BGLO and GLO

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Deltazeta4ever

I know this is a little off topic, but I'm shocked to find out that NPC and NPHC sororities don't "mingle" anymore. Back when I was an active, Delta Zeta and Alpha Kappa Alpha cosponsored a lecture series on women's health every year. (The slogan was cute... "Two sisterhoods sharing two colors and one goal: Educating women"). All GLO's participated in Greek Week, regardless of their ethnic status, and every fraternity participated in our Greek God contest.

Wow... times have changed

Don't take what's in this thread as the norm at every school. If DZ & AKA did that back in your day at your campus, chances are they probably still do.

[PhrozenGod01]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Don't take what's in this thread as the norm at every school. If DZ & AKA did that back in your day at your campus, chances are they probably still do.

Yeah, every campus is way different. I always hear about chapters all over where bruhs will do a function or mingle with an IFC/NPC org, whether it is an awareness campaign, or a mixer. At my school, we didn't do it too much, but some of the time commitments and priorities were factors in the lack of participation. I don't want to generalize(I always say that), but spending hours working on stuffing tissue paper into chicken wire for a homecoming float, for example, didn't seem as important as putting in work for a charity event, community service project, or fundraising step show. It's not that the NPHC orgs would refuse stuff, it was just hard to get motivated for some things that were IFC/NPC staples on campus (serenades, lip sync competitions). Now, I know that members of different councils would attend each other's functions, but it would be because those people had friends in a specific organization to support, not because it was expected as a chapter or anything. I hope that makes some sort of sense.

[starang21]

Originally Posted by Deltazeta4ever

I know this is a little off topic, but I'm shocked to find out that NPC and NPHC sororities don't "mingle" anymore. Back when I was an active, Delta Zeta and Alpha Kappa Alpha cosponsored a lecture series on women's health every year. (The slogan was cute... "Two sisterhoods sharing two colors and one goal: Educating women"). All GLO's participated in Greek Week, regardless of their ethnic status, and every fraternity participated in our Greek God contest.

Wow... times have changed

i prefer to mingle with pretty girls

[KAY10]

Originally Posted by Deltazeta4ever

I know this is a little off topic, but I'm shocked to find out that NPC and NPHC sororities don't "mingle" anymore. Back when I was an active, Delta Zeta and Alpha Kappa Alpha cosponsored a lecture series on women's health every year. (The slogan was cute... "Two sisterhoods sharing two colors and one goal: Educating women"). All GLO's participated in Greek Week, regardless of their ethnic status, and every fraternity participated in our Greek God contest.

Wow... times have changed

See, this kind of stuff I know nothing about. I pledged at a Historical Black College. There weren't any WGLOs there. That was cool though, the two of you making something positive happen.

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by Deltazeta4ever

I know this is a little off topic, but I'm shocked to find out that NPC and NPHC sororities don't "mingle" anymore.

* on some campuses

[KAY10]

Originally Posted by Wolfman

I agree with this outsiders assessment. There does seem to be some sense of cultural superiority when it comes to traditionally white Greek-letter organizations. It is suupremely ironic in that the reason for the push towards desegregating GLOs was because of their exclusive attitudes, not only racially but religiously and in terms of class also. Now, many act as though history doesn't matter and that BGLOs and other groups are prejudiced and exclusive. Wow!

In reality, there are people in all groups who favor racial exclusivity and most who don't.

Amen. Preach Brother! Preach!

[Eirene_DGP]

I agree with a lot of the other posts. Around the time that some of the GLO's were founded things were segregated and mixed race organizatons were unheard of. In the 21st century however, we do have ethnic people in GLOs and various races in BGLO. I know on our campus we have racial mingling amongst our Greek organizations like Greek Week and on-campus parties, but if you asked me if it would be the same back in 1920 I would say no. I don't think the idea behind BGLO was racist in theory but moreso to have somewhere to belong. We are all human regardless of race and have the same basic needs, especially feeling as though one belongs and is loved.

[brownsugakdphi]

Hello Everyone,


Well, I was skimming through the many responses to the question, and generally I see a lot of "white glo" vs. "black glo" reponses. However, as being a member of an Asian American Greek Letter Organization, I would like to respond to the original question.

I understand why someone would attempt to eradicate what they deem is "segregation" but perhaps it may be important to understand why that certain organization was started. It's kind of like the MELTING POT analogy of our country. People would like the U.S. to be a MELTING POT, but in that sense you are not recognizing the value of people's cultures but assimilating those cultures to the general value of the majority's culture. In the SALAD BOWL analogy, these different ethnicities can be allowed to value their own culture yet experience and understand the roles of various other groups. By establishing one general organization, you are in a fact assimilating that group. What you deem as "segregation" may be in fact a way to create more diversity.

In my sorority nationwide we have sisters of different cultures, two of the sisters at my own school were of latina descent (one being a founder). Regardless of our sorority's purpose (to promote Asian American awareness and strengthen the role of women in higher education), we can't deny the cultures of each of our members. SISTERHOOD is color blind, but our world isn't. It is a fact that some groups are less priviledged than others, and the creation of such minority greek organizations are aimed at changing that fact. So by eliminating such greek organizations, aren't you in fact taking away some of the benefits that we provide to minority groups that might not otherwise be present... In other words... for the organizations that do not focus on a certain racial/ethnic group, how often do you focus on the problems that Asian American, Latino American, African American, Native American people face, and don't you have brothers/sisters that face these problems? Just be thankful that there are organizations out there that do......

In eternal love and friendship

[streetscholar]

CFP: Edited Volume on Empirical Studies of Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs)

Edited by M. W. Hughey (University of Virginia) and G. S. Parks (Cornell University).
We invite submissions for an edited volume on Black Greek Lettered Organizations (BGLOs). In recent years, scholarship on BGLOs has sprouted up and has been received as a rich and contextual area of study for many practitioners across traditional academic boundaries. That is, out of its initial genesis in Higher Education, study of BGLOs has come to attract a vast array of interdisciplinary focus. This work hopes to assist the field blossom as today BGLOs are one of the most influential black-centered organizations, and they still hold critical purchase in the discourse and praxis of identity politics in a postmodern age. By couching this volume within the ethnic, gender, and cultural studies arenas that have been historically attentive to issues of power and representation – and by focusing on empirical studies – we hope to advance the study of BGLOs, to lend rigor and substance to recent trends that over-depend on abstract theorizing, and to reach an audience that is both academic and popular.

In this vein, academicians who are trained in empirical methodology but unaware of critical issues in BGLO related affairs, or vice versa, scholars who are well-versed in the culture, history, and social organization of BGLOs but lacking in the implementation of rigorous empirical methods, should not feel this is beyond their scope. The editors, with the council of the Advisory Board [co-chaired by Dr. Edward Whipple, Vice President for Student Affairs at Bowling Green State University and author of New Challenges for Greek Letter Organizations: Transforming Fraternities and Sororities into Learning Communities (1998) and Dr. Walter Kimbrough, president of Philander Smith College and author of Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs, and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities (2003)] will pair scholars together, if needed or requested, for collaborative chapters.

Potential projects could examine, but are not limited to, the following:

Academic achievement
Authoritarianism or Democracy in their BGLO Organizational Ontology
BGLO Politics (e.g.: Qualities and characteristics that predict election to national office)
BGLOs and (un)involvement in local politics
BGLOs and Afrocentricity
BGLOs and Geographic Regionalism
BGLOs and the Question of Black Nationalist vs. Assimilative Agendas
BGLOs and their Iconography (e.g.: Kappas and canes, Omegas and gold boots, etc.)
BGLOs and their role in the Civil Rights Movement
BGLOs on White campuses vs. BGLOs on HBCUs
Black Sororities and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Wave Feminism
Black Sororities and Women’s Liberation
Colorism/Internalized Racism (e.g.: Brown bag and blue vein tests)
Council Decision Making vs. Hierarchical Leadership in BGLOs
Cultural competence of Greek affairs advisors
Dating behavior among BGLO college members
Difference between Alumni/Undergraduate Chapters
Differences in the Portrayals of Founders among BGLOs
Eating disorders and sororities
Feminist/womanist identity development
Films featuring BGLOs (School Daze, Drumline, Stomp the Yard, etc.)
Hazing/pledging/MIP
High Functioning vs. Low Functioning Chapters
Homosexual members
Leadership development
Leadership vs./and Service
Militarism in the traditions of BGLOs
Non-black members
Non-Christian members
Oral Traditions of Chapter Histories among BGLOs
Politics within BGLOs
Portrayal of BGLOs in works of fiction
Public perception of BGLOs
Racial identity development
Reasons why people choose to join certain BGLOs
Reclamation/organizational behavior
Sexual aggression/date rape
Significance of BGLO poems and narratives
Spirituality/religiosity
Stereotypes of Individual Organizations
Substance use/abuse
The Politics of Small vs. Large Chapters
The Question of Traditional Animosities between organizations (e.g.: AKA and Delta)
The Semiotics of Greek Paraphernalia (line jackets, etc.)

Those interested in contributing should send a CV with a list of five (or less) topics they would be interested in exploring to the lead editor (M. W. Hughey) by 1 November 2006: mwh5h@virginia.edu. Potential contributors will be contacted about submitting an abstract by 15 December 2006.

More information about the project can be found at: http://empiricalbgloproject.blogspot.com/

[KAY10]

Let the WGLOs do their thing and BGLOs do theirs. They're both different and can't communicate so lets just let it be.

[DSTCHAOS]

@ this thread being brought back up.

I had forgotten how dumb some of the posts were. LOL.

[Still BLUTANG]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

@ this thread being brought back up.

I had forgotten how dumb some of the posts were. LOL.

if this is the "prejudism" thread, i have to admit a guilty pleasure. one of my favorite posts on GC. EVER.

[PM_Mama00]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

@ this thread being brought back up.

I had forgotten how dumb some of the posts were. LOL.

I second this.

Can't we just delete this thread? Some GCers are a little naive and stupid when they first sign on....

[mccoyred]

Originally Posted by KAY10

Let the WGLOs do their thing and BGLOs do theirs. They're both different and can't communicate so lets just let it be.

Don't call them 'WGLOs' 'cause they will have a fit. Be prepared for some flack.