A Grounded Theory of the College Experiences of African American Males in Black Greek-Letter Organizations.

A GROUNDED THEORY OF THE COLLEGE EXPERIENCES OF AFRICAN AM ERICAN MALES IN BLACK GREEK-LETTER ORGANIZATIONS David Julius Ford, Jr. Old Dominion University, 2014 Director: Dr. Danica G. Hays Studies have shown that involvement in a student organization can improve the academic and psychosocial outcomes o f African American male students (Harper, 2006b; Robertson & Mason, 2008; W illiams & Justice, 2010). Further, Harper, Byars, and Jelke (2005) stated that African American fraternities and sororities (i.e., Black Greek-letter organizations [BGLOs]) are the primary venues by which African American students become involved on campus. This grounded theory study examined the relationship between membership in a BGLO and the overall college experiences o f African American male college students at a Predominantly W hite Institution (PW I). Eleven themes were identified in the study indicating that membership had a positive impact on the college experiences o f African American male college students at a PWI. The study also examined the perceptions o f counselors and other college student personnel regarding their role in improving the academic and psychosocial outcomes o f African American male college students. Participants indicated that their role is to provide academic and psychosocial support for these students; they offered strategies for PWIs to improve the persistence and success o f these students. Implications for counseling, higher education, and Black Greek life are provided. ACKNOW LEDGEM ENTS To My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ: W ithout You, I am nothing. With You, I can do all things. I give all honor, praise, and glory to You. I could not have accom plished this without You in my life. I pray that I will continue to grow stronger in You and be the Christian and Man o f God that You will have me be. To Dr. Danica G. Hays: You have truly been the best chair I could have wanted and needed. I appreciate your mentoring, your frankness with me, and keeping me grounded. You always showed me that you cared for my professional developm ent and had my best interests at heart. You are truly an expert with research and I aspire to continue in your footsteps in training doctoral students in research. To Dr. Kaprea F. Johnson: I really appreciate the candid conversations we have had and your mentoring, especially regarding my personal and professional development. I thank you for giving o f yourself and guiding me through this process. I look forward to working with you in the future on research projects. To Dr. Darryll W. Lewis: Ever since we meet in Budapest, Hungary, you have been the epitome o f what fraternal brotherhood is. I appreciate you for being here with me in this process. You have truly helped me to “Achieve in Every Field o f Human Endeavor. ” To my grandm other, the Late Leila Ford: I thank you for doing what you did not have to do— raise me from birth. Your sacrifice has made me the man that I am. We did not always see eye-to-eye, but you were always there for me. You are truly missed, but I know you are watching over me in Heaven. Save a place for me. To my mother and father, Mr. David Julius Ford, Sr., and Ms. Doris M arie Ford: I love you and I appreciate you for bringing me into this world. God took the best in the two o f you and created me. I will forever be indebted to you for birthing me. To my brother, Dedric Ford: You are the best brother 1 could ever have. You are also my best friend. I love you and appreciate you for accepting me for who 1 am. To Aunt Mary Ann, Aunt Lena, Neet, Robbin, and Aunt Cristine: You have been m other figures in my life and I am truly grateful for your investment in my life. You helped raise me, supported me in all that I have done, and above all, loved me like 1 was your son. I am who I am today because o f you. To Thurmond “The Duke” Roberts, George W. Ford, and Robert Smith: I appreciate you for showing me how to be a man and being father figures in my life. 1 thank you for all that you have imparted into my life and am truly grateful. To my musical mentors, the late Ms. Anita Powell-M cDowell, Ms. A. Louise Lassiter, and Dr. Marion C. “ Pete” Thomas: I appreciate you for showing me how to use my gift to praise God and helping to perfect my gift. Y our labor is not in vain and I pray that I can be the musician that you have trained me to be. To Janice Thompson, Essie M cDonald, Glenda Jackson, Avis Sewell, Catherine Smith, and Donna Golden: I appreciate you for treating me like a son and continuing to look out for me. You always fed me w ell! To cousins Julia and Eileen Varner: I appreciate you for looking out for me when I moved to Norfolk. We surely had some good times and I look forward to many more. To M atthew Bonner, Christopher Jefferson, Kevin Snow, and Larry Abron: You have shown me what true friendship is all about. You have always been there for me and I appreciate your place in my life. To Katey, Hsin-Ya, Kurt, Dan, Crystal, M iranda, and Jen: We were small, but we were mighty. I am blessed to be a part o f the best cohort to grace the walls o f the ODU Counseling Department. To Drs. Nina Brown, Suzan Thompson, Ted Remley, Garrett M cAuiiffe, Ed Neukrug, and Tim Grothaus: I appreciate all that you have imparted to me while being a doctoral student. I truly hope that I can continue in your footsteps in training counselors and counselor educators. To the W ake Forest Department o f Counseling: I appreciate you for giving me the tools to be an effective counselor and preparing me for doctoral work in Counselor Education. You have truly mentored me and continue to support me. To Drs. Johnny Young, Alonzo Flowers, and Leon M cClinton: I appreciate you three for showing me that Black men are achieving and treating me as a colleague. I look forward to working with you all in the near future. To Drs. Barbee M yers-Oakes, Judith Brooks-Buck, Frances Gray, and M arsha Jean M cLean: Your mentorship throughout this process is invaluable and you have been instrumental in my success. I really appreciate all that you have invested in me as a student. To the W inston-Salem and Ham pton/Newport News Chapters of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.: I appreciate you for bringing me into The Bond o f Fraternity and training me for leadership. Because o f you, I can be the best Kappa Man that I can be. To the late Dr. Joy J. Johnson, Rev. L. Bruce Ford, Rev. Bernard Adams, Dr. Paul F. Perkins, and Dr. Keith I. Jones: I appreciate you for being my spiritual fathers. You have taught me a lot about God, my faith, and being a man o f God. To my church families at First Baptist Fairmont, Beulah Baptist, Salem Baptist, St. James UM C, and Shiloh Baptist: You have truly treated me like family and nurtured me on my Christian walk. I thank God for placing me in your m inistry and you will always be a part o f me. You always kept me fed spiritually and physically! To Leah Ford and Latrice Gonzalez: You have been like sisters to me. I love you and appreciate you. You both get me, which is truly an amazing feat! To Sam uel, M onique, Patrick, Victoria, Lance, and M ayia: You are my brothers and sisters and 1 love you dearly. To Zavery M cDougald, Robert Canida, Jeremy Buie, Louis Lrquhart, and Deron Simmons: You are fraternity brothers in the truest sense. Our Bond is forever. To Tiffany Jones, Tam m y Kitson, and Tasha Rogers: Through the thick and the thin, you have always been there for me. We have been friends for a long time and I really appreciate our friendship. To Tyrone Bazemore and Tim Taylor: I appreciate you both for being more than roommates, but good friends who keep me grounded and give me moral support. To Joel Film ore, David Oh, and Hosea Crowell: You three have been like brothers to me and I look forward to the work we will be doing to support the LGBTQQIA community.