[15287] in APO-L
Re: As an Eagle must fly, so must we.
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Elizabeth Yow)
Wed Nov 6 16:15:08 1996
Date: Wed, 6 Nov 1996 16:10:12 -0500
Reply-To: Elizabeth Yow <emy@INFI.NET>
From: Elizabeth Yow <emy@INFI.NET>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
I originally only sent my response to Jodie, who suggested that I forward it
to the list. :)
>>How are all male chapters in violation of our national by-laws? Many of
>>these chapters have affiliations with Gamma Sig Sig and O Phi A for
>>female brothers. The traditions and practices of many of these chapters
>>would be seriously hurt if the chapter went co-ed in fact, IMHO I think
>>that many of the chapters would fold or lose alumni support. Would you
>>rather have strong all male chapters or no chapters at all at many of
>>these schools.
>
>They are in violation because Article III, Section 1 says that we have
"open membership", and are open to all students.
>
>Section 1. Open Membership.
> Membership in Alpha Phi Omega shall be open to all students, upon
the approval of the respective collegiate chapter and after fulfilling the
membership requirements prescribed by the National Fraternity and by that
chapter.
>
>>As a brother and as a female I have no problem with all-male chapters.
>>They treat me like a BROTHER, not just a member. They respect that I
>>have gone through the pledge program and was initiated by my chapter in
>>the fraternity as a whole. Why can't people let the 20 or so chapters
>>exitst all male. In diversity, there is unity.
>
>*I* have found that not all brothers at all-male chapters treat me like a
brother. I have also found that brothers at all-male chapters belittle my
experience in A Phi O, saying that I don't exactly know what true
brotherhood is all about because I am a woman, and because of the sex
differences.
>
>>Many chapters run all male. How would chapters exist if nationals kept
>>telling you what you should and couldn't do. Who should be in the
>>fraternity and how the chapter should be run and should be included.
>>Would APO be the same place if all chapters were the same and needed to
>>have the same demograpics?
>
>But in a lot of cases, the national organization does tell chapters what
they can and cannot do. Alpha Phi Omega is co-ed, and we do tell new
chapters that they must form as a co-ed chapter, unless of course the
school's demographics do not permit that (i.e. it's an all-male school).
When chapters form, we tell them that they have to do a certain number of
service projects in a certain number of fields of service. We tell them that
they have to run a member education program of some sort. We tell chapters
that they can't haze their members. All of the requirements that we set
forth tend to be broad, and details of carrying out those requirements are
left up to the individual chapter...which is absolutely, positively as it
should be. If we did meddle in chapter politics, then a chapter like Alpha
Beta Zeta might not exist, because Radford University is co-ed, but there
are only a couple of men in the chapter right now. They do open their
membership to all students on the campus, though.
>
>>> Also, and
>>> more importantly, it is a blatant sexual discrimination case, that would
>>> stand less than the proverbial snowballs chance in hell if a female was
>>> preventing from becoming a member because of her sex.
>>
>>Would it be discrimination if I tried to pledge Delta Tau Delta or AE
>>Phi fraternity. It is only discrimination if the school is forcing them
>>to go co-ed. If this were true, then all fraternities and sororities could
>>be sued for being single sex.
>
>Not exactly, because there exist equal opportunities in social Greeks...if
there is an all-male social fraternity on a campus, there is also an
all-female social sorority (if the campus is co-ed).
>
>>Please feel free to repond publically or flame me privately.
>
>I don't consider this a flame. I hope that I've given you my well-thought
out ideas on the topic, and I hope that you will respond in kind.
>
>Elizabeth Yow
>Nu Rho ('87) alumna, Life Member #14066, Charter Sustaining Life Member
>Region III and LDW staff
>
>
