[19422] in APO-L
Re: All Male
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Richard Quodomine, Thomas Register)
Wed Oct 21 00:52:26 1998
Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 00:51:28 -0400
Reply-To: "Richard Quodomine, Thomas Register Rep. on Long Island" <trrdq@SPRINTMAIL.COM>
From: "Richard Quodomine, Thomas Register Rep. on Long Island" <trrdq@SPRINTMAIL.COM>
To: APO-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU
John,
>
>
> Actually, the "throw out" toward fraternities has been to "live-in" houses or
> sports where there is some moral or health value to having single sex. No
> court to date has not interpreted it to allow single sex in any other venue.
> In fact, they have come out stongly against single sex, esp where business
> contacts can be made. I would dare you to find any APO alumni who has not
> made some business (direct or indirect contact out of APO, including using it
> on their CV)
I once again disagree with you. Perhaps no court you find has allowed single sex,
but the fact that they exist is proof enough that they are entrenched
institutions. And in case you need a law, look no further than State University of
New York Policy, supported by the state, and court tested, whihc in 1982
established fraternal presence again on the State University of New York Campuses,
despite protests to the contrary. While maybe some courts have overturned some
fraternities, mot cases were probably thrown out before they got there? Why?
Because the courts have better things to do than decide if fraternities and
sororities, long held traditions in Amerian Higher Academic Life, should be co-ed.
The truth: Many judges were fraternity or sorority members. They probably would
take a look at a dumb case like forcing the nation's largest Service Fraternity
into Co-ed chapters and say the following.
1. There are less than 10% of chapters left who are all-male.
2. They are there by an existing agreement already written policy in APO.
3. They have been dying out over the last 20 years ago.
4. There is an open-door policy on all new chapters.
5. Other fraternities which are co-ed exist, as do other fraternities which are
single sex.
In other words, the Courts would take a look at this and say:
"Frankly my dear, we couldn't give a damn. Go solve the problem yourself."
Let us not leave to legal briefs what we solved ourselves 22 years ago. We have a
compromise that works, except for some people who are self-appointed arbiters of
"what is right". Memo to you from the rest of us: Leave it alone.
-- Richard QUodomine, His opinions are his own
