[19314] in APO-L
Where is it written...
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Buddha Buck)
Thu Oct 8 01:44:46 1998
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1998 01:44:33 -0400
Reply-To: Buddha Buck <bmbuck@ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU>
From: Buddha Buck <bmbuck@ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU>
To: APO-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU
It is my understanding that the current policy concerning co-ed and
single-sex chapters is as follows:
("co-ed" meaning having a policy allowing both genders to join,
regardless of current constituency, and "single-sex" meaning having a
policy forbidding a particular gender to join).
1) Any chapter currently co-ed must remain co-ed, and cannot become
single-sex.
2) Any single-sex chapter that admits a member of the opposite gender
must then become co-ed.
3) Any new chapters must be co-ed.
4) Any chapters that are reactivated must be co-ed.
Thus, the only single-sex chapters are ones that have been continuously
active since before this policy has been in effect, and has not
switched to co-ed. Of which, there are approximately 30 still
remaining.
It is also my understanding that this policy was enacted following the
1976 National Convention, as part of a compromise made to allow the
Fraternity to go co-ed, while allowing individual chapters to decide
what they wanted to do.
But searching the documents I have available to me (the National
Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, Standard Chapter Articles of
Association, Membership Policies, etc) I can find no trace of that
policy.
From my reading of the By-Laws, all chapters are on an equal footing --
all must annually certify that they abide by the Standard Chapter
Articles of Association and Membership Policies, etc. There is no
distinction made officially between a co-ed and single-sex chapter. In
fact, gender itself seems to be curiously missing from any of the
official documents I can find.
Where is the current policy documented?
As I understand it, the continuing status of single-sex chapters is
allowed under the context of "chapters have the right to determine
their own membership". If this is the case, then why can't an existing
co-ed chapter decide to become single-sex, or a new chapter be
recognised as single-sex?
--
Buddha Buck bmbuck@acsu.buffalo.edu
"Just as the strength of the Internet is chaos, so the strength of our
liberty depends upon the chaos and cacaphony of the unfettered speech
the First Amendment protects." -- A.L.A. v. U.S. Dept. of Justice
