[15461] in APO-L
Re: Promises
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (John Grossi)
Mon Nov 11 14:19:52 1996
Date: Mon, 11 Nov 1996 14:16:27 EST
Reply-To: John Grossi <jgrossi@MU.BBN.COM>
From: John Grossi <jgrossi@MU.BBN.COM>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
In-Reply-To: from "David Dwiggins" at Nov 11, 96 12:41 (noon)
>
> >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
> __________________________________________________________________
