[2385] in APO News
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daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jeffrey Scott Poore)
Tue Feb 11 23:31:52 1997
From: Jeffrey Scott Poore <jefreypu@MIT.EDU>
To: apoc-dist@MIT.EDU
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 1997 23:19:57 EST
Subject: APOcrypha #1
APOcrypha
Volume 86, Issue 1
Wednesday, Februrary 5, 1997
Spring 1997
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A letter from the Editor
Greetings Brothers, and welcome back to another round of the
Apocrypha. This year I hope to publish a regular Apocrypha, no matter
how large or small. Depending on the number of submissions from the
chapter, I may also spend some time gathering some interesting stuff
from the National APO Web site and other places that I find about
APO. I have come up with the idea that we may find some really nifty
stuff out there, so I might as well share it with you.
This issue of the Apocrypha is dedicated to Nationals, and so there
are a few Nationals related articles enclosed. Thank you to all those
who submitted articles.
YiLFS,
Jeffrey
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Jeffrey goes to Nationals!
Well, I really have to thank my chapter for giving me the opportunity
to go to Nationals as a voting delegate. I was even lucky enough to be
able to work on a committee, and even though it was not a committee
with very controversial issues like the Gentleman's Agreement, it was
actually one of the most enlightening experiences I have ever had with
Alpha Phi Omega.
To begin with, I got lucky on the first day. (I can imagine Oscar
laughing at that line already :) It was snowing hard in Montana the
day I was scheduled to leave, and the visibility was awful, but
somehow the plane managed to land and take off with no problems. I am
very glad that I scheduled to arrive a whole day early, though.
Getting to the Hotel turned out to be a big problem for a number of
us. Some of us didn't even remember which Hotel chain we were staying
at. (Are we staying at the Hyatt or the Hilton?? :) The only problem I
seemed to have was that the shuttle picked you up on the North side of
the terminal and I was waiting on the South side of the
terminal. That's what I get for not asking for help :)
Once I actually piled into a van, I was surrounded by APO brothers. I
went from lost in Phoenix to meeting my brothers from across the
land. Once we got to the hotel, it was a little bit of a wait in line
to register us all. Maybe I should have considered coming more than a
day in advance.
Jill, Chris, Gina and I arrived on the first day, and we actually had
a little fun wandering around trying to get food. Unfortunately
Phoenix closes down early, and so everything was pretty much
closed. But it was so warm! It was great, and we just wanted to wander
around Phoenix all night. But we were hungry, so we headed back to our
room and settled for the room service food.
The second day was registration. This would have gone better except
that we had received our registration packet really late (and they
gave us non-understanding looks when we told them this) and thus had
to mail it in late. The main problem with the way registration worked
is that they had a "problems" line and a "late registration"
line. They told us first that we should only be in the problems line
if we were not in good standing with Nationals or hadn't registered at
all (Nationals had received our forms though). I wish of course they
would have told us this before I had waited in line for about a half
hour. I then went to the late registration line, talked to them, and
then they told me that the problems people had our forms and I had to
wait in line again, from the end. Sigh.
Once we all finally got registered, I went up to the room and went to
sleep for a bit. Later Ingrid and I went to a session on parliamentary
procedure that was very enlightening. The parliamentarian of Nationals
(ask Ingrid for his name, cause I don't have my Nationals stuff right
now) was a very cool guy who explained some very basic rules of
parliamentary procedure that made it very clear. I basically understand
now a whole lot better the way Charley was running meetings a few
terms ago, cause that is exactly how they run the legislative session
at Nationals. Anyhow, Ingrid and I took notes on that session, and so
we may publish what we learned in a later edition of the apoc this
term.
We also went to a session on public speaking that was very good, and
so I would have to say that at only one day into Nationals, I had
learned more than I probably did at some of those summer camps I used
to go to back in high school. We then went to the opening session of
the Convention, where we watched a number of slides from the last National
convention, heard speeches by many of the National Members at Large,
approved the rules of the legislative session, and then of course
Roll Call. Our roll call was 101 Alpha Chi's on the wall counting down
in binary. We sort of forgot to preregister for this, so we came near
the very end, and there weren't many brothers left at that point :)
After that Ingrid and I headed off to our first meeting with our
committees, and the others went off and had fun without us :( I have
to admit that I thought the Alumni Committee meeting would not last
that long, since we were only considering two amendments and two
resolutions, but it turns out that we were more divided over the
issues than I had thought, and so my committee in fact lasted longer
than Ingrid's (which of course the next day would last much much
longer than mine). I in fact did not get back to the room until 2am,
and looking at the alarm clock, I saw that the alarm was not set, so
trying not to wake up Ingrid, Oscar (who had arrived during the
opening session), or Bridge, I tried very carefully to quietly set the
alarm in the dark. I figured I could do this pretty easily and all,
but I accidentally managed to press <pause> the sleep button. Now any
person who has ever used an alarm clock regularly should know that the
sleep button doesn't really have anything to do with sleep. It causes
the radio to start playing for some reason, and in this case, it
caused the radio to start playing very loudly. I kept beating on it
trying to hit the snooze button, but I couldn't find it, and I finally
managed to turn the volume down. I realized Oscar was not asleep
because I could hear him laughing at me, and Ingrid had woken up for a
second (grumbling about it being morning already :), but I hadn't
heard anything from Bridget. I had to try hard not to burst out
laughing myself, and that took a lot.
The next day Ingrid and I spent most of our time in committee. Ingrid
really liked her committee, because it had a lot of power, and they
got to subpoena lots of people. Well, my committee only had to
subpoena one person, but I think where the real work of the committee
came in was really grinding through the legislation, trying to come up
with a common idea of what the author had been intending and
redirecting as best we could. As we worked, we got to know each other
better, and I have to say that it was one of the most enjoying
meetings I have ever been to.
The next day was of course the first day of the legislative
session. You can see of course that Ingrid and I didn't really get a
chance to just go and do things in Phoenix. They gave us time for food
and sleep, but most of the rest of the time, we were either in
committee or in the legislative session. I have to say that the
legislative session was a really unique experience. It is really like
being in Congress or something, where what you decide really does
effect people and make a strong impact on others. Sometimes I think
one reason our meetings don't work as well is because people don't
really think some things apply to them and thus don't really think
about them carefully enough. Here we really had to consider both sides
of each issue, and you were limited both in the number of times you
could speak and for how long, so you really had to carefully consider
what it was that you wanted to say. Ingrid I am proud to say did most
of the speaking for the both of us, and I think she did a very fine
job and I am really glad that I had the opportunity to work with her.
The other brothers who came with us did a very good job of checking on
us regularly, as did the regional and sectional staff (Ingrid in fact
received rations of chocolate throughout the entire legislative
session :)
The only things that I can add about the legislative session is that
it was really long (not long for a Nationals, I hear). If you think
our meetings are long, I will have to tell you that I will never think
that again after having gone through a session that lasted two
days. It was a very good and productive two days though. I think as
long as our meetings are productive, I don't really care how long they
are. I just don't want to sit in a meeting that is going long and is
starting to be really unproductive. The chair of the legislative
session (who of course was the National President for most of the
business of the meeting) did a very wonderful job of keeping things on
track. One of the other things I really liked about the session is
that the chair was always very strict about what was in order and what
wasn't, and things could only be discussed if they were in order
(sometimes of course, this did have adverse effects, such as the fact
that we always had to consider a motion that was in order).
I would like also at this point to bring up something that the
parliamentarian of the National Convention made very clear at his
session on Parliamentary procedure. There is no such thing as a
friendly amendment. I think of course that we will probably continue
using them, since in a way it is sort of a hack on the system that
lets an amendment go by faster. However, every amendment by real
Robert's Rules of order is to be considered the same way (well, taking
into account whether it is just an amendment on a motion or an
amendment on an amendment to a motion, etc.). I was just a little
amused by this little fact because of how much we use friendly
amendments and how we occasionally have those little ``unfriendly''
amendments, which sound like they want to do something nasty to your
motion :)
Oh, I have forgotten to talk about the banquets. The Fellowship
Banquet was on the third day, after we had been in Committee most of
the day. The food was provided by our wonderful favorite, ARAmark :)
They tried to make us mingle by allowing only two people from a
chapter to be together at a table, and then randomizing what table you
went to. The only unfortunate thing about the banquet was that Oscar
and I were seated so far away from the front that it was hard to
really see the people who were speaking during the banquet. The Awards
Banquet was on the night after the legislative session had ended, but
this time we were allowed to sit wherever we wanted. Ingrid and Gina
unfortunately did not attend this banquet because they had to leave
early. They invited a black four man acapella group to sing for us,
and it was so fun that people got up and danced around the room. After
the banquet I pretty much went up to my room and punted for the rest
of the evening because I was so tired.
The only thing I haven't really mentioned was the meetings we had with
the Region I staff. Cheryl Smith has been re-elected Region I chair,
Regionals this year will be in Pennsylvania somewhere (we have
information on that, and so you will probably see something about that
at a meeting or in the apoc), and Mike Rapetta, John Grossi and Cheryl
all looked at Ingrid and I when the issue of where to hold Conclave
next term came up. What can I say except that you can expect them to
pressure us to consider doing it, as the choice will be made at the
Conclave this term.
Well, I believe that covers all the fun things I wanted to talk about
concerning Nationals that didn't involve legislation. There is another
article in the apoc about what came out of the business meeting if you
are interested. Thank you all for your support of me and Ingrid for
Nationals this year.
YiLFS,
Jeffrey
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Jeff and Ingrid's Report on the Business Meeting
of the National Convention of 1996
The Business meeting of the APO 1996 National Convention commenced
on December 29, 1996 at 9 am. Many voting delegates spent the
next two days examining 95 pieces of legislation. Some results
are summarized here.
*Membership
Honorary Membership can now be conferred upon members of petitioning
groups who graduated or left the school before the group chartered
by a three-quarter vote of the petitioning group membership.
These members can be listed on the charter as chartering members.
Honorary membership may be conferred upon undergraduate students
at schools where extension efforts may not be attempted due to
institutional regulations.
Extension membership was not killed, but the National Membership and
Extension Committee will conduct a thorough study of the Extension Membership
policy. This should be complete with proposals and recommendations
for the 1998 convention.
*Service
National Service Day has become National Service Week. This will
give chapters a full 7 days to do projects for National Service
Week.
The program of emphasis for the next two years will be ``Combating
Violence and Poverty.'' The theme for National Service Week 1997
will be ``Hunger and Homelessness,'' and the theme for National
Service Week 1997 will be ``Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.''
Chapters will be encouraged to participate in USA Weekend
magazine's ``Make a Difference Day'' and submit photos and text
descriptions of their projects to the magazine.
*Chapter Operations
Rituals shall be changed so that it is clear that we make the open
palm sign before we make the Fraternity sign in the Pledge and Initiation
rituals.
The Service Chair will speak about all four fields of service in the
Initiation ritual instead of having the Advisor speak about two of them.
The room arrangements during the Pledge ritual were moved from page 2
to page 8. It is intended that the Ritual room be set up during the
meditation period of the pledges.
The treasurer and the service chair should light their candles ``from
the tall, white candles'' (pages 23 and 24).
Pledges should be made aware that the Initiation ritual contains references
to God, and a dedication invoking the name of ``Our Common God.''
The issue of the Gentleman's Agreement was referred to a committee of
the National Membership Director, the National Legal Counsel, and
at least five additional members, each representing one of five different
regions. Chapter Ops also encouraged the committee to have at least one
representative
from Region II, IV, or IX (the regions with the highest percentages of
all-male chapters), and representatives from an all-male chapter, a coed
chapter, and an all-female chapter. The committee has been directed
to weigh the costs and benefits of allowing all-male chapters at coed
institutions to remain all-male, and to propose legislation appropriate
to their findings to the next national convention. The committee is also
to submit a report to the 1998 National Convention, and to prepare an
interim progress report by February 1998. The interim report shall be
made available to any APO brother or chapter upon request, and a brief
summary of the report shall be published in the Winter 1998 issue of the
TT. In addition, the committee shall provide a history of the
Gentleman's Agreement (what it is and what happened at the convention
in 1976), issue an open request
to all chapters to submit their opinions on all relevant issues
(which will then be compiled and summarized in the committee's report),
solicit the opinions of other service organizations such as Gamma
Sigma Sigma and Omega Phi Alpha and examine the potential impact of
revoking the Gentleman's Agreement on these organizations, and a bunch
of other stuff. Read the actual resolution in the office.
*Finance
Life Memberships now cost 50 for all students (graduate and undergraduate)
within one year of their graduation, and 75 thereafter.
Initiation Fees were raised from 20 to 25.
Annual Active Membership Dues (AAMD) were raised from 8per year to
12 per year. Each chapter must send at least 36 per year (up from
24 per year).
*Scouting
The Purpose of APO in the Amendments to the Articles of Incorporation,
National Bylaws, Amendments to the Standard Chapter Articles of Association,
and Rituals and other publications goes something like:
The purpose of this Fraternity shall be to assemble college students
in a National Service Fraternity in the fellowship of principles derived
from the Scout Oath and Law of the Boy Scouts of America; to develop
Leadership, to promote Friendship, and to provide Service to humanity;
and to further the freedom that is our national, educational, and
intellectual heritage.
The National Scouting Relations Committee will develop and produce
certificates to recognize those earning of the rank of Eagle Scout (BSA),
Gold Award (Girl Scouts), and Quartermaster Award (Sea Exploring, BSA)
and make these certificates available to chapters.
A Fact Sheet detailing the principals of APO will be developed and published
to be made available to Youth Organizations and to chapters as a reference.
*Alumni
A Regional Alumni Council shall be composed of at least one alumni
member from each recognized alumni association within the region
and at least one alumni member-at-large from the region to represent
alumni not affiliated with a recognized alumni association.
The National Alumni Association is to spread information to active
students about the Career Connection and the Sustaining Membership
programs and to promote awareness of alumni activities by replacing
the Alumni Accent in the January and September standard mailings
with a new section giving details and contact information regarding
these services.
*National Organization
The Board realignment passed. There is currently a report from the
old board on what they wanted to do and why. Now it's done.
``Members-at-large'' are now ``Program Directors'', and the national committees
were clumped together as to be more effective.
A Risk Management Policy was passed by the convention. It will be posted
in the office for your viewing pleasure; I don't want to type it all in.
In regards to a conflict between the rules of APO and a school, always
follow the rules that are most strict.
Sectional Chairs are stuck with their jobs until their successors have
been elected.
A chapter can only vote for Sectional Chairs if it is a) present at the
election and b)is in the section of which the chair is being elected.
So we can't go visit RPI for conclave and vote for their sectional
chair. Damn. ;)
Regionals should (officially) happen. And Regional Directors (officially)
have staff.
The Pledge Manual will have a paragraph about APO Philipines.
*Long-Range Planning
Long-Range Planning made a bunch 'o goals, including creating a Chapter
Advisor Education Program,
establishing at least 5 active chapters in Canada by the end of the
century (gasp!), increasing the Endowment Fund to 3 million by 2005,
and to have a membership of at least 18,000 actives at at least 375
chapters by August 2000.
*Leadership
The Leadership Development committee made reccomendations regarding
the Leadership Development Workshop (LDW), Chapter Program Workshop
(CPW), Leadership Advancement Program (LeAP), Sectional Resource
Weekend (SRW), and future programs. Read about it at your leisure
in the office.
*Rules and Credentials
Rules and Credentials asked that a more detailed procedure be developed
for the election of Alumni Voting Delegates.
Rules and Credentials asked that a more detailed and secure procedure for
registration, certification, etc. of voting delegates to be developed.
*Awards and Appreciations
A lot of people were appreciated. I don't know about awards.
*Nominations (Elections)
The National Board of Directors for the next two years is:
ll
President: &Wilfred Krenek
Vice President: &Jack McKenzie
Program Directors: &Allen Wong, D.D.S.
&Dave Emery
&mrn Tomusiak
&John Wetherington
&Charlie Zimmerman
&Bobby Hainline
All candidates nominated by the Nominations Committee were elected.
*Time and Place
The next National Convention will be held in December, 1998
in Minneapolis, MN.
*Notes
This is a summary of the legislation including the issues Jeff and Ingrid
presented to the chapter and those we heard people gripe about. All
legislation (passed and failed) will be posted in the office.
REV is pronounce blEh.
Find Fraternity Internet Awareness Week. Stop laughing. ;)
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AfterFinals January 1997
With sleeping bags and several gallons of milk, Grant Emery
(Manpower PC), Michael Spitznagel and I, (Elaine, multiple PC for
AfterFinals: Head PC, Food PC, Fellowship PC) piled into Chris
Falling's car and headed off to Camp Resolute for a weekend of service
and fellowship. Upon arrival at the Camp, the Ranger, Jim Chessna,
directed us to a different building than the Dining Hall where we had
stayed before (this place would have heat and all the
amenities). Then, Jim's wife, Sandy, carried out a huge water
container and told us that the water from the well had failed a
standards test and that we should not drink water from the
faucet. Well, we could not let this small problem put a damper on our
weekend. Chris drops us off and returns to MIT to play in Yendi <the
Assassin's game>. The three of us who stayed, unpack and notice an
"OUT OF ORDER" sign above the fireplace. "It's not the same without a
fire. How can a fireplace be out of order? No fair. We can't make
s'mores." (per Grant) Well, at least we have heat.
The next car arrived with Brian Perrin (Fellowship Facilitator
1) and Jeffrey Poore (Fellowship Facilitator 2). Dale Worley was the
driver. I finally get to meet the titian-haired Alum. He promises to
return for breakfast on Sunday. When Brian arrives the juggling
demonstration begins. "We should have a conclave. We can do a
juggling demo." (per Jeffrey) I try to juggle. "Try with two, first"
(per Grant)
Throw, Throw, Catch, PLUNK! Throw, Throw, Catch, PLUNK!
Throw, Throw, Catch, PLUNK! Throw, Throw, Catch, PLUNK!
(Jeffrey sets up a target on the table) "Come on, you can get it to go
PLUNK on the table." Throw, Throw, Catch, PLUNK! Throw, Throw, Catch,
PLUNK! I won't quit my day job.
Shortly after, Richard "Sparky" Donovan drove up with Melissa
Dullea, Bani Azari and Bob Macke (a visiting Alum '96). All were
disappointed about the fireplace, but then card games were started and
the power of hot chocolate was utilized. But, people are still cold.
They need something to do that will warm their bodies and their
spirits. I think it is time for the fellowship event. It's physical
and fun. "Ok, everybody has played charades before, and everyone has
played telephone before. I have a game that combines the
two. Telephone charades. Everyone has to line up. Only one person
gets to see the cue card. Everyone else is turned around until it is
their turn to pass on the charade. Even if the person receiving the
charade has not gotten the correct concept, they have to 'telephone'
their understanding to the next person. The point is not to get the
cue. It's more fun to see how severely the charade can be altered by
passing the charade through all the people. Each person will have a
minute to relay their version of the charade to the next person. The
last person in the line makes the guess." We play for two hours.
Everyone is warmer now. Time for bed.
At 7:30am, I feel a tug on my sleeping bag. It's Jeffrey. "Are
you going to cook breakfast?" I stumble out of bed and cook breakfast.
Grant, Michael, Jeffrey, Brian, Sparky, Melissa, Bani, Bob and I are
present for breakfast. After cleanup, we head over to the camp sites
to collect damaged trees from the December 11th snowstorm and to
repair tent platforms. Along the way, we meet up with Heather Drake,
Richard Barbalace, and Gina Nicholls (Transportation PC) in Joe
Kuchta's car. An hour later, six BU people arrive. Apparently, there
was some confusion about rides. I guess the most important thing is
that they arrived and not *how* they arrived. After being out in the
cold for several hours, brothers returned to hot pots of soup and
sandwiches. Grant, Michael, Jeffrey, Brian, Sparky, Melissa, Bani,
Bob, Heather, Richard, Gina, six BU people, Ron, Ezra, Junko, Tuhneka
and I have lunch, then it's back to work.
Around 4:30pm, as the sun disappeared, a group of icicles
filed into the house. Ranger Jim informed us of the misplaced sign
above the fireplace so a fire was promptly started. At 6pm, the
Guiness Book of records was contacted. Why? Well, for the first time
in history, dinner at an APO event was served on time. A pasta dinner
with garlic bread and salad was prepared and gobbled down by all
present. Clean-up, on the other hand, did not receive as ready of a
response. In fact, I think I needed to blow a whistle to get *any*
response. As a consequence of the lack of response, all were treated
like disobedient children and denied treats of cookies and s'mores.
*DING!* an egg timer goes off. What's this? Everyone looks up.
"I sense a fellowship event" (per Grant). It looks like the bear has
gone to rest and the cub has come out to play. The s'mores and cookies
are made available and telephone charades is played again.
I must have fallen asleep soon after because the next thing I
heard was Dale Worley's voice. "I was promised breakfast before 9am".
As promised, Dale returned for breakfast on Sunday. Breakfast was
prepared and everything was packed up and brought back. Thank you to
all who attended.
Elaine
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Top Ten Ways to Make the PC of AfterFinals January 1997 Happy
10. Sign-up Early! Not on Thursday, after the food has been bought.
9. Don't change your mind and remove your name from the sign-up
on Thursday, after the food has been bought.
8. Be a sub-PC!
7. Don't forget that you are a sub-PC (despite the PC's numerous
email reminders) and thus force the PC to pick up your job at
the last minute.
6. If you are a passenger, show up on time for your ride!
5. If you are a driver, be reasonable (at least give them 8 minutes)
about waiting for your passengers.
4. Listen to the PC when she says, "The food will be cold enough
if we leave it by the door, we don't need to put it outside."
3. Help the PC cook. Yes, *cook*. Not standing around, not goofing off,
not showing off <this comment is completely directed at the men>.
2. If you can't/won't cook, you must help clean. The PC should not
have to ask/demand your help. You should volunteer.
And the number one way to make the PC of AfterFinals January 1997
happy is......
1. Say "Thank you". The PC not only made calls, coordinated with BU,
bought the food, and cooked the food, but also arranged a
fellowship game. Show your PC some gratitude and she'll be more
willing to do things again. Show your PC disrespect and she
will not feel any desire to do anything for you.
Elaine
P.S. Thank you to my sub-PC's Grant and Gina for making phone calls
and arranging transportation for everyone.
Thank you to Junko, Bani, Tuknekah, and Heather Drake for
helping with Saturday's dinner preparations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Why I Wear My Service Pin, by Glenn
At Initiation, each brother receives a service pin. The pin is not
intended to be worn only for rituals and other special occasions.
Indeed, even the words of the Ritual tell us this, just as the words of
the Pledge Ceremony encourage the regular wearing of the pledge pin.
At some chapters, wearing the pledge pin is "mandatory" and at others
it is discouraged. I expect that the same holds true of service pins,
although I have never particularly asked. Here at Alpha Chi, we follow a
middle-of-the-road approach, leaving the decision up to each individual,
with only a gentle encouragement that pins be worn. When I pledged, the
only organized encouragement was the inclusion of John Kohl's
(/usr/unsupported/poo's) APOc article in the pledge manual. (Is it still
there?) It certainly was short and to the point.
One practical reason for wearing our pins, from the chapter's
perspective, is that doing so can create opportunities to describe APO to
those who are not members. In the case of students, this can be our first
personal contact with prospectives, and a start on their becoming members.
With faculty and administrators, it can lead to them having a better
understanding of APO and thus our having better relations with the
university. While this is certainly true, it is unrelated to why I choose
to wear my pin, as is partially demonstrated by my having worn it everyday
even during the time when I was living in Maine.
I wear my pin because it is a visible reminder of my commitment to
APO. Putting it on in the morning is a reminder of my choice to join
APO, of the reasons for doing so, of my continued belief in our basic
principles, and of my desire to do service. To brothers who do not know
me, it is a way to spot me and know that we share a common ground and
interest. To people who know about APO, it is a sign of my membership
and that I share Alpha Phi Omega's beliefs. The most important of these
reasons is what it means to me. Thus, while I would like to see each of
you wearing your pin, I will not press you to do so.
-- Glenn
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Ten Questions and Answers about Alpha Phi Omega
*What is Alpha Phi Omega?
Alpha Phi Omega is a National Service Fraternity -- college students
gathered together in an organization based on fraternalism and founded on
the principles of Leadership, Friendship and Service. Its aim is to further
the freedom that is our national, educational and intellectual heritage.
*Who can join?
Membership is open to any student enrolled on a campus where a chapter
exists who is approved for membership by that chapter. If there is no
chapter at your college, but there is a campus nearby with a chapter,
contact that chapter. The chapter may be able to invite you to participate
in their service program.
*Why should you join? What can it do for you?
College should be more than the acquisition of facts and figures; it should
also broaden your experiences, expand and test your inherent abilities, and
sharpen your social skills. Alpha Phi Omega, through its unique program of
leadership, friendship and service, can add this necessary but often lacking
aspect of college life -- and at the same time enable you to help others
while helping yourself.
*How is the fraternity governed on the campus?
Under the Chapter Articles of Association and National Bylaws, each chapter
is its own self-governing organization, electing its own officers and
establishing its own operating rules and programs. Each chapter also elects
an Advisory Committee consisting of three or more members of the faculty or
administration and one or more Scouting and community representatives. These
advisors ensure continuity of operation as the student leaders change, and
encourage the achievement of fraternal, scholastic and service goals.
*How is the fraternity governed nationally?
Alpha Phi Omega is a student-based organization. The supreme authority of
the fraternity is the National Convention, which meets every two years. It
is composed of two voting delegates from each of the active chapters
throughout the nation. Between Conventions, the National Board of Directors
-- elected by the Convention delegates -- runs the fraternity within the
framework of the Bylaws established by the chapter delegates. Only the
National Convention may amend the Bylaws.
*Who is on the National Board of Directors?
Almost all Board members are elected by the student delegates at the
National Convention. The Board is composed of the National President, the
National Vice President and six other members elected at large; ten Regional
Directors elected by the chapter delegates in the respective regions; past
National Presidents; Life Members of the Board; and the surviving Founders
of the fraternity. In addition, there are four ex-officio members: the
National Archivist, the National Legal Counsel, the National Executive
Director, and one representative of the National Council of the Boy Scouts
of America.
*What is the official relationship between Alpha Phi Omega and Scouting?
Alpha Phi Omega was founded on Scouting principles.
The Boy Scouts of America is represented on our National Board of Directors;
however, BSA does not govern, control or finance Alpha Phi Omega in any way,
and previous membership in a Scouting group is not required to join our
fraternity.
*What is the role of alumni within Alpha Phi Omega?
Every Nationial Officer and Regional Director of Alpha Phi Omega is an
Alumnus. There are more than 36 local Alumni Associations active throughout
the nation helping chapters and maintaining relationships to
Alpha Phi Omega. These associations can be formed on either a chapter or
geographical basis. Alumni, individually and collectively, are becoming more
involved in supporting and expanding our fraternity.
*How can you be a fraternity if you don't have a house?
Alpha Phi Omega is unique; it is a Service fraternity. We use the concepts
of fraternalism as a means of providing service, to ourselves as well as to
others. The fact that our meetings are held in campus meeting rooms or our
members' apartments or dorm rooms does not decrease our sense of
brotherhood. In addition, since we are unique, we have no conflict with
social fraternities; independents, commuters, dorm dwellers, and social
fraternity members: all are welcome as members of Alpha Phi Omega.
*How can I join?
There are several approaches.
Ask an Alpha Phi Omega member on your campus
Contact the local chapter;
Ask the Student Activities Office for the name, address and telephone
number of the Alpha Phi Omega president or the chapter office (many
campuses provide Alpha Phi Omega office space)
Contact our Director of Chapter Services
- From the APO Web HQ
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The Quotable Brother Corner
That's ok... Michael can repopulate once they leave.
I just started, like, kissing people. (Emily)
I expect Gina and Harry will be at it all night. (Oscar)
The ET frosh don't do it to each other. (David)
Hwere are we going? I don't have any clothes. (Junko to Charley)
Let's take it all offc'mon(Lizzie)
Lizzie: What's wrong with the ceiling?
Michael: I'm fixing it!
Michael: I've never done that to a seal
Charley: Well, I suppose if you rub your thumb over a wet seal, it
would make that noise
I don't actually, like, swallow(Lizzie)
Well, I could tickle you with my nose. (Oscar)
I don't have a ring. But I've got a futon. (Ingrid)
Let's see how long we drag him out. See how deep he can bury
himself. (Jeffrey)
Just me and Lizzie, all day long(Harry)
I suppose I am in the mood right now (Harry)
What?! I'm your woman (Laura to Heather P.)
And she is the one that brought him up. (Laura)
I have never gotten any heads. (Heather P.)
I'm sorry, you wouldn't last 10 minutes. (Jeffrey to Laura)
I believe Harry and Gina are in the back. (Ari)
I generally don't go after 28 year olds. (Ryan)
I dare you to take me. (Kevin to Jill)
Take me, take me please! (Ryan to people in the office)
If you hear strange moaning sounds, I am probably working on a problem
set. (Ryan)
I'm glad the social area has moved away from the quote sheet. (Laura,
sitting to the right of the new quote sheet location)
Chances are we'll just do them all together. (Jeffrey about ET
pledges)
I discrete all over you. (Michael)
You can always do 'em at initiation. (Jeffrey)
Gina's getting fresh with the hammer. (Lizzie)
Falling: Harry, you were president
Harry: Traumatic experience, I blocked out the memory.
I wish mine were as big and large as Hannah's (Laura)
Well, I'm a polygamist, unless I get something really good.
That seemed to silence the office(Grant)
I was too busy enjoying myself. (Michael)
I've only successfully eaten breakfast once. (Michael)
You happen to know how to work zippers? (Laura)
If she doesn't do it, we don't want her here. (Brian)
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What It Means to be an Officer
Just cause I need one more page of stuff to make the apoc fill out
right, I am going to put a little splurge in here about what it means
to be an officer, at least in my opinion. Take as you will.
I have been lucky to have been honored by being elected to four
different offices. From what I can tell, that isn't terribly common,
so being elected an officer must be something pretty important. Like I
have said, its an honor and trust that is being bestowed upon
you. Trust that you will do what you have been asked to do and do it
in such a way that is acceptable to the chapter that elected you.
What I think needs to be stressed here, however, is that you aren't
above the wishes of the chapter. If the chapter wants something done
one way and you would like to do it another, this does not mean you
should do it your way and then tell the chapter that they are tough
out of luck. Instead, you should probably tell the chapter that you
have a different and better idea, and see what they think of it. I
think just doing something your way and not consulting others is
usually just a poor idea. Besides, who are they going to blame when
all goes wrong? You might as well see what other people think first,
cause you probably will save yourself time, energy, and a lot of
frustration.
Being an officer means that you have responsibilities. You aren't
suddenly full of power and can destroy the universe. Instead, you have
been given the responsibilities of dealing with particular aspects of
the chapter. If the chapter is unhappy with your job, it probably
means that you need to find out why they are unhappy and change things
so that they are happy. The officerships in APO are not the kind of
jobs where people will suffer greatly if you don't do your job to
everyone's satisfaction, but the better a job you do, the better off
the chapter is.
Being an officer means that you get to direct people in the program of
service. However, ignoring other's guidance just because they don't
hold the office is a bad idea. In general, you should listen to all
suggestions, think about them, and then decide what to do. People will
be really unhappy if they think that you are not listening to their
suggestions.
Just a few suggestions from a brother trying to fill a last page in
the apoc.
YiLFS,
Jeffrey
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