A Grounded Theory of the College Experiences of African American Males in Black Greek-Letter Organizations
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Old Dominion University ODU Digital Commons Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations Counseling & Human Services Spring 2014 A Grounded Theory of the College Experiences of African American Males in Black Greek-Letter Organizations David Julius Ford Jr. Old Dominion University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/chs_etds Part of the African American Studies Commons, and the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Ford, David J.. "A Grounded Theory of the College Experiences of African American Males in Black Greek- Letter Organizations" (2014). Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Dissertation, Counseling & Human Services, Old Dominion University, DOI: 10.25777/kmk8-fb49 https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/chs_etds/41 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Counseling & Human Services at ODU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ODU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. i A GROUNDED THEORY OF THE COLLEGE EXPERIENCES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES IN BLACK GREEK-LETTER ORGANIZATIONS by David Julius Ford, Jr. B.A.. May 1998, Wake Forest University M.A., May 2011, Wake Forest University A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Old Dominion University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY COUNSELOR EDUCATION AND SUPERVISION OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY M ay 2014 Approved by: Danica G. Hays (Chair and Methodologist) Kaprea F. Johnson (Member) ABSTRACT A GROUNDED THEORY OF THE COLLEGE EXPERIENCES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN 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 of African American male students (Harper, 2006b; Robertson & Mason, 2008; Williams & 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 of African American male college students at a Predominantly White Institution (PWI). Eleven themes were identified in the study indicating that membership had a positive impact on the college experiences of African American male college students at a PWI. The study also examined the perceptions of counselors and other college student personnel regarding their role in improving the academic and psychosocial outcomes of 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 of these students. Implications for counseling, higher education, and Black Greek life are provided. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ:Without You, I am nothing. With You, I can do all things. I give all honor, praise, and glory to You. I could not have accomplished this without You in my life. I pray that I will continue to grow stronger in You and be the Christian and Man of 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 development 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 of 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 of 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 of Human Endeavor.” To my grandmother, 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 Marie Ford: I love you and I appreciate you for bringing me into this world. God took the best in the two of 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 mother 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 of 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-McDowell, Ms. A. Louise Lassiter, and Dr. Marion C. “Pete” Thomas: Iappreciate you for showing me how to use my gift to praise God and helping to perfect my gift. Your 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 McDonald, 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 well!!! 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 Matthew 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, Miranda, and Jen:We were small, but we were mighty. I am blessed to be a part of the best cohort to grace the walls of the ODU Counseling Department. To Drs. Nina Brown, Suzan Thompson, Ted Remley, Garrett McAuiiffe, 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 Wake Forest Department of 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 McClinton: 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 Myers-Oakes, Judith Brooks-Buck, Frances Gray, and Marsha Jean McLean: 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 Winston-Salem and Hampton/Newport News Chapters of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.: I appreciate you for bringing me into The Bond of Fraternity and training me for leadership. Because of 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 of God. To my church families at First Baptist Fairmont, Beulah Baptist, Salem Baptist, St. James UMC, 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 ministry and you will always be a part of 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 Samuel, Monique, Patrick, Victoria, Lance, and Mayia: You are my brothers and sisters and 1 love you dearly. To Zavery McDougald, Robert Canida, Jeremy Buie, Louis Lrquhart, and Deron Simmons: You are fraternity brothers in the truest sense. Our Bond is forever. To Tiffany Jones, Tammy 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 Filmore, 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.