*All questions may not be addressed due to possible time constraints
Thank you for agreeing to participate in this study, which explores the experiences of African American males in Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs). Your participation in this study is important because understanding how African American males experience their fraternity experiences helps to add to an overall understanding of how this population navigates through college. With that said, I am interested in your experiences in your fraternity and more
specifically how you feel membership has impacted (either positively or negatively) your time in college; I would also like to know how you feel these organizations in general have the potential to serve as positives or negatives for African American males. Your responses will be
confidential and your real name will not appear anywhere within the final write-up of the data I collect. This interview should last roughly 60 minutes however, it could finish earlier or later depending on your responses and possible time constraints.
Do you have any questions?
With your permission is it okay if we begin the interview? First Interview- High School Questions
- Could you tell me bout your high school experience? o What was the racial demographic of your school?
o What was your level of involvement in regards to extracurricular activities? o Did your school have a college prep curriculum?
o Was attending college heavily pushed by the administration? - Did you take advanced placement courses?
o Why or why not?
o How was your experience in those courses? - What factors played into your decision to attend college?
o Do you have a parent or guardian who attended college?
o Did your the individuals you hung around most in high school attend college? - Could you walk me through your college choice and selection process?
o What factors played into your final decision of where to attend school? o How would you rate the college search and admissions process?
o Was this institution your first choice? And why did you ultimately come to this institution?
First Interview- Initial College Experience
- Could you talk about your initial college transition experience? o Was it easy to adjust to college in terms of your social life? o What courses did you take and how was the workload?
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o How would you describe your interactions with other first year students? - Did you enter college having already declared your major?
o What factors let to you deciding this major?
- Did you get involved in extracurricular activities in your first semester/academic year? o What organizations were you involved in?
o How did you select what types of organizations in which you wanted to participate?
o How did you know to get involved?
- How would describe your social life during your first few semester or college? o Do you have a group of friends who you spend a majority of your time with? o How would you describe your core group of friends?
- Did you face any obstacles during your first year? o What helped you overcome these issue?
o Why do you think you had such a seamless transition?
- In your opinion, what most helped you navigate through your first two years of college? o Family, friends, mentor, administrators, professors?
Second Interview- Initial Fraternity Questions
- What were your first perceptions of Black Greek Life? o How did you first become aware of fraternities?
o Were you aware of these groups prior to entering college?
o Did you know members of the Greek community when you arrived to school? o Do you have any family members that are members of a Black Fraternity or
sorority?
- What attracted you to Black Greek Life?
o Did you have any perceived benefits of membership? o What attracted you to your fraternity?
o How would you describe the men in your before you entered? o Did you feel that you were similar to these men?
- Black Greek Letter Organizations have the tendency to be selective in their membership selection process, what qualities do you feel you had that made you desirable to your fraternity?
- Do you have any topics that you would like to discuss that I have not covered? Second Interview- Fraternity Experience Questions
- Think back to how you pictured Black Greek Life before you became a member, how did you feel about these groups as a collective whole immediately after you became a
member?
o Did what you picture match the actual experience?
- How would describe your level of involvement in your chapter and fraternity? o Do you or have you held an executive board position in your chapter? o Have you attended a district, regional, or national conference?
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o What types of time obligations do you give to the fraternity?
o Have your relationships with non-members of Black Fraternities and Sororities been different?
o Has your social life in the campus community changed?
- Can you think of an impactful experience you have had in your fraternity? o Conversation you had had with an older member?
o Instance where your membership either positively or negatively impacted you? - What lessons, if any, have you learned from your experience as a member of a Black
Greek Fraternity?
o Lessons that are beneficial to school or life in general? - What does brotherhood mean to you?
o What “practices” does the fraternity do that lends itself to brotherhood? - Do you have any relationships with older members of the fraternity?
o Would you identify anyone as a mentor? Could you talk about this relationship? - Is there anything that you wish that membership provided for you that you have not
received?
- What does being a member of a Black Greek Letter Fraternity and your fraternity specifically mean to you?