[19265] in APO-L
Re: All Male
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (hawkeye@ECST.CSUCHICO.EDU)
Tue Oct 6 11:48:15 1998
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 08:48:05 -0700
Reply-To: hawkeye@ECST.CSUCHICO.EDU
From: hawkeye@ECST.CSUCHICO.EDU
To: APO-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU
> Excuse me? Did you say "their traditions?" Well,we passed an agreement to protect
> "their traditions", even if YOU seem to think they are "outdated." I hate to break
> it to you, but no brother, you included, is the sole arbiter of whose traditions
> are valid or not. As long as they are not related to hazing or similar, traditions
> belong to chapters, not to others' opinions of what is "correct." I don't
> understand alot of people's traditions, but they are there, and I respect them.
> That "outdated tradition" smacks of "White Man's Burden" that pervaded racist
> culture at the turn of the 20th century. No, I am not calling you a racist, but
> don't presume that your belief makes it right for everyone.
I was wondering when this debate would get going again, and after reading the
Fall '98 T&T, and the determination of the National Board, I knew it wouldn't
be long. Traditions are a great thing, until they become an obstacle to
progress. I remember (from history class) another strong tradition, and it
nearly split the country. It seems that the all-male tradition may split
the Fraternity. On one hand we have the traditions of the all-male chapters
(and I'm assuming the all-female chapters exist on women-only schools) and
on the other the outright discrimination against part of the student body
based on gender.
> How many times do we have to say it: The compromise was written out to allow such
> chapters the right of maintaining the brotherhood the way they saw fit, ie
> all-male. I am sorry that it didn't turn out the way you thought it would, but
> that is tough. Overall, there are less than 30 chapters that remain all-male. You
> have your principle: the vast majority of APO is co-ed, and many all-males are
> dying out. There was no eventual purpose to it. It was a compromise born out of
> respect for tradition. Don't you dare try to rewrite history to benfit your
> self-righteousness. It may have been thought that the all-males would die out, but
> they remain. Why? Because their brotherhood is strong that way. Would you be so
> willing to sacrifice that for your own sense of what is correct? Delta, whom you
> bring up as an example, has a strong tradition. I have seen it at Nationals from
> 1992 - 1996, and expect to see it again. Don't hurt them just to prove yourself
> right.
My understanding of the "Gentleman's Agreement" is not that it was a compromise
to preserve tradition, but a compromise to allow the Fraternity to become
Co-Ed. (this as related to me by a couple Brothers who were there and not
directly quoted) Without this compromise, the vote may have failed, leading
to a lawsuit led by Zeta against the Fraternity. And most importantly, the
compromise, as I also understand it, was only a resolution, and was not written
into the by-laws. As a resolution, it can be overturned by another resolution,
which only requires a majority vote, not the 2/3 majority to change the
by-laws. As the voting body of the Fraternity, the delegates will have to
decide if it is in the Fraternity's best interest to remove the grandfather
clause. The Fraternity's best interests may be more important than the wishes
of the 30-odd chapters that wish to remain all-male. And I'm sure some will
be displeased with their decision, but the Brotherhood will survive. So far
in the 2 years I've seen this debate rage, I have yet to see a rational, logical
arguement in favor of allowing the all-male chapters to remain, as it is
always based on emotion and tradition. There is no logical reason to prevent
females from joining the Fraternity at any chapter, so it may be time that
this tradition be changed for the betterment of the Fraternity.
*****************************************************************************
Hawkeye APhiO Life Member #15299 | Co-Founder Chaos Corps (tm)
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