Greek Life Interaction at NIU

As many may know, Greek life is a common interested shared among many students at Northern Illinois University. Greek life holds many benefits for students and allows individuals to get involved around their campus and college community. As a Greek participant myself i believe this to be true because my sorority opens new ways for me to get involved on campus, and opens my eyes to opportunities and new ways of bettering myself and my organization as a whole. Being in a sorority has allowed me to reach out to my community through community service participation and also through the participation in other Greek organization philanthropy events to help raise money and awareness for a various number of concerns. Greek life is a social structure that allows for diverse groups of people to come together and help to better our community and campus life. Social Interaction between organizations are strongly encouraged among Greeks because in order to be a Greek community we must interact with one another to spread word about dates, to set up events, and to collaborate ideas on ways to better our Greek organizations and Northern Illinois University as a whole. Greek life is an open door of opportunity for new college students to allow for social interactions between individuals which whom you share many common interests with, as well as, social interactions between diverse groups that allow for our NIU campus to inter mingle and reach out to others to make a difference. However, NIU Greek life is being altered and changed very drastically over the past couple of years. I personally believe that some of these changes are not for the better. Our Greek community is becoming very competitive for reasons that are due to the unreasonable rules set by SILD, It is unfair for some organizations that have to suffer at the expense of what others have wrongfully done. Being stripped of our traditions is causing some to point fingers at others in order to ensure blame on someone. This is causing rivalries between our small Greek family. I think that instead of stripping Northern Illinois University of its Greek traditions, we should instead impose rules in a fair way in order to ensure that no harm will be done in the future. I also believe that if an organizations decided to break the rules that they should solely have to face the consequences. Greek life and social interactions at NIU could be changed and strengthened for the better if those in charge would see that imposing harsh rules on sororities and fraternities is not the answer. Instead being understanding, fair, and willing to hear out our Greek Community will strengthen us all and allow us to come together instead of putting us up against each other. As each organization is required to follow the bylaws and rules given to us by the university we should not have to suffer unfair consequences such as the removal of Greek life traditions that have been passed down through generations. This is unfair to our community that is working towards the better of our  society and involvement at Northern. In order to ensure the growing numbers of Greek members and strong social interactions on our campus we must stand for the right of our organizations and collaborate as a whole in order to pursue movement in the right direction.

Ways to enforce better rules and steps towards restrengthening our Greek Community:

http://www.niu.edu/studentinvolvement/fraternity_sorority_life/policies/Chapter%20Success%20Plans.shtml

http://www.niu.edu/studentinvolvement/

What are you?

What are you?

Who we are and what people expect from us has already been determined before we are even born. With our parents, grandparents and even great grandparents being the reason for it. Culture is a big part of everyone’s way of being. We grow up surrounded in it and believe that its whats normal. Although culture doesn't completely define who we later grow to become it does play a significant role as we grow up and view the world. Different cultural views on things are the reason why certain stereotypes are made. For example Asian’s are good at math, this is because the Asian culture puts such importance on education that they study, becoming good at math. Stereotyping leads to categorizing which really puts people in shallow boxes of who is who. But what happens later when mixing and interacting with other cultures? What should happen when ones ideas of where they belong is blurred? Still identifying as what their parents and great grandparent were doesn't accurately define them, but changing their identification is far from acceptable . So when asked "what are you?" how should 1st generation Americans answer it? Personally being one of them i never shy away from my culture quickly replying Mexican but many of my views and ways of being don't reflect the Mexican culture at all. Being called "one of the whites acting Mexican they know" is a phrase many of my cousins and more cultured centered friends refer to me as but calling my self a Latin American would be far from acceptable in my home. So next time when someone ask what you are, remember that its not what you grew up surrounded in but rather what culture you surrounded and identify yourself in.  





http://www.mtv.com/news/1957694/raven-symone-african-american-black-oprah/
-above is a link which represent how people react when not identifying with the culture which they have been born into.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=511570
-above is people talking about how they feel they dont belong to their own culture.

Entire Way of Life

In Intro to Sociology the biggest topic that caught my attention in class was Culture. I think it is so interesting how culture shapes peoples entire lives. And I truly believe that it is society's entire way of life. We all grow up in different cultures and it takes our lives in other ways.  I am an Indian Muslim American and those are three different cultures that I am a part of along with many others. Recently I witnessed how cultures can come together for events that take place. Some days ago an incident happened that shook Muslim Americans all around the world. Three Muslim Americans were shot dead in their home by an older White male, There was extreme pain and sadness in the community, and we were just shocked. I realized how our cultures of being Muslims, and Americans brought us together to relate and support each other. From their I saw how the news barely covered this story and it was being not talked about. The only way this story became viral was because of social media rather than the news. That was so disappointing for me. I realized how much people stereotype Muslim people and how the news or broadcasting networks would ever want to show Muslims in a better light rather than extremist and terrorist. I hope that could change though, I hope that the media stops displaying negative images on anyone's race religion or being. It is sad because society relies on media and that also shapes our lives and the way we behave with people.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/12/us/muslim-student-shootings-north-carolina.html?_r=0

http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/12/us/chapel-hill-shooting-hate-crime-explainer/

Sociology: More Than a Career Path?

Sociology: More Than a Career Path?

By: Donna Gallano

 Many people, including myself at one point, believe that sociology is a specific line of study for those interested in pursing a career in this field. From just being in an introductory sociology class for half a semester I have realized how false that belief is. Sociology affects everyone in the world in all different kinds of ways. It can help explain many aspects and conflicts of life, and usually sociologist are the ones who will challenge these issues and push for change.

What makes sociology relevant to us all is this idea of a sociological perspective, which is seeing how the general patterns of society shape individual lives. Developing this perspective and applying it in our daily lives will give us all personal awareness which can help us understand how and why our society operates the way it does.

The social-conflict approach in forming a theory of society “sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change.” Within this approach we study how race, gender, sexual orientation and age are related to how money, power, education and social prestige are distributed unequally. With a sociological perspective we can use different theories such as this one, to help us understand these societal patterns and hopefully incorporate this knowledge in our own life decisions, and in shaping the lives of the children we may raise.  There are two main theories that branch from this approach which are, gender-conflict theory and race-conflict theory. These theories help explain how the many issues pertaining to gender and race are formed, and why they're still prevalent today.

Gender conflict is more closely related to feminism, the fight for equality of men and women. With this social conflict there has been a lot of policy change in the past that has given women many of the rights owed to them such as voting, education, and being allowed to run for office. The unfortunate thing is that although women have gained these right throughout the past decades we still see gender conflict lying beneath the surface and causing much controversy and problems. For example, Hilary Clinton who is argued to be among one of the most prime candidates for presidency still lost that race when her qualification met or exceed her competitors. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t fair to say she didn’t get elected just because she is a woman but we now have had an African American president and still not one women president. With this I am just emphasizing the fact that gender inequality is still socialized into many people across the country.

We all are aware of the recent racial tension that has risen throughout the country, and quite frankly it has brought up some deep-rooted issues people around the U.S hold. Race-conflict pushes for the equality of all races, and not just for these “rights” they may legally have, but for true equality so that other races are treated in the same light as most Caucasians usually are. We can blatantly see that there is still much work left to do in order to obtain this goal, but that is what drives the social change we need. In our sociology 170 class, Professor Weffer (a Latino) gave a personal example of racial profiling that he had experienced being a college student at UIC. While wearing UIC soccer apparel he was stopped on his walk from the library to his dorms late one night, and the police insisted he present a school I.D. This was even after he told the police where he came from and where he was headed, and not to mention his clothes clearly demonstrated his affiliation with the university. Now this is just among some of the racial profiling that goes on in our society, and is probably pretty minor compared to most.

When we really consider all of these social issues and how they originated, and continue to unfortunately thrive today, we see that sociology is among our everyday lives. By any individual having basic sociological knowledge they can seek change in their personal lives and among their society. Overall, one can simply obtain a deeper understanding of the world around them.

External Links:

-http://www.summer.harvard.edu/blog-news-events/gender-inequality-women-workplace

-http://wallstcheatsheet.com/politics/where-is-america-today-on-racial-inequality.html/?a=viewall

Views on Socialization

Views on Socialization

During our class time we discussed various topics. One topic that caught my attention was Socialization. This chapter explains the different theories of development from many well known sociologists. This chapter also explains how different settings affect socialization as a whole. The reason I felt this chapter was best was because this is everyday life and it's interesting to see what affects communities and individuals. It also interests me to see how different sociologists view theories of development.

Mass media has a big influence on socialization. In mass media, they teach citizens new styles and new ideas. This causes people in the U.S. to wear a certain brand or act a certain way. I can relate to this personally since I wear brands such as Aeropostale, Nike, and Adidas. These brands are personal favorites of mine so I would chose them over any other brand any day. Everyone has their own favorite brand and try to display it off to show others that their brands are superior. I feel that these ways are popular trends and if you don't dress the same, you are looked at as an outsider or a creep. This is one of the settings that not only affects families and some communities, but the entire nation/world.

Socialization can be viewed and described in various ways. These ways can be viewed as personality, isolation, or nature. Every person acts the way they do for a reason. The way you were brought up can affect the way you act towards others. I was brought up to be generous and respectful therefore, I show respect towards everyone that deserves it.



http://www.education.com/reference/article/media-as-influence-socialization/

http://www.slideshare.net/ecumene/14-development-definitions-and-measuring-development

Who Are We Today? Does The Media Really Have A Say?

  Lately it has begun to seem like the media is completely taking control of people’s life. It’s almost as if people think that the things they see on TV or on social media is how real life is supposed to be. For example, I have three little brothers, while watching them grow up I observed that they would watch a movie and immediately after the movie was over they would literally reenact the whole thing word from word and move from move. Another thing that you see today are things on social media such as “Relationship Goals”. There are many teenagers who are basing their relationships and friendships off of what they see on Twitter or Instagram. Social media might be a huge component when it comes to relationship or friendship failures seeing that nobody keeps their business private anymore, everything is aired out for the whole world to see. Media is all around us, TV, newspapers, magazines, the internet, and something that I feel is very influential which music is. Music such as Rap effects the society by influencing the younger generation subconsciously. Teens tend to listen to some of the music that these rappers put out and sometimes begin to take their lyrics literally. There has actually been a lot of deaths due to some of the lyrics these rappers are using. Most of the time teens are rapping the lyrics to these songs and don’t actually know the meaning to them or what they are really saying which can cause an unnecessary issue. Social media has a way of brainwashing people. It can have a negative or positive effect in society but at the same time it plays a big role. All it takes is for one person to start a movement or for somebody to broadcast how “cool” something is and everyone follows right along. The media is not always truthful, some of the things we see in media can be a bold face life, but unfortunately we might never know the actual truth. In some cases things shared through media can have a negative or positive effect on someone personally. Cyber bullying is something that has begun to increase and get way out of control. Unfortunately there are people who have actually killed themselves because of negative comments towards them over the internet. Little kids are very vulnerable when it comes to media. Like I stated before my little brothers used to completely transform into movie stars whenever they would watch a movie. But in some other cases, little kids especially if they are at the age where they don’t know right from wrong, are actually learning and soaking in the information that we see on TV or on the computer whether it’s good or bad. Whether its music or television, media is one of the most influential things when it comes to socialization. Is media becoming who we are? I think this is a very good question and the answer could very well be yes.

http://www.osteopathic.org/osteopathic-health/about-your-health/health-conditions-library/general-health/Pages/cyber-bullying.aspx

http://www.seochat.com/c/a/social/social-media-and-society-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/

A Splash of Color

Chapter 3 signifies the importance of culture and the different views of it in society. Culture is the ways of thinking, the ways of acting, and the material objects that together form a people’s way of life. There are two types of culture: nonmaterial culture and material culture. Nonmaterial culture is the ideas created by members of a society. Material culture is the physical things created by members of a society.

I believe culture is what my background is and any part of it. I am an Indian but I was born and raised in the United States. Even though I’m so adapted to the culture in the United States, I still practice and celebrate some traditions that are a part of my culture. I used to believe the United States was a very materialistic culture because of the quick advancement in technology. Americans have pretty much incorporated technology in everything and anything possible. For example, iPads can now be used as cash registers in stores and everything is done within a couple minutes. I thought India was the true definition of culture based off on what I saw whenever I went there. But India has also become a materialistic culture and I feel it will slowly lose its non-materialistic culture among big cities.



http://www.livescience.com/28634-indian-culture.html
http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/India.html

Change of Worlds

Growing up on the north side of Chicago, attending various Chicago public schools, I experienced how it is to have 40 kids per class, over packed busing, and lets not forget the prison food...I mean free lunch. As a child, my parents moved quite often, so my childhood education was all over the place. Although at the time, I would be extremely mad at my parents for making me leave all my friends, over time, I came to appreciate what they had done for me. Without knowing it, my parents allowed me to obtain aspects from different cultures and teachings from each school I attended. As I moved around, all of the schools that I attended had one thing in common, low budget education.  When I graduated middle school, an opportunity of a life time was handed to me. I was given the chance to attend Nazareth Academy, a suburban catholic school that costs almost as much as a semester in college. I was given this opportunity with the help of an academic scholarship and my parents, who wanted nothing but the best for me. All I could think about was the next four years of my life as a Road Runner, I was more excited than a little kid in a candy shop. That was until my actual first day of high school..

My first day of high school consisted of me feeling isolated from the new world around me. Nazareth Academy is one of the most prestigious high schools in Illinois. What type of kids attend the most prestigious high school in Illinois you may ask? Well lets just say, I could count the number of Latino students in the entire school with both of my hands. Not only was this a culture shock for me, but to top it all off, EVERYONE, including the handful of Latino students, had parents who were doctors, lawyers, famous actors, and even scientists. Money surrounded me. Wealthy students everywhere, and then there was my family and I, a rather a blue collar family, barely making enough money to reach ends meet. I did not belong. I tried adjusting to the world around me but I just couldn't. I had nothing in common with any of the students. Their hobbies were jet skiing and partying on their brand new yacht, while my hobbies consisted of swimming in the inflatable pool in my back yard. You get the point. I felt out of place and distant from a social life which really affected my education. I didn't make many friends, so I wasn't able to reach a comfortable learning environment. On top of this, I'm attending a school in which my parents are struggling day in and day out to pay for, a school in which I no longer wanted to attend. I eventually convinced my parents to allow me to transfer to a near by public high school in the new community we moved to. Not before setting a requirement of me maintaining a 3.5 GPA or higher and participating in two or more clubs/sports. My parents set this requirement because the high school that I was going to attend was the exact opposite of Nazareth. I believe almost 85% of my new high school consisted of minority students compared to the handful at Naz. Race is not what made me want to switch schools, it was the difference in social class. I felt uncomfortable in a place where I was not able to see more people that were like me. This experience has taught me the large difference in social structure and general ideas different communities hold. At Nazareth, the norm was owning a boat, having a beach house in Hawaii and getting a brand new Porsche on your sixteenth birthday. In the community surrounding the school, that may also be the norm, but how I was raised, and the whereabouts in which I was raised in, these norms were merely dreams. Having experienced this, I describe it as an "out of body experience", I understand how it is to feel different. I now understand that different is a good thing, because how else is society going to break these norms of having only a handful of minority students in one of the best high schools in Illinois? I do not regret transferring, for it was one of the best decisions of my life, but I do regret not giving my full potential and narrowing my education to the people in which I see around me. This piece of my life has shaped me into the person I am today, and I am forever grateful for having experienced it and now realizing what it truly is to be "different."

http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2010/08/13/the-difference-between-wealth-and-class/http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2012/04/03/class-differences-in-spending-on-children/

Humanity at Birth

The on-going discussion of the role of Nature vs Nurture has been a developing phenomenon over the past centuary. While we have accepted Darwins idea of evolution, humanities animalistic insitict are put in question wheather it is a direct result of our enviorment, or consequesnses of our genetic pool. There are two cases that I as a psychology major always question when discussing any disorder. One is the social economic status of the child or individual. The second is if there is any hisotry of that disorder in the family. While psychologist and sociologist feel that we need to differenciate both, I personally feel we must accept both as a unitarina concept that influence our behavior and interpersonal connections.

Harry Harlow view the concept of love as an Nurture concept influence by the enviorment. His famous expereiment of "Harlows Monkey" clearnly demestrated the concept that if a baby monkey is kept from their mother or any physical contact they will seek out the feeling of warmth before he seeks out its biological need. The strong idea has been used for many years and it questions if we care more for human connection than we do for biological needs. In fact it is true, there can be serious reprocussion if there isn't that human connection with othere individuals. Isolation can lead to serious developmental damages as a child. Does that mean that we only care for the connection to our evniorment, no.

There are also some instinctive per-wired concepts that we also need to take into consideration. As baby about from the routing test after birth, there are also some basic reflexes that nurses look for making sure the baby is mentally healthy. There is speculation as to where these instincts in baby come from including the notion that it has been passed down through evolution. The Moro reflex, the frontal parachute, the Palmer grasp are a few. Each of these is a milestone in a child's development process that is yet to explain how they have obtain the ability of some basic reflexes before being exposed to their environment. 

The reason both these concepts seem fascinating to me is because of where I am currently interning. In the Department of Child and Family Services there are many cases to which I question if it is a result of a lack of nurture or simply the environment they are put in. Everyday I must question weather their low socioeconomic status or simply the result of bad genetics that makes a child predisposed to certain disabilities. Over my time as an intern i still question, but many times it is simply the result of both Nature and Nurture.

Harlow's Monkey :
http://psychology.about.com/od/historyofpsychology/p/harlow_love.htm

Baby Milestones:
http://www.baby-medical-questions-and-answers.com/baby-milestones.html

Bound to the Ideologies of Society

     We tend to believe that our actions are governed by OUR beliefs; however, who really governs our beliefs? The people we surround ourselves with-the people we socialize with influence the way we think.

     There are several main environments that affect an individual’s outlook on matters. These include the: family, school, peer group, and mass media. They are otherwise known as agents of socialization. 

     The family is the most important socialization agent. As infants, the majority of us are completely dependent on our parents. Our family constantly surrounds us until we are old enough to attend school. At school, we begin to interact with many different individuals. We socialize with people from various racial, social, and cultural backgrounds. Unlike the family and school setting, within our peer groups, we are able to express ourselves more freely. We are able to discuss topics that we may not necessarily be able to discuss with our parents. Mass media-movies, books, magazines, and television-also plays a significant role regarding the way we think. With mass media, we are able to learn about different issues that we would not normally discuss with others. We also get to see things from various points of view, allowing us to be the judge of what we deem right and/or wrong.

     “As the sociological perspective points out, human beings are like puppets in that we, too, respond to backstage forces. Society, after all, gives us a culture and also shapes our lives according to class, race, and gender” (Macionis).

     There is no doubt that society shapes our lives; the question that remains is, to what extent? The answer: society plays a considerable role in an individual’s life. For instance, in the United States, the way we dress, what we eat, the kind of music we listen to, the technology we use, the jobs available to us, and the education available to us, differs from that which may be available in say, Africa. 

     The society that we live in defines the choices we make in life. For example, when I was applying to colleges, I was worried about what colleges I wanted to apply to and which ones I was hoping would accept me. Meanwhile, someone in Syria may have been wondering if he or she would live to see another day. The only reason I was able to focus on my education is because the society I live in allows me to do so. However, in Syria, the opportunity of education would only arise after the individuals living there had access to necessities like food, water, shelter, and safety.

     George Herbert Mead believed that society may be able to limit our options, but we have the ability to bring about change. Mead accepted the fact that society plays a major role in how an individual lives his life; nevertheless, he also believed that individuals are capable of questioning and changing aspects of society they deem unfavorable.

     In the end, we may have control over the details in our life, but the society we live in determines our priorities and lifestyle for us.

External Links:

1) http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/agents-of-socialization-family-schools-peers-and-media.html

2) http://www.buzzle.com/articles/different-cultures-of-the-world.html

(References chapter 5 in the textbook.)