[15652] in APO-L
Re: APO-L Digest - 14 Nov 1996 to 15 Nov 1996
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (The Italian Stallion)
Sun Nov 17 01:09:21 1996
Date: Sun, 17 Nov 1996 00:07:21 -0600
Reply-To: The Italian Stallion <librimd@MAIL.AUBURN.EDU>
From: The Italian Stallion <librimd@MAIL.AUBURN.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
In-Reply-To: <199611170339.VAA05266@ducserv.mail.auburn.edu>
Okay, I think it's time to put this one to bed. This will be my last
piece of public discussion on the subject (but feel free to write me
privately if you wish). Four years ago, when I came to Auburn, I knew that
there was an APhiO chapter. My mom had been a little sister and a
sweetheart at another chapter, and said that the brothers were great, so
I decided to pledge. what did I find? A fraternity, almost exactly like
the others, but with two obvious exceptions: (1) No house; (2) service
oriented scout-like attitude. They liked to hang out, B.S., and have fun,
but they wanted to do service too. The chapter gave the guys a place where
they decided how they would do things. During closed sessions we could
debate and argue, talk and swear. We could decide policy how we wanted,
without worrying what anyone else thought. After all, we were a bunch of
guys who knew each other. The brotherhood that I feel with my brothers is
almost impossible to put into words. Sure, we have our differences, but
they work their ways out. So many times I've seen two brothers argue
relentlessly about a subject, then an hour later one would buy the other
a beer at the bar that we would go to after chapter was over. We would
just get together to smoke cigars and talk about the football game, or to
watch the "Moronathon" on MTV, or to talk about the fact that a brother's
girlfriend was driving him nuts. We'll go on roadtrips for no apparent
reason, listen to stupid music, and sit in Denny's at 2am talking about
the dumbest pickup lines we've ever used. When potential pledges get to
know us, they see a group of guys that accomplish alot of work, and still
have alot of fun with each other. When the sexes are mixed, some of that
simple fun is interrupted. We have to act differently than we do when its
just us, and everything we do, right down to chapter issues, would change
because of that. Our chapter's style is based on the fact that we're all
guys. The way we work is as guys. Lets face it, I joined for two main
reasons:
(1) To be in a service organization
(2) To be around, and have fun with, these guys.
The brotherhood in our chapter is intense, powerful, sometimes a little
silly, and makes us the organization that we are. If we go coed, that all
changes. Forever. We wouldn't be the same way we are now. I don't know if
I'd be in this chapter if it was coed. At least, not to the degree that
I'm in right now. Like I said, its hard to explain. The reason that we
want to stay AllMale isn't because we don't like women, its because we
like who we are right now. What we are is good, and it works, and the
members or the chapter are happy this way.
-Delta 1159
Mark Librizzi
