[23071] in APO-L
[APO-L] The "APQ Question"
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Brown Michael-EMB021)
Thu Oct 31 14:21:19 2002
Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 14:21:08 -0500
Reply-To: Brown Michael-EMB021 <Michael.R.Brown@MOTOROLA.COM>
From: Brown Michael-EMB021 <Michael.R.Brown@MOTOROLA.COM>
To: APO-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU
All-
Like everyone else, I've been reading the recent emails about Joel Bryant and the question of the "A-Phi-Ques".
The following is my personal feelings about the matter. I speak for no one but myself.
While I don't claim to fulling understand what it is to be a Que, from what I know this is how I feel about these issues.
I have no problem with all-male chapters in APO. I, in fact, feel that the Fraternity SHOULD allow for the establishment/re-establishment of all-male chapters, but ONLY in the case where the schools administration requests/requires it. This is in part due to my long time background as a scouting leader. The main BSA program I am involved in is the Venturing program, a co-ed program for high school & college youth. While Venturing is a co-ed program, the BSA allows each chartering organization to determine if their Venturing unit will be co-ed or single sex. Many charter orgs have very good reasons for wanting a single-sex unit. I think this same logic should be applied to the chartering of APO chapters.
I also have no problem per say with the Ques. I think there is a lot that our Fraternity can learn from them! Ques seem to be very successful at creating dedicated Brothers. And many of the alumni who come out of Que chapters seem very dedicated to APO. There is something that seems to be working with them. What is it?? We need to learn this.
Unfortunately, I am frankly sick and tired of some of the attitude I see displayed by some Ques. I don't know if this shows a general attitude amoung all Ques, or just of a small group. As kids nowadays say "Loss the 'tude!".
What are my 'issues'?
* APO is a diverse organization. We accept all, regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, etc. My chapter is a good illustration of this. We have black, white, hispanic, asian, jewish, indian, etc members in our chapter. So don't throw 'diversity' into the face of APO. It won't work.
* APO is co-ed. Its been co-ed since 1976. It will not and cannot go back to being all-male. GET OVER IT!!! If you can't recognize the many female Brothers in APO, again, YOU are the one(s) with the diversity issues.
There were very good reasons we went co-ed. I think it was great that the most recent edition of the Pledge Manual devoted space to this issue. APO was very much in danger of loosing chapters due to Title IX. We were not exempt from thus. You complain about 'us' not recognizing the great history and traditions of APQ, well you need to learn the history of APO!
* We are ALL Brothers in APO. Accept it. I was less then pleased with the emails sent out about Joel Bryant which only addressed Joel as a "Brother" and ignored the other four Brothers named in it as such. Start recognizing ALL 300,000+ members of APO as Brother, male and female.
* Actives run the Fraternity. While I'm not totally happy with the level that alums have a say in things (nor with how things are setup for our so-called 'National Alumni Association'), I'm not happy with what seems to be the general attitude from the Ques that alumni should be running the show. If the Ques WANT to have a say in the Fraternity, they need to be participating with other chapters at our Sectional, Regional, and National events.
* Its the 21st Century, not the 1950s. One issue I do have in general with APQ's is their use of membership practices that either NEVER had a place in APO, or no longer have a place in APO. Things have changed in the world of Greek Letter Orgs and how we deal with Pledges. Take a look at some of the discussions on greekchat.com to see what I mean. APO policies concering pledges are set down in our Membership Policy, Risk Management Policy, and National Pledging Standards. Read them and follow them. I say this because some of what I've read from some Ques show a reluctance of giving up these practices, and complaining that they are "unfairly" declared hazing. Sorry, they are hazing. I think APO has a very reasonable definition of hazing and unacceptable behavior. Other GLO seem to have gone overboard in this area (another personal aside, again due to my long time standing as a scouter, and having to take Youth Protection Training, I am very much 'zero tolerance' on h!
az!
!
ing. So I think our policies are quite reasonable). Get in line with how things work today, and you'll have a greater accepance from other APO Brothers.
Overall I'd like to see the Ques come back into the fold of APO. I'd like to see the re-esablishment of the many chapters we had at HBCU. And as I said before, I won't have an issue with them being all-male. But the general attitude I see displayed by some Ques makes it difficult for their many APO Brothers (who DON"T have the 'baggage' of long time membership) to support what they want.
Yours in Leadership, Friendship, and Service always
Michael Brown
APO Life Member and Torchbearer
former APO Pledge and Pledgemaster
current APO Chapter Advisor & Alum
