UK official urges 'segregated' Greeks to cooperate

[rhoyaltempest]

Originally Posted by _Lisa_

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.

I'm pretty sure he doesn't mean 500 members where every chapter/school is concerned but you get the point...or you should.

[_Lisa_]

Originally Posted by rhoyaltempest

I'm pretty sure he doesn't mean 500 members where every chapter/school is concerned but you get the point...or you should.

This is the point:

Originally Posted by _Lisa_

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.

Diversity does NOT restrict itself to race only, so saying that even a 100 member chapter is not diverse strictly because the race "breakdown" may not be 50/50, would be untrue.


(And for the record, as if I'm not careful enough to be as specific as possible already, I'm not referring to ANY chapter/school, I'm only referring to UK.)

[MrKnowItAll1906]

Originally Posted by _Lisa_

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.

No what is false is simply your definition of diversity. Why does diversity necessarily have to always be defined by race. I could walk into a room full of African Americans and argue that they are diverse in many ways. UK, as well as many PWIs, throw the diversity word around as if it's a hot potato. Many whites are oblivious to the undermine and hidden acts of segregation on campus. Because it doesn't necessarily personally affect yourself, you are apt to think that it doesn't occur.

And I whole heartedly agree with rhoyaltempest, the solution lies in the unification of support, not necessarily a merging. We should learn to supprot one another's events and not just attend the stepshows because you think it's "cool"!

Oh...and this is a public message board so I think I can freely speak my opinion about anything!

[_Lisa_]

Originally Posted by MrKnowItAll1906

No what is false is simply your definition of diversity.

You can argue with the dictionary over this one, I'm not gonna get into an argument over a definition when that is what the dictionary is for!

Originally Posted by MrKnowItAll1906

Why does diversity necessarily have to always be defined by race.

Exactly the point I made, THANK YOU for agreeing!

Originally Posted by MrKnowItAll1906

And I whole heartedly agree with rhoyaltempest, the solution lies in the unification of support, not necessarily a merging.

I absolutely agree with you both, you make good points.

Originally Posted by MrKnowItAll1906

Oh...and this is a public message board so I think I can freely speak my opinion about anything!

No one told you couldn't, but don't expect us to always agree. Which turns out, we mostly agree anyway (with the exception of your problem with the dictionary & its widely accepted definitions-I've got nothing to do with that!)

[MrKnowItAll1906]

[quote=_Lisa_;1513614]Diversity does NOT restrict itself to race only, so saying that even a 100 member chapter is not diverse strictly because the race "breakdown" may not be 50/50, would be untrue.
quote]

I would argue differently. I don't necessarily believe the portions should be equal but I do think there should be a plethora (trying not to use the word diverse! )of choices.

And you hit the nail on the head when you talked about an argument of definition. The worst thing about diversity is that no one can clearly define. We could go and consult good 'ol Webster...but I think even he may be a little biased!

[TSteven]

Originally Posted by MrKnowItAll1906

The IGPA is not effective in anyways to bridge the gap between black and white greeks.

Of course not. As I understand it, UK's Inter-Greek Programming Assembly's (IGPA) concept of "helping to unify the councils" has to do with programming and not attempting to bridge any gap between the councils.

IGPA simply serves as a "clearing house" (for lack of a better phrase) for GLO events. So as an example, registering with the IGPA keeps Sigma Chi's Derby Day form being held at the same time as Alpha Phi Alpha's Stomp-A-Palooza or Chi Omega's Greek Sing. Also, the IGPA coordinates "general programs" for the benefit of all the GLOs. For example, these might be alcohol awareness, campus safety or perhaps hazing. Issues that affect any GLO - regardless of the council. Perhaps this is why Ms. Rafiuddin felt a need to develop the Inter Greek Relations Project.

[tld221]

Originally Posted by _Lisa_

This is the point:




Diversity does NOT restrict itself to race only, so saying that even a 100 member chapter is not diverse strictly because the race "breakdown" may not be 50/50, would be untrue.


(And for the record, as if I'm not careful enough to be as specific as possible already, I'm not referring to ANY chapter/school, I'm only referring to UK.)

OK so we know that "diversity" means more than along the lines of race. but in the context of the article, and when talking college politics, we ALL know were talking about race (if not race, class/social status). And to be even more honest, at face value, the primary impression one would get looking for "diversity" when looking at greek orgs is going to be race. No one goes to round robin and says, "Oh wow, XYZ has so many people with different majors, i thought they were all English majors!"

of course we know, for the most part, chapters are going to be diverse along different characteristics. but seeing is believing. if the "diversity" makes itself visible (versus having to look for it) the more likely one could feel comfortable associating with said chapter.

but that's just me.

[ladygreek]

Originally Posted by _Lisa_

You can argue with the dictionary over this one, I'm not gonna get into an argument over a definition when that is what the dictionary is for!

But you do know that dictionaires are often updated to the current usage of a word? :lol:

This discussion has been about the separation of "W"GLOs and BGLOs---not about the separation of religion, culture, or ethnicity. Thus using diversity in the way it has been used is referring to racial variety. That seems appropriate in this discussion, to me.

Oh and the thing is that many places of employment use the global definition of diversity as a cop-out to avoid hiring African Americans.

ETA: I should have read ahead to tld's post. LOL

[DZRose]

Originally Posted by 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.

As an alumnae of the DZ chapter at UK, I'll add that while I was there, we always made efforts to participate in activities with the "traditionally black" sororities/fraternities. My roommate pledged Zeta Phi Beta and we used to love to discuss the similarities and differences between our sisterhoods (man, the new member gifts she got from her sisters after pledging was AMAZING!!!). It's nice to see the women of the chapter continuing that tradition in the article above. And it's a little weird to see a pic of the basement of the house on GC!

[UGAalum94]

In the example of no new NPHC groups being able to charter at a particular campus in the 1970s because of no housing, were NPC/IFC groups chartered by NPHC groups were denied? Or were there no new GLOs period?

[barbino]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

In the example of no new NPHC groups being able to charter at a particular campus in the 1970s because of no housing, were NPC/IFC groups chartered by NPHC groups were denied? Or were there no new GLOs period?

Assuming you mean specifically UK---
It seems that there were no new IFC/NPC chapters on this particular campus in the 1970's other than the fraternity AEPi, (1972) which is now inactive, according to Wikipedia. Since I can't remember it, I have no comment on its housing situation. I can remember a recolonization of Phi Delta Theta, which supposedly had wealthy alums and secured an smaller, older house on the outskirts of campus (1978-80?). Other than that, IFC/NPC expansion seemed nonexistent until the 1980's. In 1982 - AOPi came on, and in 1989, Sigma Kappa, according to Wiki.

Before the 1970's, the DG's & the Pi Phi's came on and they built their own new houses (1962-63). These chapter houses were not supplied by the University as with the other sorority houses. Kappa Kappa Gamma still has the stately old mansion that it has owned for many years. In the mid-seventies Gamma Phi Beta's house was new (the chapter is now inactive). The Alpha Chi Omega house was also new, and this chapter is also inactive. These houses were then used by other GLO's. UK seems to have had a shortage of houses, because those owned by the University were filled quickly by other groups. The new ones that were built to house GLO's that did not continue were always reoccupied by other GLO's (Alpha Chi Omega's house became the Sigma Pi house). I forget who got the Gamma Phi's old house.

The last time I visited the campus about 2 1/2 years ago, there were several new houses. I remember the Sigma Chi house was new. The KA house of the late seventies had become a parking lot. This was strange because the other University-owned fraternity houses seemed to still be there. But a few years ago UK announced plans to rebuild its campus and become a top research institution. The changes to the campus were extensive. Hope that this answers your question.

[UGAalum94]

Thank you for that information. It's sad to consider the expense of building a house and then for the chapter to go inactive.

I was mainly interested in Lady Greek's, I think it was, campus where the university shut down expansions of NPHC groups and claimed it was related to housing shortage.

If NPC/IFC groups were allowed to come onto campus, it's pretty clearly racial discrimination, but if no new groups came on, it may have actually been about the housing shortage.

I'm interested in more information about that.

[barbino]

Wait, I forgot - I think that Chi Omega, Tri-Delt, and ADPi also owned and still own their own houses on UK's campus. I was less familiar with the fraternity houses than the sorority houses. But some chapter houses were University-owned and some were owned by the chapters and/or their national.

[BSUPhiSig'92]

My mother graduated from the campus (SIUC) ladygreek was referring to, and I am currently the Greek advisor at it's sister campus (SIUE). More than likely the situation was one of blatant discrimination in the 1960s. My mother graduated from there in 1957, and has told me about how in the one women's dormitory, the African American women were required to live on one floor. She also said that African American males weren't allowed to live on campus at that time. This was only about 10 years prior to when ladygreek mentioned.