[23010] in APO-L
Re: [APO-L] Proposal Question: B-02-035 & B-02-036: Raise Initiate Fee
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Christopher Jon Stromberg)
Tue Oct 22 23:38:30 2002
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 17:11:07 -0700
Reply-To: Christopher Jon Stromberg <cstrombe@STANFORD.EDU>
From: Christopher Jon Stromberg <cstrombe@STANFORD.EDU>
To: APO-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU
In-Reply-To: <007d01c27a1c$b83d1900$2a00a8c0@JamesAthlon>
James, et al,
My argument was not that I don't get $100 of worth out of the
Fraternity, nor that our pledges don't get $100 worth out of being
involved. I have been involved for a very long time, and I have certainly
put more than 10 times that amount into being an active.
The problem is, although WE as actives and alumni may understand
why APO is worth whatever we are asked to put into it, potential pledges
likely won't. It doesn't matter how good of a sales pitch you have if
they walk away the moment they hear how much it costs to pledge.
We have to be careful that we don't get caught up looking at our
experiences in APO and saying that it was or was not worth $100 (or any
amount of money, for that matter). We all have many years of experience
to look back on. The problem with this proposal is that we are asking
people with NO experience in APO to commit to paying a relatively large
sum of money up front. I don't think people are going to be willing to do
that.
It also doesn't do a whole lot of good to tell someone, "Oh, if
you were just more responsible with your money, you could afford it."
That sort of logic is counter-productive, even if it is true.
As an active that has run a number of recruiting seasons, I can
tell you that from my experiences that this would make our recruiting MUCH
more difficult in my current chapter. Yes, the fraternity needs resources
to continue to grow and be a productive force in this nation and in this
world. What I am saying is raise MY fees, don't raise the fees of those
who have not yet learned what APO can be for them.
Chris Stromberg
Zeta Chapter
Stanford University
