Black Greek-letter Organizations in the Twenty-First Century: Our Fight Has Just Begun

21 Advising Black Greek-Letter Organizations

437 21 advising black Greek-letter organizations a Student development approach Ralph Johnson, Darnell Bradley, LeKeisha Bryant, Darren M. Morton, and Don C. Sawyer III The saga of the American college fraternity and sorority is replete with triumph and tragedy. It is one that speaks of the exuberance of youth and their desire for meaningful relationships. Moreover, the saga speaks of the human need to care for others and the reciprocal need to feel cared about. This is expressed through the groups’ emphasis on brotherhood and sisterhood. Since its inception in 1776, members of the American collegiate Greek system have sought to live out the ideals embodied in their creeds and credos and have fostered a sense of camaraderie and esprit de corps. Greek membership “expresses a bond founded on intense interpersonal, transpersonal and metaphysical affection.”1 This has been their strength and is the reason that Greek-letter organizations have survived for generations. As American higher education changed and began to reflect the broader society, so did the Greek-letter organization movement. By the turn of the twentieth century, what had once been a relatively monolithic phenomenon evolved into a relatively diverse phenomenon when a college fraternity for men of African descent, Alpha Phi Alpha, was founded on December 4, 1906, at Cornell University in Ithaca, New york.2 The men who enrolled at Cornell in 1906 were ardent scholars who were determined to succeed, both individually and collectively. To assist with that goal, they created a society for their mutual benefit and ushered in the black Greek-letter organization (BGLO) movement.3 Like their counterparts in 1776, the founders of Alpha Phi Alpha were attracted to the idea of a fraternity because of the special bond it would create. Through this bond, they could foster a spirit of cooperation, collaboration, and genuine caring for their fraternity brothers, all of whom faced the vicissitudes of being men of color at a practically all-white institution at the beginning of the 438 Johnson, Bradley, Bryant, Morton, and Sawyer twentieth century. The founders of the other BGLOs at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) were like-minded, having faced similar circumstances at Indiana and Butler universities. All these students, as well as those who introduced the BGLO concept to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), were trailblazers and made significant contributions to higher education and American society in general. Although they were among the elite, they maintained a strong desire to reach back and bring along others from their communities. Gloria Dickinson comments on this sentiment: “The founders of the first eight BGLOs were scholarly activists slightly more than one generation removed from slavery. . . . The earliest of them entered college during the decade following the historic Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) Supreme Court decision that affirmed both the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ and the permanence of Jim Crow. So, like their elders, they became enmeshed in organizing ‘for the race.’”4 By the 1960s, the BGLO had become a major fixture on American college and university campuses. And although the initial expansion of some of the groups occurred at PWIs, the explosive growth took place at the country’s HBCUs . These two environments interfaced differently with the BGLOs, although in both cases, administrators wondered just how much institutional support, if any, the groups should be given. It is safe to say that both types of institutions have wrestled with the challenges and issues that come with hosting BGLOs, with the overarching question being how best to advise them. In this chapter, we discuss the most effective ways to advise BGLOs. We outline the similarities and differences of the BGLO system in PWIs versus HBCUs. Moreover, we discuss what has been done to advise and support these groups and what needs to be done to assist their members in their overall growth and development. Student affairs practitioners, student development specialists, and other higher education professionals, as well as the national and international leadership of the constituent groups of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), should find this information helpful. It is through the use of appropriate student development theory, coupled with the dedication and commitment of caring professionals, that the work of developing students who affiliate with BGLOs will be enhanced. Who are the students who join BGLOs? What types of experiences have contributed to their desire or need to affiliate with these groups? What challenges or developmental issues do they face, and what contributions do they bring to this unique campus culture? Perhaps...