Humphrey Iyoha-Edomwande Black Greek-Letter Fraternity interest started in 1972 at Jackson State University. When asked why he got involved in Greek life he responded by saying that he felt that men in Greek-Life held a sophisticated demeanor to themselves and he loved the leadership and community service of the organizations, which drew him to Greek-Life. Humphrey look into into various organizations on campus at the fairs but one stood out to him the most, which was Phi Beta Sigma. Why did Humphrey choose this specific organization? Humphrey was intrigued by this organization because their beliefs and morals coincided with his. There were a few aspects about their organization that stood out to him, which was fellowship, leadership, showmanship, …show more content…
and community services. He felt that Phi Beta Sigma best exemplify those characteristics, which is why he decided to join their fraternity. However, his process didn't start at Jackson State. He started his pledge process as a sophomore but due to the heavy demand of the organization his academic started to suffer. Therefore, he withdrew himself four weeks in from the process. How did Humphrey become a member if he withdrew himself?
After he attended graduate school at Colorado he moved to Houston Texas and join the TSU, Texas Southern University Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. Though he was not a student there, he reached out to the Dean of Greek-Life and explained what happened to him at Jackson State. He filled out an application and went through the interview process and they accepted his application. Thus, he became a member of Phi Beta Sigma Graduate Chapter in Fall 1979. When asked about his pledging process Humphrey stated that Graduate pledging and less intense than undergraduate because there's less hazing and strenuous activities. How did joining affect his life? Well, it gave him a better insight on things in life like community service, networking skills and leadership character. His chapter kept him grounded, helped him grow as a man by allowing him to see what is important in his life, it made him figure out himself as an individual and evaluate his character. It also gave him a responsibility and taught him how to own up to your responsibility. I asked my father what did he bring to the table that was different from everyone else and he stated that his academic excellence by graduating Cumlalate, his communication skills, and lastly his culture heritage by him being …show more content…
African. He believed that all these skills he could use to benefit the organization. Though his process was during the Civil Right Movemen he stated that it was still tension going on in society because of the effect of the Civil Rights Movement but he did not participate in any March or protest neither did any of his members. They talk about it but didn't actively participate or make speeches on the subject. The last question asked was what aspect of the fraternity did you enjoy the most and he stated that "stepping and community service was the best aspects. Because stepping created excited and created uniformity of a group. Also, community service gave him gratification and gave him a variety of perspectives of different people and groups. After the interview with my father.
I realized that he had some of the same concerns I have about pledging, the demand of the organization. He had to stop his process in undergraduate because he couldn't balance his academics with his pledging process. That's something that I wounded about now. I'm hoping that I can maintain my GPA while going through the process because I would not want to withdraw myself. From hearing about my father's experience I've learned that a sorority or a fraternity can help better you as an individual and push you to become yourself. My father's chapter challenge his in ways which made him have to evaluate himself as a person. I like that aspect of his chapter because everyone needs to find out who they are and to have a support system push you to better yourself is a great thing to have. Having a bond with an organization is something I look forward too. I want to choose an organization that concise with morals and beliefs just like my father did. My father interview got me to see that Greek-Life is more than just partying and stepping. It has other aspects such as networking, community service, brother/sisterhood, academics, and life learn lessons. My view on Greek-Life has changed from taking this class and hearing about my fathers process. I use to have a negative connotation about Greek-Life because I believe that all they did was step and party. Now finding out more information about these organizations I'm starting to see that the
Greek-Life is actually making a positive effect on society and I would live to be a part of that effect. Overall, I hope when my time comes to cross, I will be able to balance the demand of academics and school. Also, I hope the organization I choose sees that I bring something great and new to the table and give me a chance to show them that I can help their program exceed.
At a young age I knew as an African American woman through activism, educational autonomy, and community service, I can thrive through the wake of extreme poverty and turmoil faced by the people of my neighborhood of East New York. My interest in Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., would be based solely on their ethical standards, history, and values they are founded upon. The ladies of this organization exude exemplary character who excel in sisterhood, respect, honesty, accountability, and integrity. Throughout my life I always encouraged myself to have these ideal characteristics without knowing that one day I would be pursuing membership in a prestigious organization, whom upheld the key principles “greater service, greater progress. The first
Once I am a fully initiated member of the Fraternity I will attend chapter weekly. The entire pledge class bonds and learns about the Fraternity, ideals, and history together. Chi Omega also plans activities that helps us bond together as sisters, such a flag football against the other sororities, or even something as simple as ice cream out together. These activities bring us together as a discourse community very frequently. This year we had the largest pledge class in the history of the Sigma Zeta chapter at 24 girls. Every year there are two recruitment periods, one in the fall and the other in the spring. It is during these periods that the fraternity replenishes the members that went alumna with new
I watched the movie Animal House; it gave me an interesting perspective on academic life in the 1960’s. The movie follows two friends Lawrence "Larry" Kroger and Kent Dorfman, as they try to gain acceptance from a fraternity at Faber College in 1962. The movie starts off with Larry and Kent going to a social event at one of the better fraternities on campus the Omegas. The Omegas are the snooty, uptight, rich fraternity. Larry and Kent are not like them and find themselves uncomfortable but try their best to fit in. They are made fun of and they leave disappointed without a bid. They head over the Delta Tau Chi House where Kent’s brother used to be a member making Kent a legacy. There they meet John "Bluto" Blutarsky, who seems to be a little crazy. Delta Tau Chi offers the boys a bid because they need the due money. We next are introduced to the main protagonist Dean Vernon Wormer. The dean dislikes the Delta’s and there party attitude. The Delta house is already on probation so the dean puts them on double secret probation. He enlists the president of t...
...old student at Georgia Tech, is a promising one. Against the odds, he has faced the segregation issue head on, and joined a traditionally white fraternity known as Pi Kappa Phi, as the only African American. Even more uplifting is the fact that he is the president of the fraternity as well.
So what allows a campus fraternity to fall under the category of a social institution? Social institutions are commonly conceived as the necessary focuses of a social organization, which is common to most of society and usually deals with the problems and procedures of structured social life. General characteristics of a social institution involve regulated patterns of behavior that are specific, continuous, and organized. The patterns become the regulated norm, and are carried on from generation to generation, allowing the social institution to continue on through the years. Fraternities were first developed back in the late seventeen hundreds and continued to expand over the past couple of hundred years. Today there are about sixty different fraternities all over the United States, represented by different letters of the Greek Alphabet, with several chapters and various schools. Fraternities is a ‘member only’ social institution that is just for guys, (women have similar institution called sororities). Every fraternity has a board of members that they personally e...
Every year students at an accredited university have a decision to join groups/activities. In many cases a lot of students choose to join either a fraternity or a
Therefore, I was exposed to many different things surrounding this wonderful fraternity. However, I still never knew what it was I just always admired the bond that my father shared with the guys he called his fraternity brother. It was not until my older cousin that I looked up to cross into the Kappa brotherhood when I really started to understand somewhat. When I got to college, is when I started to take an interest in joining a fraternity. That's pretty much all everyone talked about was joining a fraternity or sorority. Many of my friends took an interest and some of the other fraternity. Mainly because how active they were around campus and how live their parties were. But for me it's was much more than that. I had the privilege of growing up around Kappa’s by attending many events with my father such as tailgates, Kappa Balls, as well as many different types of meetings. So I had the honor of seeing more than what my friends saw. And what I saw was a friendship unlike any other, built out of loyalty, respect and love. And true enough, there are many other fraternity with similar characteristic. However, to me it nothing like Kappa. Just seeing my father love for Kappa is overwhelming it’s nothing he won't do for his brothers. When we are out eating and he see younger brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. He pays for their meals and although that may not seem like a lot to some people. I’m like wow he doesn’t even know them but that is was just
Additionally, analyzing the overall structure of the Greek System will allow me to understand why students feel inclined to become a member of these organizations, while others don’t. In order to comprehend this student subculture, however, it is imperative to define what the Greek System really is and what core values they are based on. The Greek System, composed of different fraternity and sorority communities, are organizations that focus on academic, social, and professional support.... ... middle of paper ... ...
I have gained access to this community through pledgeship in Sigma Chi, one the most prestigious fraternities in the nation, with the hopes of becoming a brother. Even though I have access to this community I know very little because I am so new. Through my research, I have learned and discovered the intricacies and deeper understandings of not just Sigma
The purpose of this letter is to inform you about my interest in becoming a member of The Kappa Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. I sought out membership because the members exemplify the epitome of class, grace, and standards. My desire is to inspire young girls and women and make a significant impact on their lives is just one of many reasons I aspire to join your great sorority. I believe in being of service, giving back to the community, and I want to continue on for years to come. Going into the transition into my college career from my freshman year until now, I have encountered many women in the organization that are very active on campus as well as in the community. My past experiences with my past and previous organizations have proved that once my feet are planted my roots will grow and I will stand firm in an organization or committee that I am apart of exemplifying my leadership skills. I am a dedicated member of the National Council of Negro Women. I am on the Bethune Committee, we focus on creating Health programs for the organization and the community. I am a Mentor with the Valdosta community organization G.O.L.F.E.R. (Generating Opportunities in Life for Each
There are many advantages of joining an NAU organization as I have learned through Sigma Nu. There are many complicated issues and opportunities presented to people everyday. Some are more severe than others, but they all come down to a sense of commitment and desire. Just recently, I had the honor of dealing with headaches and alternating views as I was introduced to Greek Fraternal Life. I had looked into Fraternities in the past, but never pursued any group due to uncertainty. Because I was ignorant about the Greek system prior to attending N.A.U., my curiosity, first semester, allowed me to get a better understanding of it. With more knowledge and comprehension I decided to further look into becoming a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity.
The purpose of hazing for Black fraternities aligns with the reasons every other Greek organization claims to haze: to stress the importance of membership in the organization and to help the new members form a new self-perception because their old lives are considered to be “flawed” (Jones 2000). “In 1990, the nine members of the NPHC suggested a ban on pledging (in addition to hazing) largely due to hazing deaths associated with Black fraternities” (Parks 2015). However, the suggestion from NPHC was not effective because hazing over the years has seemed to have continued to progress along with the physical harm associated with it. As mentioned above, there were hazing deaths associated with Black fraternities, way more than associated with any other type of Greek organization. At North Carolina Central University, a member of Omega Psi Phi, Nathan Swinson, died after “being forced to run several miles and complete a battery of grueling exercises” (Parks and Spencer 2013). Swinson is only one of many men who have died due to the injuries of hazing but that does not seem to stop the organizations from participating in the hazing
War in Ancient Greece was a major factor of the daily life of kings, royalty and even citizens, especially in Sparta. Sparta, being a city-state of warfare even down to the way children were raised, were a major factor in deciding the everyday life in many people beyond their own citizens. All other city states in Greece at the time were prepared for war if they weren’t in one already. Due to this, war proved to be nearly a constant in the life of Ancient Greek citizens.
The Daily Life of Ancient Greeks Life in Greece in ancient times will remind you of your own life in many ways. There were school, family, athletic competitions, and social gatherings. Knowing that participants in their sporting events competed nude or that you rarely knew your husband/wife until the wedding day does however, make you grateful for the society that you live in today. Babies Life for the Greeks in Athens began in their home. Babies were delivered by the women of the family, and only in cases of serious complications was a mid-wife called.
Fraternities have been a part of American society since the late 1770’s. It is something that has continued to be a tradition in colleges and universities today. Sororities, as well as fraternities, are an integral part of the college experience. However, these organizations face stereotypes and negative associations all the time in movies and popular culture. Some of these stereotypes are due to past traditions of hazing. Despite these traditions, Greek Life has established itself to be a beneficial experience for its members and the communities that they are located in.