[14938] in APO-L
Section 89 News Volume 6 Number 1
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (David M. Gates)
Thu Sep 12 23:51:45 1996
Date: Thu, 12 Sep 1996 23:47:49 -0400
Reply-To: "David M. Gates" <gates@CGICAFE.COM>
From: "David M. Gates" <gates@CGICAFE.COM>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity
Section 89 News
A Newsletter from the Section Chair
Electronic Edition
Volume 6, Number 1
Welcome Back Edition, August 27, 1996
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Summer is Gone, The Fun To Begin!
---------------------------------
Well, Summer is gone, but the fun is about to begin! I hope everyone
had a great, relaxing summer and is excited to start a busy (VERY busy) new
semester! I know I am. I just wanted to give a brief synopsis of what I did
this summer before we get to the real good stuff (stuff - I like this word).
WORK... That just about sums up what I did this summer. This was my
first summer out ``in the real world''. Man do I wish I had my summer vacation
back. Anyways, besides work (as a Spanish Service Representative) I got the
pleasure of helping to fix up my apartment that was supposed to be ready
in June when I moved in. Well, not only was it not ready, but I didn't even
have a bathroom!! So here we are approaching Labor Day and we finally have a
bathroom and kitchen; we are still working on the dining room. Thank goodness
I have the patience of a Saint and a generous landlord.
I did find some time to enjoy myself and went down to Long Island (was
that an ``EEK!'' I heard?). Visited some relatives and friends over the Fourth
of July. As for the Fraternity, I went to a Region meeting down in Reading,
PA. (I got a little lost, but that's another story), and I went to the Section
Resource Weekend. Had a good time there and learned lots on how to be an
effective Section Chair! Hope it helps!
Anyways, I look forward to a FUN and productive semester with you all
and I hope to visit each of your before Sectionals. Also, you should see a lot
of new faces as we have been busy recruiting Section Staff.
---
BROCKPORT!!!! - Petitioners at Last!!
-------------------------------------
That's right folks! Brockport has FINALLY gotten school approval and
they are well on their way to rechartering on their campus. There will be a
petitioning ceremony at Brockport on October 5th. I hope every chapter is
represented at this milestone in Brockport's history.
The group has been very busy this summer preparing for this fall
semester. They have been busily building their bylaws and pledge programs.
The group's main focus this semester is going to be membership, membership,
membership! They have a goal of having 23 new petitioners by the end of the
semester. Rumor has it that a certain staff member (B*on*ie) has agreed to
give the group a catered pizza party if they reach the goal!
They are currently looking for some rush ideas! So PLEASE all current
VPMs get ahold of Brockport to help them out!
Again, the date for the Petitioning ceremony is going to be October 5.
Hope to see you all there!
---
``However dark the prospects, however intractable the opposition, however
devious and mendacious the diplomacy of our opponents, we ourselves have to
carry so clear and intense a picture of our common humanity that we see the
brother beneath the enemy and snatch at every opportunity to break through to
his reason and his conscience, and, indeed, his enlightened self-interest''
-Adlai E. Stevenson\
---
Calendar of Events!
-------------------
S.L.E.D. ----------------- September 28
Cornell, NY
Brockport Petitioning -------- October 5
Brockport, NY
Section 88 Sectionals ---- October 18-20
Albany, NY
Section 89 Sectionals ---- October 25-27
Buffalo, NY
National Service Day -------- November 2
AAMD due ------------------- November 15
Nationals!!! ----------- December 27-30
Phoenix, AZ
---
Convention Delegates
--------------------
It's time to start thinking about who your voting delegates are going
to be for the 1996 National Convention in Phoenix, Arizona. These two people
should be those who you think can best represent the chapter and the chapter's
views on the legislative floor. They don't need to be gurus at Robert's Rules,
they just need a drive and motivation for long days and a genuine interest in
the future direction of the Fraternity.
Another issue the voting delegates need to think about is whether they
would like to serve on a committee at the convention. These Brothers will sift
through the proposed legislation which has been divided up into ``interest
areas'' and bring all relevant legislation to the floor. These individuals
must have a strong desire to do this and be willing to spend extra time at the
convention in meetings sometimes into long hours of the night. Most people who
serve on a committee find this to be one of the most rewarding experiences in
their APO careers.
If you know anyone or you yourself would like to be on a committee,
contact me as soon as possible as we need to submit our recommendations as
soon as possible.
---
AAMDs --- a little easier!
--------------------------
Well, the National Office has made filling out the Annual Charter
Reaffirmation a little easier starting this year. Most of the work will be
done for you.
Early in September each chapter will receive their reaffirmation form.
There is a new look to the form in that the chapter, school, section, and
region are already filled out on the first page. You will be responsible for
filling in the chapter officer information and the Advisory Chair information
along with e-mail addresses for the President, Advisor, and the chapter. Big
deal you say? Well, there is more!
As you turn the page, you will find that the Advisor page is already
full of names. The form will have every advisor you have recruited and sent
paperwork in for the past 10 years. Now for some of you, that will be quite a
few. Anyways, just cross off the names of the people who really aren't
advisors anymore, don't have an interest, or are deceased (you get the
picture). Now, just because you don't know a name, don't just go and cross it
off. This is an opportunity for you guys to track down the advisors and get
their interest!
The final page (or two, three) has all the active brothers in your
chapter that were on your last years' AAMD in addition to the new Brothers you
acquired this past year. This is where it might get a little tricky. Again, you
need to cross those Brothers off who aren't active this year and they will be
wiped from the mailing list. You will also need to add names of people who
aren't on the list. Chances are that if their name isn't on the list,
paperwork and dues haven't been sent to the National Office. Make sure these
people have a shingle or you might get a nasty-gram from the big N.O. saying
you need to pay activation fees (maybe even pledging) for this Brother.
Also, take note that we do realize that there are some career Brothers
out there who just can't get themselves out of school. Please just mark them
as a ``Level 4'' in the college class area.
Hopefully, this will make life easier if not this year, then next.
DON'T FORGET... AAMDs are DUE in the National Office by November 15th. Please
don't forget as you don't want to jeopardize your vote of the National
Convention in Phoenix.
---
``No organization can depend on genius; the supply is always scarce and
unreliable. It is the test of an organization to make ordinary human
beings perform better than they seem capable of, to bring out whatever
strength there is in its members, and to use each man's strength to
help all the others perform. The purpose of an organization is to enable
common men to do uncommon things.'' -Peter F. Drucke
---
Sectionals!
-----------
By now everyone should have received the information and registration
packet for the Section 88 Sectionals in Albany October 18-20th. The
theme of their Sectionals is Service in the Psychedelic Concrete Jungle.
Anyone who has been to Albany knows the meaning behind it all. Anyways,
it looks like they have everything organized and looks like it is going
to be a blast.
Section 89 Sectionals in Buffalo this year is coming along great also.
You should all be receiving your registration packets soon. ``No Frills,
Just Service'' is the them this year and it looks like everyone is going
to have a great time.
There is going to be a ton of workshops this year focusing on
leadership development and there is going to be a Friendship Development
Workshop as well.
Hope to see as many Brothers at each conference as possible.
Of course, not too far into the future is the joint Sectionals at RPI
in the Spring!
---
Don't LOSE your Vote!
---------------------
PAPERWORK MUST BE IN THE NATIONAL OFFICE BY NOVEMBER 15, 1996.
Our Section goal is to have 70% of all chapter AAMDs in by October 1st
and 100% by Sectionals.
Please!! Don't forget that all chapters must be in good standing with
the National Fraternity in order to vote at the National Convention.
This includes AAMDs, pledge paperwork, new brother activations, and
Fraternity merchandise.
Each chapter should check with the Office to make sure they do not
carry a balance at the store!
---
Let's Go S.L.E.D.ding!!!!
-------------------------
Yup folx... It's that time of year again and in Section 89 we have what
is known as a S.L.E.D.! SLED is short for Section Leadership Expansion
Day. This year's SLED is being hosted by Cornell on Saturday September 28th.
Similar to a CPW, the SLED is a day of intensive small and large group
sessions focusing on topics which will hopefully help chapter operations
run more smoothly.
The difference is that EVERYONE is invited to the SLED and all members
are encouraged; especially those interested in holding a leadership
position in their chapters.. Please remember to invite your advisors!
Topics this semester will include ethics (hmm) and how to develop and
plan a workshop. In addition, there will be a preview of proposed
legislation for the convention in Phoenix.
Of course, the most difficult part of the conference is coming up with
a ``game'' to play at the end of the event!
Last semester there were over 60 Brothers and Pledges at the SLED. So
please mark your calendars now! Full details will be headed your way
shortly. We do want to start the workshops promptly at 10:30 and will
conclude in the late afternoon.
If you have any workshop ideas or have something you would like to have
discussed, please contact me as soon as possible so we can fit this into
the schedule.
Hope to see everyone there ready for some fun leadership!
---
Storm cancels Section Picnic
----------------------------
Well, the Section Picnic slated for July had to be cancelled due to a
very nasty tempered Hurricane Bertha.
Now, as we were making our decision, we knew that if we kept the picnic
on it would pour like the dickens and if we cancelled it then it would
be blue skies.
Well, as luck would have it, it poured during the morning and cleared
up later in the afternoon. Who knew?!
It turns out there were about 30 Brothers who were camping there
anyways and they had a spaghetti fest. Glad they had fun anyways!
Anyways, hopefully, we can have a winter sledding expedition during the
winter break!
---
BID anyone??
------------
It's that time of year again when each chapter should start thinking
about whether or not they would like to bid for the Fall `97 Sectionals.
If we stay with our newly adopted rotation, Section 89 will host its
own Sectional conference in the Fall directly following a joint 88/89
Conference in the Spring (this year at RPI).
If your chapter is interested in putting together a bid for Sectionals,
please contact me as soon as possible so I can get you a NEWLY revised
conference planning guide so you can see if this is something your
chapter would like to do.
Don't forget, bidding for the conference occurs at this Fall's
conference (Buffalo). Bidding has been known to be intense, so the more
organized your bid the better chance you will have. I'm sure everyone
will have a great presentation.
---
Convention Legislation... how do we deal with it??
--------------------------------------------------
Convention Legislation can be host to some very controvertial and
extremely confusng topics. However, it doesn't have to be this way with
a little preparation and organization.
All amendments must be in the National Office by September 29th. The
Office will compile the legislation and send it out to each of the
chapters. At this point, each chapter should elect or appoint their
voting delagates who should become ``more than familiar'' with the
legislation.
With the next step, every chapter must make a decision. There are two
schools of thought. One side believes the chapter will go through the
legislation and mandate what their voting delagates with vote on the issues.
The other side believes the voting delagates can make up their own minds
or they wouldn't be voting delagates.
We'd like to see a middle ground occurr in the chapters where the
chapters express their concerns over the issues and give a
recommendation to the delagates, however, realizing that what comes to
the convention floor can change drastically, give the delagates room to
sway their vote if necesary.
Once the legislation gets to convention it is broken down into final
committees who sift through the legislation and decide which will get to
the floor during regular session. This does not mean your amendmant is
dead... you can bring it up during the general session at the end.
Assuming your legislation has made it out of committee. it will then be
dicussed (some topics more than others) and voted on. What the
delagates decide determines life or death for the amendment.
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Section 89 News |
| |
| The Section 89 News is published for Section 89 to provide |
| communication from the Section Chair about upcoming events, |
| important announcements, and amusement. Please send articles, |
| news of events, or other comments to: |
| |
| David Gates |
| Section 89 Chair |
| 256 Pennsylvania Street |
| Buffalo, NY 14201 |
| |
| 716 883-1907 (H) 716 847-0009 (W) |
| gates@cgicafe.com |
| |
| |
| The Section 89 News is also available on the WWW: |
| http://apo89.cgicafe.com/ |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
