[20021] in APO-L
Re: Summer vs Winter Nationals
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Phillip Dore)
Tue Jan 26 23:03:41 1999
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1999 20:03:36 PST
Reply-To: Phillip Dore <goldenbear96@HOTMAIL.COM>
From: Phillip Dore <goldenbear96@HOTMAIL.COM>
To: APO-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU
Bros.,
I'm not all that thrilled with the practice of holding any
conventions in the dead of winter, especially if they are held in areas
where water is usually found in its solid form. However, from a
practical standpoint, I don't see any better or equal alternative
option. My rationale:
1. Having them at the end of May creates problems for brothers
on the West coast because many of the schools out there run from the end
of Sept to the end of June (my alma mater was not one of them,
fortunately). A convention at the end of May or in June would put them
near or in the middle of finals. As most of y'all know, Regions X/XI
are expanding rapidly both in terms of the number of chapters as well as
chapter size. A May/June plan could well exclude many of these
brothers.
2. While it can be said that airfare goes up in wintertime and
that it is more difficult to get flights, keep in mind that not all
brothers fly. Many drive. In the summertime, gasoline prices go
through the roof b/c so many Americans hit the highway for pleasure.
Furthermore, while department stores use Christmastime as their season
to roll in the big bucks, many other commercial entities, primarily
those tied either directly or indirectly to tourism, make much of their
money during summer. I know that in FL, So. TX, and So. CA, May is the
opening for "Tourist Gouging Season."
3. This is a real stretch of logic, but because of the colder
weather during winter conventions, the brothers are more likely to stay
indoors. B/c they're trapped inside the buildings, they must do
something to fight off cabin fever. How? Mingle with fellow brothers
trapped with them, perhaps discuss fraternity business, maybe get some
important business done. Knowing myself, if I were at a summer
convention, especially if it were in a city I had never been, I'd be
more inclined to go exploring (or skip the convention entirely and spend
a week or two on a beach sipping rum and margaritas and knocking back
shellfish - ala Jimmy Buffett).
4. While it is true that most of us love our relatives, we can
only take so much of them. There are only so many times we can stand to
here about how Granny won the quilting contest, Uncle Jim Bob's one and
only joke in his comedic repertoire, and how Cousin Bubba got arrested
(this does not reflect any of my relatives. And no offense meant toward
my fellow Southern brothers). After a week (finishing the day after
Christmas), you're ready to escape. Who really wants to spend New Years
with their crazy relatives watching Dick Clark's "New years Rockin'
Eve"?
LFS,
Phil Dore
Beta Pi
Gamma Gamma Alumnus
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