Inquiry about new Latina-based local sororities

[Researcher]

Xidelt, the first chapter of my book is a broad historical overview, in the context of U.S. (post-colonial) race relations, of the development of Latina-based (or Latina-oriented) Greek-letter organizations (LaGLO). Over the years, I have researched/analyzed the national homepages of the sororities on the list I provided in a previous posting. Some of these were local sororities when I first found their websites. In the chapters that follow, I am examining the sororities from a communication perspective. I am a critical scholar, however, that does not mean I am negative. I highlight the communicative practices of LaGLO utilizing homepages, interviews, Youtube videos, discussion boards, and surveys that may both assist and/or hinder academic, social, and career success.

[knight_shadow]

I'm just curious what made you choose only sororities as opposed to all LGLOs?

[Researcher]

knight_shadow, there is so much data that I would never finish a book if I tried to do all. However, my book does also include some history about Latino-based (or Latino-oriented) Greek-letter fraternity (LGLF) development, a must when considering the close link between the founding of some Latina-based (or Latina-oriented) Greek-letter LGLS and LGLF. After finishing this book, I want to move to exploring other Greek-letter organizations, possibly LGLF. I am willing to co-author future work with any graduate student, as long as s/he understands what it means to write from a communication perspective.

[preciousjeni]

Are you making an effort to create new terminology? Generally, Latina/o Greek orgs are abbreviated to "LGLO." I believe this is the first time I've ever heard of an "LaGLO," an "LGLF" or an "LGLS."

Your audience, if any, is most likely going to be Greeks interested in history. If you intend to cater to them, perhaps you should use their language.

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by Researcher

knight_shadow, there is so much data that I would never finish a book if I tried to do all. However, my book does also include some history about Latino-based (or Latino-oriented) Greek-letter fraternity (LGLF) development, a must when considering the close link between the founding of some Latina-based (or Latina-oriented) Greek-letter LGLS and LGLF. After finishing this book, I want to move to exploring other Greek-letter organizations, possibly LGLF. I am willing to co-author future work with any graduate student, as long as s/he understands what it means to write from a communication perspective.

I figured as much. I know it would be a tedious task to try to cover them all. It would be interesting, though, to hear something about the fraternity side, as Lambda Theta Phi is the only LGLO that I know of that has a published history.

ETA: Ditto what PJ said. This is the first time I've seen the acronyms "LaGLS" and "LGLF." LGLOs or Latino/a fraternities/sororities works just fine.

[Senusret I]

One or both of Greg Parks' books uses BGLS and BGLF when appropriate, so it's not really a new term.

[LatinaAlumna]

Researcher, which university are you affiliated with?

[preciousjeni]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

One or both of Greg Parks' books uses BGLS and BGLF when appropriate, so it's not really a new term.

Perhaps, but BGLO is certainly predominant. The author is certainly going to explain what the acronyms are, but it seems silly to me for authors to rely on acronyms unnecessarily. Especially when, as I mentioned, the base readership of these books will be members of the Greek system.

ETA: Have you ever seen "BlGLO"??

[Researcher]

Preciousjeni,

My hope is that this book will also be utilized by communication studies, ethnic studies, sociology, anthropology, and women studies professors. Please know this is a work in progress, thus nothing unchangeable. The dissertation study I can do nothing about since it was published in 2006. The book will be different from the dissertation study in that I am working to make it as accurate as I can. I was relatively "green" when writing the dissertation, so I'm looking forward to getting this book done now that I have a bit more experience writing.

As to the use of acronyms, I use LaGLO (singular) or LaGLOs (plural) when referring to Latina-based (female) Greek-letter organizations and LoGLO or LoGLOs when refering to Latino-based (male) Greek-letter organizations when wanting to use the term organizations instead of sororities or fraternities. However, if it is very objectionable to all of you then I could easily change this practice to read: Latina GLO or Latino GLO.

Some might argue it best to use LGLO all the time, but to do so can be confusing when referring specifically to females or males. It seems to me that LGLO would be used when generalizing about all Latino/a GLOs, as is done when talking about the Latino community for instance.

I don't recall using "LaGLS." If I did, I did so in error. The use of LGLS doesn't need the "La" because the "S" stands for sorority or sororities whereas the "F" would stand for fraternity or fraternities, depending on the context in which the acronyms are used. It would be very tedious and would take up type space (which one needs to think of when writing a book) to write out, and possibly to read, Latina-based Greek-letter sorority, Latina sorority, Latino fraternity, or whatever over and over again. As "Senusret I" noted, BLGS and BLGF are used by Parks, which is were I got the idea to use LGLS and LGLF.

I am currently teaching at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. There are no LGLOs here, although there are some at other UW system universities.

[Researcher]

Dear AOEforme,

Thank you for your suggestion :-). I have sent letters to several national boards asking if I can conduct interviews with their sororities. I have received two affirmative responses and have already traveled out-of-state to conduct interviews. The most recent interviews were conducted a week ago. I will be conducting interviews with at least two more sororities in the next month.

Let me elaborate a little. In order to interview Latina/o GLO members I must have permission from their national boards. Additionally, in order to engage in interviews I have to also have clearance from the potential interviewee's university human subjects or IRB department. Additionally, the sororities that have participated in my study so far have asked that I not make their identities known, which I am honoring.

Researcher

[Fiyah98]

Yes... what aspect of them are you researching???
I see my organization listed, with an asterisk... What does that symbolize? How are you researching it? Questionnaires? Interviews? Participant Observation? Going to websites and pulling info like that? I'm a bit confused...

[Researcher]

Hello Fiyah98,

I'm sorry I had not responded sooner. I've been traveling throughout the northwest and southwest conducting interviews.

To answer you questions, yes, I am collecting data via face-to-face interviews and through questionnaires and surveys sent via e-mail to active Latina-based/oriented sororities and alumni. I have engaged in collecting oral or written questionnaire responses from about 100 active and alumni of LGLS. Not all national LGLS are engaging in interviews and when they do, only a chapter from this region or that region are interviewed. I will not say which sororities as I have promised to keep that secret.

Beginning in 1993 I began to engage in participation/observation and have been collecting homepage data since then, thus I have hundreds of pages from all the national LGLS I have been able to find since then. So far, I have researcher 32 national LGLS websites.

I am analyzing and reporting on all aspects of LGLS, including such things as the historical development of LGLS, cultural/organizational practices, verbal and nonverbal expression, and identity negotiation.

I and my co-author are asking all national LGLS to send us their shields/crests to print next to their organizational titles, if they so which them to be included. We are also requesting pictures of founding mothers, along with their names if they so desire to have them listed, and pictures of women engaging in strollling, stepping, saluting, and using handsigns; again names are optional.

The asterisk doesn't mean anything important; no need to worry yourself about that. If I can answer any more questions, please feel free to ask them. You can also e-mail me personally.

Researcher

[Little Dragon]

Whatever happened to this book? Was it ever published?

[Fiyah98]

Originally Posted by Little Dragon

Whatever happened to this book? Was it ever published?

I just came back to check the same thing... 3 years later... Any updates on the "research"