Process differs from Panhellenic, IFC organizations
You won’t see new members of the traditionally African-American National Pan-Hellenic Council sororities and fraternities on USC’s campus screaming and sprinting down the Horseshoe on Bid Day.
Instead of a formal recruitment process, NPHC organizations have what’s called an intake process, and according to Briana Quarles, Sorority Council’s vice president of NPHC, “it’s really different.”
“It’s not really like a recruitment process,” Quarles said. “It’s more like you show yourself and how you can become a positive attribute to the organization, rather than we actively look for you.”
There are eight NPHC organizations at USC: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.; Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.; Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.; Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.; Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.; Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.; and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc.
The most important thing students interested in joining an NPHC fraternity or sorority can do is research the organizations and find out more about them, said Jaquan Levine, Fraternity Council’s vice president of NPHC.
“Don’t just do research on the sorority or fraternity of your choice,” Levine said. “Research them all, so you can understand what everyone has to offer and what everyone has in common, as well as their differences, because at the end of the day, we’re all the same, but we’re all different.”
Quarles stressed the importance of being open to all the organizations, not just the handful students may already be interested in.
“Get to know the people within the organization,” Quarles said. “I actually came in thinking I wanted to be a part of one, but then meeting the Zetas, I felt like that’s where I belonged. You can always come in thinking that you want to be in so-and-so, but being in a different atmosphere may change your mind. Do your research and meet the people; see if it matches up.”
The biggest difference between NPHC’s intake process and the recruitment processes for National Panhellenic Conference sororities and the Inter-Fraternity Council is the process, Quarles said.
All three are formalized processes, but for NPHC organizations, it’s generally up to the chapter to decide the details of intake.
There are also the “traditional aspects, like stepping and strolling,” Quarles said.
NPHC, NPC and IFC organizations do have a few things in common, though, Quarles said.
“The main things that we were all founded on are service, scholarship and sister- and brotherhood,” Quarles said. “We’re about serving our community. We want to better our community and our people. … You have to be responsible in so many aspects, and I don’t think a lot of people realize that.”
The history and traditions of NPHC organizations also play a big part in the intake process, Quarles said.
“They were founded back when there was a lot of segregation and in times when we needed to be there for each other, and that’s kind of what our process is,” Quarles said. “You’re with these people a lot, so you get to know each other, so you have that bond, and it’s really hard to break that bond.”
NPHC intake is also generally made up of a smaller group of potential new members, Quarles said, though she said it depends on the chapter’s size.
The informational process for intake began Tuesday with an orientation meeting in the law school auditorium. Multicultural Greek Board also hosted and participated in the intake orientation session. There are four MGB organizations at USC: Sigma Beta Rho Fraternity, Inc., Zeta Sigma Chi Multicultural Sorority, Inc., Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha Incorporada.
For interested students who missed the orientation session, there are still opportunities to get started, Levine said.
He recommended that students attend other chapter-specific informational meetings and do research on their own. They can also talk to members of NPHC organizations to get more information, he said.