[10014] in APO-L
I just can't keep my mouth shut any longer...
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Lawrence N. Labell)
Fri Nov 4 10:57:45 1994
Date: Fri, 4 Nov 1994 10:55:44 -0500
Reply-To: "Lawrence N. Labell" <lnlabell@BRONZE.LCS.MIT.EDU>
From: "Lawrence N. Labell" <lnlabell@BRONZE.LCS.MIT.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L%PURCCVM.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
There is little that offends me more than someone telling me, "When you
joined [X organization], you should've expected [Y characteristic],"
when that person has no idea of the organization I joined in the first
place. All chapters (petitioning groups,etc.) have their own
characteristics, opinions, service programs, etc. and when people first
get involved in our Fraternity, they are told one from a great variety
of things, depending on the chapter(s) they first have contact with.
This is the way our fraternity operates: chapters are allowed to be the
way they choose, as long as they stay withing the framework set down by
the National Convention...
Thus, a great many of our members joined the fraternity knowing and
accepting that they would be called "brothers" and "men", regardless of
their gender, and a great many of our members joined the fraternity
expecting to be called the things more traditional to their gender.
We, as a fraternity, need to decide what is important to us. As far as
I'm concerned, it is far more important that we rally around our
principles: leadership, friendship, and service, and concentrate on the
programs that will unify us - "bound by a single tie" The Toast Song
and our other rituals are important, but if they divide us, they do not
serve us, and we all lose out. I'm not saying that we should get rid of
them, rather, we should concentrate on what we agree on first (what
underlying principles), and go from there. Our unity, our brotherhood
is our strength. Let's use it to the fullest.
The position expressed above is my own. It is not an "official"
position, and does not necessarily represent the opinios of anyone else.
In L,F, and S,
Larry Labell #197330
