Vault: Racial Divide between Greek organizations.

I spent the first semester of my junior year reporting on Greek life at CMU. One thing I noticed was that when events were publicized as all Greek events, they generally were divided: Panhellenic and Inter-Fraternity Councils were seen as one and National Pan-Hellenic Council was seen as its own separate entity. I wondered if the councils were aware of what was going on and I was granted permission to write the story for CM Life. What started as one turned into two, the second story involves non-traditional members of these fraternities and sororities (Black women pledging traditionally White sororities and White men pledging traditionally Black fraternities). Due to reasons beyond my control, the story never got a chance to run, but I wanted to post it because it was one month of my life, for something I really became interested in.

Central Michigan University's Greek system may be looked at as one community by the general public but there are visible differences between some organizations.

The Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, and the National Pan-Hellenic Council are three councils under the Greek umbrella,  according to Kappa Alpha Psi member Julius Bryant there is a separation between the councils.
 "There is a divide and it is visible," the Lansing senior said. "We do two completely different things and serve two different purposes."

The National Pan-Hellenic Council is made up of nine historically African-American fraternities and sororities.
The Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council are traditionally White organizations.
According to NPHC president and Alpha Phi Alpha member, Shell Brummell, the reason there is a divide is because people are scared to step out of their comfort zones.
"The biggest reason for the divide is race," Brummell said. "It's not racism, it all has to do with comfort levels."
Delta Chi vice president Devin Jones said that it is hard for members of his organization to break out of their shell, and not just with other Greeks.
Jones said that it is difficult to suddenly change things after doing them a certain way for so long.
"I know with IFC, specifically Delta Chi, it's really hard for us to break out of our shell and get out of our comfort zone,"Jones said. "You get in a routine of doing the same things, at the same time, with the same people and it's really hard to break out of a shell like that."
The divide is not just a problem in the Greek community, according to Brummell the issue with the Greeks reflects CMU's campus as well.
"The councils are almost parallel to what's going on on campus with race," Brummell said. "It's a bigger issue than just Greeks, it's cultural issues here as a whole."
Sigma Kappa president Jenny Lopez said she did not know anything about NPHC organizations when she began her search for sisterhood.
Lopez said that while she saw NPHC organizations represented in movies like Stomp the Yard, she did not know they were real organizations.



"I didn't know anything about them and I never really heard about them besides seeing them in movies and that kind of stuff," Lopez said. "I didn't know that it was something real because of all the stereotypes surronding movies anyway."
IFC and PC organizations generally co-sponsor events together rather than looking to outside organizations.
Delta Chi co-sponsored an event with His House Christian Fellowship in October and it was the first event since Jones has been a member that Delta Chi has not sponsored with a sorority.
Jones said it would be beneficial and a great way to support Greek unity if IFC and NPHC organizations could sponsor events together. "Whenever we think about doing a fundraiser or doing another kind of event or anything we tend to think we have to do it with a [Pan-Hellenic] sorority," Jones said. "I think it would be mutually beneficial to both sides to co-sponsor an event or something to bring awareness to both sides."
While Lopez agrees that it is a great idea, she said that some of the rules and regulations of NPHC organizations may cause problems when trying to organize events together.
"IFC and PC are social fraternities and sororities and they're multicultural so the rules are different so there may be some things that might not work out together," said Lopez.
While some may think a Greek organization can not be both social and multicultural, according to Bryant this is incorrect.
Last week, was "Kappa Week" and Kappa Alpha Psi held many social events including their annual "Akt Like a Nupe" contest, where groups of women imitated the stroll and signature "shimmy" of the fraternity.
"Little people know this, but Kappa Alpha Psi is actually conisidered a social fraternity by the books," Bryant said. "Though we do much more service than we do social, we are considered a social fraternity."
Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternities are trying to organize an event together for the Spring semester.
While Brummell is planning this with SAE, he said it is difficult to plan events with some organizations because of unfamiliarity.
"It would be hard for some of the organizations to do programs with other organizations we know nothing about," Brummell said. "We've tried before and we have done it before, but it's just easier to go with what you know."
Vanessa Treece is the NPHC liason for Pan-Hel and said neither NPHC, PC or IFC knows how to approach the other.
"As great as it would be to do more things together, no one knows how to approach the others to get the ball rolling," Treece said. "Until we do, things are going to remain the same."
Besides the blatant physical differences, behaviors and practices of the organizations make some eager to learn about the other.

Lopez said seeing the NPHC organizations stroll at this year's MAINstage in August sparked more interest in the organizations from members of her sorority. 

"My girls would love to learn more about NPHCs but the problem is we're very ignorant about it," Lopez said. "We're not knowledgeable when it comes to NPHC at all, it'd definitely be something we'd like to learn more about."

Jones said that there isn't any problems or rivalries between NPHC, PC, and IFC, but he doesn't know what it would take to make things better between the organizations.

"I don't know exactly what it would take to get the two to understand each other," Jones said. "There definitely isn't any hostility or any rivalry, just a lack of knowledge from each side."

While Jones may not know how to start, Bryant said the only way to break the barrier is simple, the groups need to communicate with each other more.

"I feel like we need to communicate more and make an attempt to collaborate instead of just talking about it," Bryant said.

*photo logo via cmugreeks.com