Tom, a few years back, HQ operated without any checks or balances.

You know what? We almost lost everything back then.

So when there is a fundemental FLAW in the way chapters are recolonized, we should ADDRESS it.

If it IS true that one person stopped it, which I don't think happened/afraid to believe, then there is something wrong with the way HQ operates. Agreed?

Now let's think about this for a second. I personally don't believe it to be the case, but what if it actually did happen? I have received a lot of pm's regarding this topic, and although the pm's have provided me with a lot of information, I still hope for the best.

1 person, who is not associated with recruitment or recolonization, does not like a specific chapter.

HQ is made aware of the success that other fraternities have had at the college/university.

A large group of alumni are willing to spend their money and time to make it work.

A new fraternity on campus, with less than a semesters worth of recruiting, has enough people to move into an old LXA house.

The 1 person against the chapter tells the alumni that the greek system is forever dead and that LXA will never come back.

More and more fraternities succeed.

Does anyone see something fundamentally wrong with this scenario?

No one sees a problem here?

When a fraternity has large finances, they hire an auditor to make sure the money is being properly spent.

Who oversees or audits our recruitment/expansion program?

It doesn't concern ANY of you that ONE PERSON, for over 3 years, may have been able to prevent a successful recolonization of one of our oldest chapters for personal reasons???

Don't tell me to move on or "it's in the past". That's bull. There is enough evidence here (and what I received in my pm's) that at the VERY LEAST this should be investigated.

It can go the opposite way. What if someone FAVORED recolonizing a losing prospect, we spend time, money and resources, and it fails? Is THAT fair to the other potential, better suited prospects?

Here is the deal, plain and simple:

We need to find out if 1 person, not involved with recruitment, was able to sway the entire HQ against a particular chapter for personal reasons.

This is a serious issue that should not be swept under the rug. This is something that needs to be looked at.

Hey, that was a few years in your words!

Do I agree with you, NO!

Get with the damn current times!

You promote your ideas, but just what do you actually know about what is going on today? You know nothing because you are living in the past!:o

I have given you something and you choose to ignore it!

You are becoming very disappointing and tedious.

You know, Your BS only goes so far and last for so long!:rolleyes:

So it's ok to ignore something that may be potetially damaging to the fraternity?

Tom, ignoring something doesn't fix it.

That is how LXA almost got screwed before. Tom, I don't need to remind you what happened last decade.

You show the typical attitude: everything is fine as long as we don't hear about it.

Then, after years of ignoring a problem, it explodes in our face.

The only way we will get better is if we fix our problems, not ignore them.

Others have pm'd me about some of their experiences and what they have heard.

Why is it such a sin to say that something in our fraternity may be broken? Why is it wrong to say we should look at certain processes?

Pardon the crash (I know GZ will be ticked), but you fellas are really airing some laundry out here. Might I suggest a yahoo group or a more selective way to communicate about these sensitive issues?

If I were an undergraduate and read alumni ranting like this about my org in public, I would be PISSED.

Nittany, this ain't nothin'.

I have a very simple ideal when it comes to stuff like this. When I was pledging, my brothers called me in one night and let me know the financial situation that our house was in. We owed quite a bit of taxes, our alumni that were supposed to handle our finances didn't for over 5 years, and it was most likely that the semester I pledged was going to be the last for the house (it wasn't, hung in there and almost came back).

They sat me down, explained everything in detail, and said the would not be offended if I wanted to bail and try pledging another house.

That honesty made me a brother, even with the tough future that was ahead.

I respected the fact that they were honest. They told me everything.

If they DID NOT tell me how bad it was, and I was initiated, I would have immediately resigned upon knowing the truth.

I'm not going to hold something back. If there is a problem, then both alumni and undergraduates need to know about it.

If something is broken, screwed-up or wrong, then I'm going to say something about it.

I would rather say something NOW, than hold it in and let our organization deteriorate from the inside and is exposed 5, 10 years from now.

My (well earned from experience) two cents, GZ...

I see a lot of recurring themes of someong "holding a grudge" in your posts (in the past)...now, it looks like YOUR chapter is recolonizing, and because of what happened in the past, you want nothing to do with it, is that right?

If so, who is really holding the grudge...now? It's one thing to decide to "say" something...quite something else to "do" something about it.

My experience with recolonizing - I felt the same way you did after Sigma Omega was closed in 1989, with the "promise" to return within about 5 years (though the documentation said "when campus conditions permit").

After 5 years...nothing. No interest from LXA. I was seeing two or three new colonies popping up on campus all the time...didn't make much sense to me. But, in hindsight, IHQ knew better...

After 10 years...not much, but the campus was changing...rapidly. Old president (ANTI-greek to the core) gone, new president (pro-greek) in. All those other colonies? All of them, save one....GONE. Only one out of TWELVE...chartered. These groups had all attempted colonization on their own, without the campus's support. 1 out of 12....remember that.

After 12 years...UNC actually issued invitations, and LXA and one other group was selected to colonize (in our case, REcolonize). That was 1999.

Now, that last 1 of the 12....shut down four years ago. The other group that was colonized along with LXA....STILL a colony. LXA made it. Strong - in fact one of the new ELC's is one of our chapter members.

Lesson? Patience....I tried several times organizing the alumni, raising $, etc...everything that you did, but, if the school AND IHQ BOTH aren't interested in pursuing it, you're better off helping another actual chapter in the meantime, which is what I ended up doing.

IHQ had it's faults in the 90's...NO DOUBT. But, they are gone, new procedures and personnel are IN PLACE. Don't dwell - move forward...offer help when help is needed! But it's not just IHQ - the campus also has to have the right conditions.

I didn't like it, but, I can honestly say, YES, it was worth the wait to do it RIGHT.

Sorry, but we all feel it is best to try and put things out in the open for anyone who is reading this site and thread.

It shows that we as Brothers of LXA can and will speak our minds no matter what. Unlike some GLOs we do not hide any dirt under the carpet.

Thanks for your post and concern.

GammaZeta, I am far from ignoring anything of the past of what went on and what is going on now. I know where we were under the previous two Executive Secretary and the leader of LCAP!

All three are now gone.

Bill Farkas became Executive Secretary in 2005 for your information and there have been cuts that needed to be made and LXA is now in a better financial position than we have been in a long time.

Do you know that there is a new leader ship at UMass that are more Greek Friendly?

Do You know that there is a talk of a Greek Village at UMass?

Do you know that a presentation was and has been made to UMass from LXA?

Do you know that there has been contact with Brothers who are Alumni of GZ?

Do you know IHQ is highly impressed with the ones they talked with?

Do you know that LXA is supposed be strongly looked at at 2010?

Do you know who to contact on campus about Greek Affairs?

Do you know that the IFC turned down LXA coming on campus at present?

I am wondering what you really know?

Either you are in with working to get Gamma Zeta back or you are not.

Which is it?

Tom, I KNOW all of that. That's not my point.

This doesn't have anything to do with Gamma Zeta!

This has to do with the possibility that HQ was wrongfully influenced for personal reasons into making an uninformed, bad decision on recolonization, that may have delayed recolonization for 4-5 years.

THAT IS WHAT THIS IS ABOUT. It is about that possibility, the PROCESS that decisions are made.

I'll say it again, nice and slow for you to understand...this....isn't....about...Gamma...Zeta ...

Again: This has to do with the possibility that HQ was wrongfully influenced for personal reasons into making an uninformed, bad decision on recolonization, that may have delayed recolonization for 4-5 years.

^^^ THAT IS WHAT THIS IS ABOUT ^^^

We need to find out if this actually happened. I've received enough information where it seems that something like this MAY have occured.

You know, I wonder what your adgenda really is.

You refer about decissions that were made and wrongly influenced and by whom?

You make accusations but I do not know if you really are a Brother?

I do not find you in any rolls of LXA or of G Z as a member!

Maybe you can contact IHQ and have them verify it for me?

I am getting very tired of your tirades and gets overly tedious!

I have presented what I know and you say you know as well, well, I do not think you really do!

Sure Tom, I'd be more than happy to type out 3rd for you. Just let me know.

I won't let the pm's that were given to me go public unless I get permission from the people first.

All I know is this. People said Umass greek system was dead and that LXA would "never come back to Umass". All the while, fraternity after fraternity was recolonized.

Now all of a sudden, less than 1.5 years later, Umass is suddenly a hotspot of greek activity.

Something's fishy.

I think that man is always going to find ways to not run organizations the best way possible- Lambda Chi Alpha is no exception- no matter what policies we put in to protect against people taking personal stakes or doing things in their best interest as opposed to the group's perceived best interest.

Money Lenders/ Corrupt Priests in the Bible
Tammany Hall in the 1800's in NYC
Communist Leaders in the 1960's in Russia
French aristocracy 1700's (pre French Revolution?)

When the injustice becomes too much there is normally change or oversight in place, then over time it gets lax and things become more selfish and corrupt again. Again, Lambda Chi Alpha is no different than any other group of people. Perhaps we as a fraternity did discriminate against certain chapters, and now they want to deal with that situation in a more "fair" way.

What we are seeing is the natural cycle of an organization and the ego's of the people that lead it, combined with the will and voice of the people pulling it back to them over time.

That's a pretty damn good response Leno.

What I would like to see is our ability to recognize a mistake as an organization and LEARN from it. That is my point.

Something happened in the past, but the most important step is to learn from it. What changes do we have to make to not repeat our mistakes as an organization.

Maybe some checks and balances? Maybe a neutral committee?

Those who do not learn from the past...

"Maybe some checks and balances? Maybe a neutral committee?

Those who do not learn from the past... ".

There are checks and balances. It is not the IHQ that makes the final decission, it is presented to the GHZ.

Granted they go by what is presented to them to make a decission. They do not follow by Rote learning.

So now, you are saying that IHQ and GHZ was in cahoots for the closing of G Z? As I understand, the Alumni and Zeta gave up the house and you are saying that is wrong?