[17750] in APO-L
The heated issue of the last few weeks...
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (TANSTAAFL)
Mon Nov 24 02:50:31 1997
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 1997 02:50:08 -0500
Reply-To: TANSTAAFL <BRO6754@CUP.EDU>
From: TANSTAAFL <BRO6754@CUP.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
Dear Brothers,
I realize this topic is becoming heated, and in some places, even
violently pro and conned to death. As a brother of Lambda Omega Chapter, I
have to admit that if it weren't for female brothers, our chapter would have
folded long ago. When I pledged, there were 6 brothers, all female. Now we
are up to 12 actives of mixed gender and we have a pledge class of about 8,
also of mixed gender. I guess this would mean I support the idea that female
brothers have a place in APO. Someone brought up the concept of I.D.I.C, a
philosophy from "Star Trek" which means: Infinite Diversity Infinite Combination
a very deep and prophetic concept to say the least. I believe the days of the
"boys club" are definitely fading fast and eventually anyone who does not
choose to embrace inevitable change will find themselves at a greater
disadvantage. The workplace has undergone this transformation, so have many
colleges and institutions which were male dominated half a century ago. Frank
Reed Horton was probably correct when he made this a male fraternity in 1926, at
that time females and males mixing at a fraternity level would have been
unheard of. Now we are at a time when (finally) in most places women and men
can work side-by-side as partners and not many people look down upon them for
it. I am suggesting that all-male chapters can have all the time they want, but
sooner or later they will have to accept that times have changed and they can
either keep up with them or lose valuable resources in the females they turn
down for membership. I would extend this also to a chapter which would go so
far as to exclude transfer brothers, what a loss for that chapter! The influx
of new energy and new ideas that is being thrown away for a policy is saddening
to this brother. I love my fraternity and I extend my love to each of my
brothers, I understand that change is difficult and it sometimes appears easier
to try and keep things the way they are rather than change them with the times,
I believe this to be a great fallacy. Time forces all of us to adjust, we can
either go with the flow, or choose to expend all our energies fighting it. One
of many hallmarks of good leaders is continued flexibility in the face of
changing times and situations. Nothing demonstrates this point better than the
wisdom of the 1976 National Convention decision to allow female brothers into
our midst. I suspect those chapters which are all-male are thinking I am
accusing them of not holding up to the cardinal principal of leadership, I am
not. I am suggesting that they may do it better if they were to consider that
a good leader must be willing to adapt and change with the times. How can one
learn to be a good leader, a good friend, to be of service if one excludes
one half of the human race from membership in their organization? When you
leave school and venture into the greater world, you will have to learn to
lead and follow females as well as males, would this not make more sense to
learn how to deal with both halves of the species in the safer learning
environment? I guess I just feel that while the all-male chapters have the
right to be all-male, they are throwing away an opportunity to advance and
grow just to have a "boys only club."
As for transfer brothers, a reasonable program that shows they are serious
about being a brother in a new chapter, taking a new big brother,
and a call to both nationals and their old chapter to make sure they are in
good standing are not unreasonable items. Denying a brother the right to be a
part of an organization they already belong to is cruel IMHO.
Jeffrey Brown
__________________________________________________________________
* Jeffrey S. Brown *
* California University of Pennsylvania *
* Grad Student: Math & Computer Science *
* Brother of the Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega *
* bro6754@duncan.cup.edu *
* http://duncan.cup.edu/~bro6754 *
* "Love is that condition in which the happiness of another is *
* more important than your own." -Robert A. Heinlein *
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