You knew I was BOUND to respond considering this blog topic is right up my alley. Vince and Taikein co-authored this blog entitled the NPHC is a Step Back, in which they suggested that the NPHC is pointless at predominately white institutions. As a member of an NPHC organization, which was chartered on our PWI campus in 1973, I believe otherwise. By no way am I bashing the authors of the blog, nor their opinions, however I firmly believe they are misinformed on the purpose and mission of these organizations and this council as a whole.
I want to address the points made in the original blog, however first I will explain what the National Pan-Hellenic Council, and my organization, is/does on college campuses and across the world (yes, world). The official mission of the National Pan-Hellenic Council is to “[promote] interaction through forums, meetings and other mediums for the exchange of information and engages in cooperative programming and initiatives through various activities and functions.” Specifically my organization strives to enhance sisterhood, scholarship, and service to the African-American community, and community as a whole.
Now that that is established, I want to address the fallacies of the blog. First and foremost ELITEISM is NOT the purpose of NPHC organizations. It never has been, never will be, and if you desire or have skated into an organization simply to feel elite, then you honestly don’t deserve to be a representation of our council. While at some campuses organizations may put on airs as “the elite” many people do not see the hard work (blood, sweat, and tears) that go into 1.Maintaining a positive presence on campuses, 2. Uplifting the community, and 3.Reaching excellence in every aspect of college life.
I also disagree with the point that the majority of the campus does not understand or recognize our organization or council. We are very much a part of the Greek community at the PWI, and we also serve a large part of the Black community. We work together, often behind the scenes, to promote race relations. Often Black students are able to use their NPHC organizations as a platform to enter into other “mainstream” organizations or opportunities (for example homecoming court or CUAB). It’s no surprise that we are small fish, swimming in a BIG pond at PWIs, and therefore we may not have the opportunity to be part of these campus-wide organizations had we not had the NPHC and BSM’s support. We are very much integrated, however if you are using integration with assimilation, I can see where you would think there is no place for us. Black Greek-letter Organizations (BGLOs) are very much about preserving Black culture. At an institution where it is easy to “get lost” in the crowd of White faces, it is important that we have a variety of Black organizations (BSM and all it’s subgroups, the NPHC and it’s 8 present organizations, etc.) that can serve as a “place to call home”. In light of this, I see the NPHC as more vital to PWIs than HBCUs.
It was mentioned that we bring traditions from HBCUs with us to PWIs but what traditions are you speaking of? As incorporated, national organizations, our bylaws have required us to “standardize” various aspects of our campus lives. So yes, many of the things we do are similar to the doings at HBCUs. Can you expand upon this tradition sharing that you have seen?
Vince’s argument mentions the competition with the HBCU down the street who we are aiming to impress. By no means are we aiming to impress these students of color. We are looking to make connections with them. That’s the beauty and strength of the NPHC. We can go anywhere in the WORLD and find our organization. We can find people who have been through the same rites of passage as us, and we can expect fellowship and hospitality from them. We become family when we pledge in an organization and all of the NPHC understands that it’s more than just a college-life thing. It’s a lifetime of service and excellence we are vowing to. @tcoop32, that is why we flaunt our license plates on the front, back, and sides of our cars. To a person who has pledged in an NPHC organization, we understand that as a defining part of who we are. We aren’t valuing “getting ahead” as individuals, we value COMMUNITY UPLIFT (the Black community from which we are products of), which is the foundation of our organizations.
