[15536] in APO-L
1976
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Richard Byrne)
Wed Nov 13 12:24:04 1996
Date: Wed, 13 Nov 1996 11:06:22 -0500
Reply-To: Richard Byrne <RBYRNE@OTIS.STATE.NJ.US>
From: Richard Byrne <RBYRNE@OTIS.STATE.NJ.US>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
Dear Brothers,
I believe that the brothers in 1976,
who reached the compromise,
which led to the resolution ("Nothing in the National By-Laws or Articles of
Incorporation shall be construed to require any chapter to accept any student as a pledge
or active member of its chapter." (T&T, Vol 52, No 3, pg 8)),
which is understood as permitting the all male chapters to remain so,
agreed to said compromise,
adopted said resolution,
and acted on said understanding,
with the full knowledge that a simple majority of any subsequent national convention
could amend, or revoke said resolution. Anyone who was party to these events who did not
understand that fact when they decided to go the resolution route, was acting under
incorrect assumptions, and should have been better educated on the mechanics of the
parliamentary process.
They might have passed a by-law amendment, which would be harder to overturn (3/4 of a
quorum required) but we have now what we have.
The only loss of honor, would be if the voting delegates did not vote their conscience on
this issue (or vote as their chapters direct them to, where such chapter do such
directing).
Were I a voting delegate, I would vote for the following resolution:
Any chapter, having been continuously active since 1976, and having not chosen since then
to admit women as members, shall not be required to admit women as members, unless the
local educational institution's administration should compel them to, or, should they
become inactive, then upon re-chartering, may not exclude women, on the basis of gender
alone, from the opportunity to serve as full members.
I put full faith in the brothers of the 1996 national convention, to act as in the best
interest of our brotherhood, and will wholeheartedly accept their judgement.
Yours in brotherhood,
Richard Byrne
Alumnus, Delta Rho, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
