Community. IGPA also helps to unify the Greek Governing Councils of the Interfraternity Council (IFC), the Pan-Hellenic Council (PHC), and the Panhellenic Council (PC). And the IGPA coordinates all joint-programming efforts of IFC, PHC, and PC.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by SmartBlondeGPhB

Maybe it's just me but it sure sounds like she wants them all to be overseen by one Council.....

Yes.

I hate when people shoot off their mouths about things they know nothing about. I really wonder, for example, if she understands the differences between NPC and NPHC rush.

[MrKnowItAll1906]

Originally Posted by TSteven

You may be right.

Currently, The University of Kentucky has the Inter-Greek Programming Assembly (IGPA) which regulates and schedules all programming that is sponsored for the UK Greek Community. IGPA also helps to unify the Greek Governing Councils of the Interfraternity Council (IFC), the Pan-Hellenic Council (PHC), and the Panhellenic Council (PC). And the IGPA coordinates all joint-programming efforts of IFC, PHC, and PC.

The IGPA is not effective in anyways to bridge the gap between black and white greeks. Having been a the past president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council at UK and attending some of these meetings, it does not effectively unify anyone. You can put all the flyers you want in a mailbox or even have black greeks do a Greek tour but that still isn't going to get whites to come to black events and vice versa. At the end of the day, the two will always be separated.

I don't necessarily see the separation as a means of color but because the cultures and methods of operation of the two are COMPLETELY different. Our membership intakes is different, our programs are different, our rituals(both secret and non-secret) are different as well as many other things. Because black greeks are smaller in number compared to their white counterparts, blacks greeks are often pressured to assimilate into the practices of white greeks. I can recall many times filling out forms and speaking with Dean West on matters that are not applicable to Black Greeks.

When I was working with Student Affairs to work on a means of bridging a gap, there was so much talk and not enough action. So my fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha (who has been at UK since April 1, 1965) started the Stomp-A-Palooza show as well as ate dinner and many of the white sorority houses. Although all events were successful, yet the seperation still persists. There are numerous white greeks at UK who don't even know that they are historically BGLOs at UK. Like I said before, we have been there since 1965 and Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta (chartered on the same day) have been there since May 9, 1975.

From reading the brief article, I just wonder what means will they try different. The person whom the article opens with is not even Greek so how would she know about issues that are relative to this venture? I am not an advocate of segregation but considering the histories and cultures of the two groups, they should remain separate. I just find it hard to believe that Becky Sue, from a wealthy souther white family will join a historically black sorority who sponsors programs to combat African American Student Rentention; it's simply not going to happen!

[MrKnowItAll1906]

....oh and I forgot to mention that it really irritates me that some people believe that in a chapter full of about 500 people, if you have 5 blacks, 3 hispanics and 1 asian that they are considered diverse!

I don't think so!

[_Lisa_]

Originally Posted by MrKnowItAll1906

....oh and I forgot to mention that it really irritates me that some people believe that in a chapter full of about 500 people, if you have 5 blacks, 3 hispanics and 1 asian that they are considered diverse!

I don't think so!

Not one NPC chapter at UK has 500 active members! Not even close!


Oh, and it really irritates me that you aren't willing to recognize diversity for what it is, which (at its simplest definition) is to have a variety. And you can't look at the NPC organizations on UK's campus & say they don't have a variety of women from different races, religions, & ethnicities. It would just be completely false if you even thought it, let alone insinuate it on a public message board.

[rhoyaltempest]

Originally Posted by MrKnowItAll1906

....oh and I forgot to mention that it really irritates me that some people believe that in a chapter full of about 500 people, if you have 5 blacks, 3 hispanics and 1 asian that they are considered diverse!

I don't think so!

EXACTLY. The predominately White orgs are just as White as we are Black so I don't know why some of their members get offended when people call them White GLO's. I'm not offended when people refer to NPHC orgs as Black even though we have members of other races.

Also, segregation is not voluntary so I wish people would stop throwing that word around. What the writer of the article should be trying to promote is unity among all greeks; as in support for one another and participation in joint activities. But the bottom line is that some people just don't get it so let them go ahead and do what they do. They won't impact our organizations unless we let them.