Can National Shut Down a Chapter Because of it's Racial Breakdown?

[Achilles87]

For the fraternities that cearly identify themselves as being for a particular race or religion, could the National Office legally shut down a chapter for having too many members who do not identify with the given race/religion?

What if the national constitution does not include anything regarding a Chapter being required to have a certain racial/religious breakdown in order to maintain its charter?

[LaneSig]

A little more information.

example: Our fraternity was founded to be a fraternity for left-handed red-heads. Our national is threatening to shut down our chapter because we only have 1 left-handed redhead and the rest of the chapter is right-handed brunettes and blonds.

[breathesgelatin]

Second the need more info thing.

One thing is that for sure is that if a GLO finds that a chapter has violated the GLO's non-discrimination policies (eg, rejecting an African-American on the basis of race alone), they can for sure yank the chapter's charter. But that can be really hard to prove. You can always say (as I have heard many say on this site) "Oh, Minority PNM just didn't mesh with our chapter." hmmmm.

It's also for sure that many national NIC and NPC GLOs did threaten to shut down chapters in the 60s because the chapters began accepting minority members. Sad but true. I do not know if they actually did shut down chapters for this reason but I assume that there is at least one or two cases, perhaps quite a few, where this did happen.

I can't think of any NIC/NPC GLO that would allow discrimination on the basis of race anymore. I have heard that some groups may still allow some discrimination in terms of religion (eg, only Christians or more broadly in some cases, people who believe in a higher power, can join this group), but I've never heard of a chapter being dechartered for that. I have heard anecdotal stuff (which I don't know if it's true) about individual members have their membership revoked for such reasons. Mostly in NIC fraternities. Never heard about that with NPCs.

On the other hand, I have heard of some complex situations with Jewish NPCs where they are allowed to accept non-Jewish members (I believe all the traditionally Jewish NPCs accept non-Jews into membership) and being encouraged to accept non-Jews by their nationals for various reasons, and the chapter vehemently wanting to remain an all-Jewish group. That can obviously cause tension between the national and the local chapter, but I've never heard of it coming to a point of dechartering or anything like that.

[Psi U MC Vito]

IIRC quite a few locals were founded or chapters switched allegiance to different GLO's for that reason.

[PANTHERTEKE]

Originally Posted by breathesgelatin

I do not know if they actually did shut down chapters for this reason but I assume that there is at least one or two cases, perhaps quite a few, where this did happen.

It did, I remember reading an article about the case that happened in the 1960s. It happened up North or Midwest (can't remember where) but it was a chapter that lost its charter for bidding an African-American girl.

[Elephant Walk]

Originally Posted by breathesgelatin

On the other hand, I have heard of some complex situations with Jewish NPCs where they are allowed to accept non-Jewish members (I believe all the traditionally Jewish NPCs accept non-Jews into membership) and being encouraged to accept non-Jews by their nationals for various reasons, and the chapter vehemently wanting to remain an all-Jewish group. That can obviously cause tension between the national and the local chapter, but I've never heard of it coming to a point of dechartering or anything like that.

This is more of the case I think the OP was talking about, although I would guess it's more specifically Asian/Hispanic, rather than Jewish (although I guess it could be still).

[breathesgelatin]

Originally Posted by Psi U MC Vito

IIRC quite a few locals were founded or chapters switched allegiance to different GLO's for that reason.

Ah yeah, that's completely correct, I remember hearing that myself.

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by Achilles87

For the fraternities that clearly identify themselves as being for a particular race or religion, could the National Office legally shut down a chapter for having too many members who do not identify with the given race/religion?

What if the national constitution does not include anything regarding a Chapter being required to have a certain racial/religious breakdown in order to maintain its charter?

I really and truly believe that this is the flaw in the question.... I believe that even if the fraternity is "for" a particular culture or religion, I don't think any have discrimination clauses.

That said, I think that a chapter could be shut down not for having the "wrong" color or religion, but if that factor contributed to the chapter straying too far from the ideals of the fraternity.

If there was a mostly non-Black chapter of APhiA, I think our people would be fine with it. If they stopped having voter registration drives and refused to teach the history of the organization (which in itself is black history), then there would be a problem.

[breathesgelatin]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

I really and truly believe that this is the flaw in the question.... I believe that even if the fraternity is "for" a particular culture or religion, I don't think any have discrimination clauses.

That said, I think that a chapter could be shut down not for having the "wrong" color or religion, but if that factor contributed to the chapter straying too far from the ideals of the fraternity.

Agreed. I remember this specifically in discussing someone of the NIC fraternities that still explicitly identify themselves as Christian or as being for only those who believe in a higher power. It was never clear to me if these kinds of broad group identifications actually authorized chapters to reject atheists on the basis of being atheists. Even so, if that were a problem, it's something I would think the group would deal with on an individual basis with that member or chapter rather than just up and dechartering the chapter. Now, if the chapter were distributing atheistic literature or holding black sabbaths or something (lol), maybe then it would be a case for dechartering.

[AKA_Monet]

General question overall: Why would someone WANT (meaning truly desire) to be a part of group that has historically had institutionalized racism and bigotry as a part of its chapters... I'd be scared to attend a picnic and BBQ... What kind of "games" would they play?

At least with an NPHC org, someone will be playing dominoes or Bid Whist or spades and there might be an egg toss or potato sack race. But nothing involving hurting other people simply because they are of a different creed, race, ethnic group, whatever... I mean, I truly dislike egg tosses because I always get the crashed egg... LOL...

[Psi U MC Vito]

Not anymore, but it used to be where nationals used to be racist, but the individual chapters weren't. People would want to join that organization for the people there, not the nationals. I know we have gotten at least one chapter because of racist nationals in another org.

[PANTHERTEKE]

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

General question overall: Why would someone WANT (meaning truly desire) to be a part of group that has historically had institutionalized racism and bigotry as a part of its chapters... I'd be scared to attend a picnic and BBQ... What kind of "games" would they play?

At least with an NPHC org, someone will be playing dominoes or Bid Whist or spades and there might be an egg toss or potato sack race. But nothing involving hurting other people simply because they are of a different creed, race, ethnic group, whatever... I mean, I truly dislike egg tosses because I always get the crashed egg... LOL...

Wait... what?

I don't understand. Am I missing something?

Or do you think NIC fraternities go around beating up people because they're Black/Muslim/Jewish/Atheist/etc?

[DaffyKD]

Originally Posted by PANTHERTEKE

It did, I remember reading an article about the case that happened in the 1960s. It happened up North or Midwest (can't remember where) but it was a chapter that lost its charter for bidding an African-American girl.

The important part of your statement is 1960's. The anti-discriminatory acts came into effect in the 70's or so.

DaffyKD

[AKA_Monet]

Originally Posted by PANTHERTEKE

Wait... what?

I don't understand. Am I missing something?

Or do you think NIC fraternities go around beating up people because they're Black/Muslim/Jewish/Atheist/etc?

Hey, if the shoe fits... It's happened in the past, what makes you think it won't happen again? Don't be like the kids at Jena 6 having to deal with the nooses...

It may NOT be the entire organization, but "rogue chapters or members" who allow this craziness to continue.

The same can be said about the NPHC underground pledging. What else can be done? A whole slew of people being expelled from the organization because they cannot follow the National HQ agreed upon rules?

What is it that our International organization's espouse? Then why would we want to select members who seem to have a psychosis?

[PANTHERTEKE]

Originally Posted by DaffyKD

The important part of your statement is 1960's. The anti-discriminatory acts came into effect in the 70's or so.

DaffyKD

Not really.

By the early 1960s most national fraternities and sororities had eliminated these clauses. Some as early as 1950.

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