[13219] in APO-L
Chapter Salvations
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Loren Chassels)
Fri Nov 10 21:46:45 1995
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 1995 17:43:57 YST
Reply-To: Loren Chassels <lchassels@ARCTIC.NSBSD.K12.AK.US>
From: Loren Chassels <lchassels@ARCTIC.NSBSD.K12.AK.US>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
As a founding president of the Alpha Delta Alpha Chapter at Rutgers
University, Camden Campus, I had the opportunity to experience the
entire evolution of a chapter from petitioning group to active chapter:
interest group, petitioning group, petitioning group delegation without a
voice and with a voice (Naitonals 1992), chartering ceremony, voting
delegation (Nationals 1994), creating and running a pledge program,
creating bylaws, burning bylaws, creating more bylaws, voting on
bylaws, creating more bylaws...you get the idea...
Anyway, The year that it took our petitioning group to earn its charter was
a truely valuable experience. We knew the fraternity history, customs,
and problems. We learned quite a bit from each other about our newly
founding chapter, and WE made adjustments to customize our chapter to
our campus. I know that I gained a great deal of leadership experience
and will be ever greatful, and devoted to my chapter. However, I also
believe in euthenasia.
During this time, I had the opportunity to see two chapters that had, for
all intents and purposes, dissappeared. Each of their memberships
were down to one active brother. I watched those chapters "hang on"
and later "revitalize" with large quantities of brothers that knew little to
nothing about our traditions, values, customs, or principles.
Over time, our chapter has changed in size and knowledge base. I
would say that I am viewing the final breaths of life in my chapter. A few
fresh puffs of oxygen could bring it back, but, at present, the air is getting
thin. This brings me to my predicted dilemma:
Is it better for a chapter with few remaining active brothers to re-enter the
traditional petitioning process, allowing a new group of undergraduates
to go through the petitioning process from the beginning, or would it be
better for alumni to hang on to a string of nestalgia, struggling to bring
back what they once had through a series of quickie pledge classes?
I was strongly in favor of the first option when I was petitioning, because
I saw the benefits and pains of petitioning, but I am torn by the thought of
my chapter, the one that would last forever being declared inactive.
Sven
ADA#0002
