WAKE UP everybody, it's probate season, and if you don't know what I'm talking, scroll down your Instagram timeline around seven or eight at night. You'll see people you would never even think of wearing their Greek letters.
If you're not familiar with Black Greek life, I'll give you a little insight. There is a National Panhellenic Organization also known as NPHC that holds nine historically founded Black Greek organizations also known as the Divine nine. These organizations are popular on almost every campus. There are five Black fraternities: Alpha Phi Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, Kappa Alpha Psi, Phi Beta Sigma, and Iota Phi Theta. Then there are four historically Black sororities: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Zeta Phi Beta, and Sigma Gamma Rho.
I am a journalist major and this semester my beat (topic) is Greek life. At my school we don't have an NPHC organization on campus, but we have city wide Black Greek life so people from my school are still able to become members if chosen. As I work on this beat I try to cover all races of Greek life and I started to realize the differences between a Black Greek member and a GDI (God damn individual).
Everybody has their own reasons for becoming Greek, but once one person crosses over and becomes Greek at their probate, they get a certain clout that others don't get. A probate is a new member presentation, so every time a Black fraternity or sorority has a new line of members they have a probate. Now I'm not saying that those letters make you cool, because I always hear if you were a lame before, your still a lame after. But now people know your name, you are no longer "Joe Blow" your are now "Joe Blow the Alpha" or "Joe Blow the Sigma."
GDI's seem to have less responsibility, they have more free time and if their grades slip it may not be the end of the world. Also if GDI's want to act out, their consequences are not as harsh. If a Greek member acts out in their letters, their consequences may be worse because it not only looks bad on you but on your chapter as a whole.. All these thoughts are just things I observe, I am not Greek, but I have friends who are Greek and friends who are GDI's and just see some common differences.
