[15362] in APO-L
State Government vs. Federal Government
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Reuben ``Fuzz'' Hochstedler)
Fri Nov 8 10:42:29 1996
Date: Fri, 8 Nov 1996 01:57:13 -0500
Reply-To: "Reuben ``Fuzz'' Hochstedler" <hochstrd@CS.ROSE-HULMAN.EDU>
From: "Reuben ``Fuzz'' Hochstedler" <hochstrd@CS.ROSE-HULMAN.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
Allow me to abstract a bit. Emotionally what happened at the 1976
National Convention was that women were allowed as full members of the
National Fraternity. Technically what happened is that individual
chapters were given the right to determine their own membership. The
National Fraternity was no longer telling chapters that they were not
allowed to admit someone because of their gender.
This is an example of the subject. In this case, power was
transferred from the National Fraternity (Federal Government) to the
chapters (State Governments).
What is now being discussed is a resolution that will revoke that 1976
CHAPTER EMPOWERING decision and bring its emotional effect a full
180. This resolution if passed, would return that power back to the
National Fraternity, a CHAPTER DISEMPOWERING action.
Is this what the CHAPTERS (those with the supreme power in the
fraternity via the National Convention) want? Power stripped from
them at the most basic of levels? Only chapters can grant membership
(except for national honorary membership), but what does that matter
if "nationals" tells them whom they must and mustn't grant that
membership to?
All-male, Co-Educational, all-female, it shouldn't matter who you are,
being forced to do something you don't want to do by some faceless,
distant, entity that doesn't know what it's like for you on your
campus... well you'd probably feel oppressed in the least.
However, having said all of that, even if the resolution passes, it
won't make any difference, IMHO. And I don't mean in the way that
"renegade" chapters initiated women as brothers before 1976 by only
using their first initials on the forms instead of their first names.
What I mean are the following quotes:
"...open to all students, upon the approval of the respective
collegiate chapter..." (Bylaws Article III, Section 1.)
"...who are selected by that chapter to participate..."
(Bylaws Article III, Section 2 (1))
"...to the satisfaction of their chapter..."
(Bylaws Article III, Section 2 (2))
"Chapters have the right to determine their own membership."
(Membership Policies III. B)
"Membership in this chapter shall be granted only upon the
approval of the applicant by this chapter..." (SCAA Section 1)
It's not just some "mythical" promise that was made 20 years ago, in
at least my interpretation of it, it's been written in to our national
documentation. And a mere resolution isn't enough to change our
bylaws or our standard chapter articles of association, I know that
for a fact. Bylaw changes need a higher percentage affirmative vote
than a mere resolution.
Just a look from the "technical" side...
In Leadership, Friendship and Service,
Reuben "Fuzz" Hochstedler
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