NPHC BGLOers: Why Did you Join?

[rhoyaltempest]

okay here goes my story and I'm going to try and make it short although it's long. Before college I didn't really know too much about NPHC greeks other than the stereotypes portrayed in "School Daze." For some reason though, the stereotypes didn't phase me at all. I'm not one of those people who believes everything she sees and hears anyway...I have to find out for myself. So I never really thought that "School Daze" was realistic and the only NPHC org that I had even heard of in high school was Delta Sigma Theta and the way I found out about them is a hilarious story for another time. Anyway, I ended up going to a VERY predominately White university in upstate Pennsylvania and the only NPHC groups there were Kappa Alpha Psi and Phi Beta Sigma. There were no active NPHC sororities although there was one AKA that transferred from another school. Ironically though, even though the campus was small, the Black population was smaller, and greek life was damn near non-existent, we talked a lot about the NPHC orgs because Kappa Alpha Psi had the most members and a lot of Kappa Sweethearts. Anyway I ended up being "on court" (remember that term?) for my ex-boyfriend who was pledging Phi Beta Sigma. When he went over, I became very close to the members and they wanted myself and the other ladies who were on court to become Zetas. Even though there was no chapter of Zeta Phi Beta on the campus, they had ambitions to try and get a chapter chartered. Ironically, myself and the other ladies weren't really interested in being a part of any sorority at the time. Anyway, I ended up transferring to another predominately White university closer to my home with a much bigger Black population. They had all the NPHC orgs except for 2. I stayed in touch with the Sigmas from my previous school and since Zeta Phi Beta had a chapter at my new school, they encouraged me to check them out. I made no promises but told them that I would keep my eyes open. At this point I still hadn't made up my mind that I wanted to be greek. The first people I ran into at my new school was a girl that I went to high school with and another girl that I knew from the neighborhood I grew up in. They had become friends and I was glad to see them because I really didn't know anyone coming in as a sophomore. I also began working in the campus restaurant and became friends with a member of Sigma Gamma Rho who was a manager there. Ironically, my SGRho friend knew my friends. My SGRho friend invited us to a "Meet the Greeks" and we made our way around to every NPHC sorority table but spent the most time at the SGRho table. I remembered that I told my Phi Beta Sigma friends that I would check out their sorors so I did go over to the Zeta table but I found myself right back at the SGRho table shortly after. All the SGRho's were just friendly, cool, classy, and fly. And everybody liked them and had great things to say about them; greeks and non-greeks alike. They were also very visible with their programs and community service. I could see myself rolling with them and being able to just be myself (which was sooooo important to me). Before long they all became my friends and I was attending the rush.

As for my Phi Beta Sigma friends, they took the news about me wanting to be a Sigma Gamma Rho better than I thought and called to check on me all the time throughout my intake process and congratulated me when I became a member. They said they were happy if I was happy (yeah right!) but it was all good. Coincidentally our SGRho chapter was really close with the Sigmas at my new school so I became close to them also (It's a Sigma thang!). As for my friends from high school and the neighborhood, one of them became my ls and became a Sigma Gamma Rho with me and the other became my AKA sands. The end.

[Jody]

My father, in an effort to ensure I attened an HBCU, took me to visit several of his friend-women, that had attended HBCU's. What I noticed was all the AKA's had big houses, nice cars and good jobs.

It sounds shallow but I wanted the same thing!!!!

[AKA_Monet]

I joined because I am a legacy of at least 4 generations. I really did not look at other Sororities, because I actually love my Soror Mother's and Soror Grandmother's Sorority.

I joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. when she did not have a "legacy clause"... So actually, when I was accepted into the ivy leaf pledge club, I did not tell my parents and they did not know until mid-pledge season and my Soror Mom found out, then came down to see me in college while pledging. Needless to say, what she determined was sheer pride.

[BlueReign]

Originally Posted by NinjaPoodle

ttt I love this thread

I love it too! Funny, I was just thinking about this thread today and here it is!! Have you been getting some funny PM's lately? My response is always the same. It can be found on page 1 of this thread.

[Animate]

Two of my Brother cousins are Alphas. I had been pretty much "bred" to become an Alpha fof as long as I can remember. These guys are honestly more influential in my life than my own dad (not to take anything away from my father, he's always been there). I honestly wouldn't be the person I am if it were not for them.

See...thanks, everytime I tell any version of this story I get all misty faced.

[PhDiva]

I joined SGRho based on my interactions with members who were actually my employees. I was interim coordinator of Black Student Services at my school (grad school) and I had to interact with all the members of the D9. The SGRhos impressed me the most as being classy, intelligent and hard working. As someone who was well past my undergrad years by the time I made a firm decision to join a sorority, I wanted to be apart of something that aligned with my values...particularly that of education as the key to upward mobility and community uplift. I also liked the fact that SGRho members was exclusive without coming off as elitist. While there was no SGRho chapter at my undergrad university, I did have one very negative experience with a member of another NPHC org that honestly made me forego any thoughts of becoming Greek for almost 5 years until I met the SGRhos at my job who eventually came to embrace me as their sister.

[neosoul]

Z-Hope and the Stork's Nest (two of Zeta's national programs) were the dealbreakers

[Infamous12]

I had been exposed to Delta during my teen years. I was in a high school sorority-type group and everytime we found out that one of our mentors was a member of a D9, she turned out to be a Delta. Even as a teen, those women embodied leadership, they were active in their communities, professional and were overall just the ish!

As I got into my jr./sr. year of high school, my older cousin would give me advice on my upcoming collegiate experience. She introduced me to the awesome world that is O-State's Residence Life & other leadership opps she knew I'd love. She gave me tips on how to survive, and promised to always look out for me. I looked through her graduation pictures the summer before I went to college and lo and behold her stole read: Delta Sigma Theta.

The second I got to school I was eager to be involved. everything. Community service, great. Public speaking group, awesome. Hall council, yes. RA, that was in the works. Even as a freshman I was very much involved, and as I looked around it seemed that (practically) every strong, well-spoken and highly favored black woman I'd see in these groups, leading the pack if you will... yeah, you guessed it - Deltas.

They were beacons of light on campus.

Their dedication to the community was unprecedented, whether it be through extensive programming or service projects.

Name an organization and one of them was either on exec. board or an esteemed member.

I was convinced. The history was one committed to service and change. The presence on campus embodied the same. In my humble mind, I was excited about what the ladies were doing on campus, and imagined what I could do for (and with) them, too. I knew right then in Winter of 2002 what had been placed in my heart annnnnnnnnnnnnnd my soul. Now...how to get it - that was the question. LOL.

Give or take some days, weeks, months and years, with NO advice from all-knowing cousin (The most help she gave was making "adjustments" to my wardrobe 'for my sake'. LOL) ...Spring 2005 came and Infamous was born.

[lovelycapricorn]

This is a great Thread

[PrettyBoy]

My father is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, so I grew up seeing Alpha perry hanging up all over the house. I never paid it much attention and had no clue what it was, until I got to college. The Ques and the Sigmas were the 1st two fraternities I saw hanging out on campus my freshman year. I knew they were two different organizations, but I still didn't know what a fraternity was. A few days later I saw the Alphas and thats when I started asking questions because I recognized the symbols that I had grown up with. My brother who was a senior at the time gave me the run down on all the greeks. I didn't see the Nupes for a while. I saw them but I didn't know they were Nupes because they very rarely wore letters. They dressed really nice, but rarely wore letters. I heard my brother mention them but since I wasn't at the time familiar with greek letters I didn't know who they were. One night I saw this red car with KAY as the front plate and this brother got out of the car with a KAY letterman jacket on. As far as appearance (dress code) was concerned, I was more impressed with the Nupes than I was with the other fraternities, but I still wanted to know more. Later on I went to my 1st campus party and that's when I saw the Nupes in full effect. They had such a tight bond. Their bond seemed to be tighter than the other fraternities on campus. During my sophomore year I started doing research on them. I didn't look at the other fraternites, because I knew what I wanted right off the bat. Kappa. They were too smooth, and they were really big on achievement. At that point I wanted to join and did because it was in my heart. Even though my dad wanted me to pledge his fraternity, it just wasn't me and I felt that Kappa Alpha Psi was a perfect fit for me, so that's why I joined.

Kappa Alpha Psi is the greatest, smoothest fraternity on earth.

[DSTCHAOS]

This thread still exists.

I think it was started for a specific purpose than ran its course over a year ago.

[ladygreek]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

This thread still exists.

I think it was started for a specific purpose than ran its course over a year ago.

Now you know recycling is a good thing . WB

@PB your father is a Alpha and you knew nothing about BGLOs until you got to college? Shame on him.

[PrettyBoy]

Originally Posted by ladygreek

Now you know recycling is a good thing . WB

@PB your father is a Alpha and you knew nothing about BGLOs until you got to college? Shame on him.

LOL. ladygreek, you know the crazy thing about it is he would go to a lot of the meetings and I thought he was going to his Urban League meetings. Before college I thought his fraternity and the St. Paul Urban League were the same thing.

I would hear him and my brother talk about fraternities, but I was still in highschool and had no clue what they were talking about.

[ladygreek]

Originally Posted by PrettyBoy

LOL. ladygreek, you know the crazy thing about it is he would go to a lot of the meetings and I thought he was going to his Urban League meetings. Before college I thought his fraternity and the St. Paul Urban League were the same thing.

I would hear him and my brother talk about fraternities, but I was still in highschool and had no clue what they were talking about.

Now you know that with one phone call I will know who your father is--right? My soror was the president of the St. Paul Urban League and I worked at one time for the Mpls. Urban League. I bet I know him personally.

[IceColdAce06]

Originally Posted by ladygreek

Now you know recycling is a good thing . WB

@PB your father is a Alpha and you knew nothing about BGLOs until you got to college? Shame on him.

Hey LG and !