[13179] in APO-L
Re: The letters, Crest, rituals and pledges
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jeffrey N Woodford)
Fri Nov 3 03:49:52 1995
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 1995 02:47:32 -0600
Reply-To: Jeffrey N Woodford <jwoodfor@UNLGRAD1.UNL.EDU>
From: Jeffrey N Woodford <jwoodfor@UNLGRAD1.UNL.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
In-Reply-To: <9511021934.AA07820@unlgrad1.unl.edu> from "Roger Lee Stearns
Jr." at Nov 2, 95 01:32:12 pm
> A point that has been brought up publically and in private posts to
> myslef is that:
>
> 1. Its those secrets that we have in our activation ritual that make us
> a fraternity.
>
> 2. What would be the significance of becoming a Brother.
>
>
> Let me answer the first one. It is not what we keep secret that makes us
> a Fraternity. It is the common bond, the unity, of individuals coming
> together pledging themselves to the ideals and goals of our Fraternity,
> that make us a Fraternity. It is a COMMITTMENT to these ideals, our
> cardinal principles, and our willingness to be there for one another.
> This is what makes us a Fraternity. Not our secrets.
Well, I'd say it would be both. Our commitment to the Cardinal
Principles is what motivates us, but it is the Fraternity which brings
us together. (Recall the symbolism behind the handshake...)
> As far as what is the significance of becoming a brother? The ritual is
> a Rite of passage, a graduation so-to-speak, it is the ceremony in which
> we celebrate the accomplishment of the pledges,and honour them in being
> committed to the same ideals, So what is teh significance in becoming a
> brother? That's something that each of us needs to answer for ourselves.
Yes, the Initiation Ceremony is a rite of passage. (I think it's
pretty cool, as far as rites go. :-) But it should not be devoid of
substance. IMO there should be something which unambiguously
differentiates between a non-brother and a brother, and currently it's
the information provided in the Initiation Ceremony. And really the
information is important _only for this purpose_, because we all can
act in the spirit of Leadership, Friendship, and Service perfectly
well without knowing the symbolism of the crest.
In a sense, the graduation ceremony (that we all hope to attend one
day :) is another rite of passage. Really most of it is unnecessary
from an efficiency point of view, one could do away with the gowns and
the caps and the keynote speaker and the speeches from the Deans and
the Chancellor, but you get one very important thing from it that you
couldn't get otherwise: a _degree_. And really, the degree (the
actual piece of paper that you receive) isn't all that important
either, what's important is what you had to do in order to earn that
degree. The little piece of paper only says that you took part in
this rite of passage known as graduation.
So knowing the meaning of the crest, or any of the other Initiation
Ceremony stuff, is a sign that you have successfully passed this
Fraternity's Rite of Passage. IMO it should be looked upon with
pride, that you have done what it takes to become a brother in the
greatest Fraternity in the world. It's what separates you from those
who could not pass, or those who were unwilling to accept the
challenge. Which of course implies that the pledging program should
be non-trivial. IMO it should separate those who are truly dedicated
from those who wish only to stuff their resumes. (However it seems
this viewpoint is losing favor amongst the brotherhood.)
-Jeff
--
Jeffrey N. Woodford | Alumnus, Kappa Chapter, Carnegie Mellon Univ.
jwoodfor@unlgrad1.unl.edu | Brother, Alpha Sigma Chapter, Univ. of NE-Lincoln
Physical Chemistry Graduate TA...er, Slave...no, Student, yeah, that's it
