[15457] in APO-L
Re: Promises
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (David Dwiggins)
Mon Nov 11 13:46:31 1996
Date: Mon, 11 Nov 1996 12:41:01 -0400
Reply-To: David Dwiggins <dmdwiggi@MAILBOX.SYR.EDU>
From: David Dwiggins <dmdwiggi@MAILBOX.SYR.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
In-Reply-To: <199611111140.GAA05826@mailbox.syr.edu>
>yes we did, we the brothers of Alpha Phi Omega, through our nationals
>delegates at the 1976 convention promised all male chapters that wished to
>remain so, that we would leave them alone. It was NOT only the delegates at
>the 76 convention that made that promise, but through them a fraternity as a
>whole. I honestly dont see how we can break our promise to those chapters,
>and still claim that we are a fraternity that holds the concepts of truth,
>honor, and dignity dear to us.
This is not meant to take sides in the argument, entirely. I just want to
point out a flaw in an argument that is being bandied about a lot here.
The sole power to govern this fraternity resides in today's active
chapters. And, as it states in the pledge maual, "The supreme authority of
Alpha Phi Omega is the National Convention, held in even-numbered years."
The fraternity is about what is happening now, not what happened twenty
years ago. An agreement made 20 years ago is irrelevant to a discussion of
what is best for the fraternity now.
Someone compared requiring chapters to go coed to the government revoking
the constitution. This is misleading. First of all, one of the founding
ideals of this country is that the people can change the government if they
are unhappy with it. So it enough people wanted to change the constituion,
they could elect representatives to congress who would do this. It is the
same with the APO National Convention.
Furthermore, single-sex chapters are not the cornerstone of APO.
Leadership, Friendship, and Service are. It is not as if someone is trying
to change the purpose of the Fraternity. Comparing it to revoking the
Constitution is not a valid comparison.
Someone said that the "agreement" was a promise between the fraternity and
its members,a and therefor cannot be changed. But the fraternity *is* its
members. Without active brothers at chapters accross the nation, there
would be no fraternity. So it is incorrect to talk about the fraternity as
if it is a single being that still exists in the same form it existed in 20
years ago. The fraternity is made up of its active members, and these
members have the sole right to determine what is best for the fraternity
now.
-David Dwiggins
VPS, Phi Chapter
Syracuse University and SUNY-ESF
__________________________________________________________________
David M. Dwiggins - 400 Comstock Ave, Box 113, Syracuse, NY 13210
dmdwiggi@syr.edu -- http://web.syr.edu/~dmdwiggi/newhp.html
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