So its ok for our chapter to be paying 157 per man when we should be paying $50-70 less? why?

Dont get me wrong...I love Lambda Chi...and Ive been in the fraternity for 4 years now...but time and time again...we pay for HQs mishaps...Im just tired of it. I understand..."life isnt fair" in the real world...but this is FRATERNITY...not a real job...its not everyones "LIFE"...for some its just something to do and talk about when youre not in class...not to mention we're paying for it...

All im saying is that I shouldnt be charged for something I didnt "buy."

I agree with Lifesaver.

Yes the people at the Office in Indy might not do the best job, but how many firms do I deal with at work that you have to "hold hands" to get things done, plenty.

That doesnt mean we demand they fire people or sever ties with them, you work through it. To the guys at Cal State Riverside, why dont you call the people there everyday until they get it fixed, send a certified letter, ask about it last summer at GA, call our insurance co. (James R. Favor) etc. etc. I find the fact that it isnt done as a black mark on your chapter, Not the staff in Indy. It doesnt affect the secretary/office person that might have misfiled it, but it sure does affect you so get off your ass and GET IT DONE.

And as far as the people from LCAP, Gamma Zeta Guy, give it up, we still dont even know who you are. What are your qualifications to tell me they have no qualifications, do you have a job, a name, a degree? I watched Ken Cope and Joe Klimek grind the local Acacia chapter alumni at my college into the ground, and negotiate the hell out of the local banks to get favorable lending rates. Larry Mansfield and Gene Dunham are also extremely intelligent people, they serve as two of the board people for LCAP. Ive met both of them, and known Larry for 9 years, these guys know Fraternity houses more than all the people on here combined, period.

Lenoxxx

We got it done....twice...in the mean time we have been concentrating on the "little things" like rush...oh and that other thing...school.

We pay nationals dues for a reason...and we expect things to get done..especially something like this. At any rate, our ELC is coming down AGAIN at the end of November..we'll have a long talk with him.


By the way its UC Riverside...not Cal State.

Brothers,

This topic is getting so animated I'm having a hard time figuring out who has something valid to say, and who has a simple case of diahrrea of the mouth, so let's not get carried away. We're all brothers. Calm down.

In 1987 I bought a house for 159k that had 5 bedrooms and 1 bath. In the first year I took one BR and made 2 BAs out of it, making it 4BR, 3BA. Then I added a 1/2 bath on the first floor making it 4BR, 3 1/2 BA. I did most of the work myself.

Well, the real estate market tanked in the late eighties so I rented it for 13 years, having spent only one night sleeping there, and that was when my little brother (LCA) visited with his wife and kids.I sold it in 2000 for 400k.

My backgound? I have a degree in Molecular Biology (RNA, DNA) from Florida Tech. [I was a little before my time in '75.] I was also in Microbiology.

But I know sheetrock, electrical, and how to sweat a joint. Real estate ladies look at me like a tree frog when I ask to see the basement of a new prospect, pull out my Swiss Army knife and jab at the floor joists above and rattle the pipes.

What does this have to do with LCAP? A lot actually. I sat in on a seminar at GA - I think it was Chris Sternhagen who gave it - and I was impressed with what he had to say.

At one point during that discussion a dopey, fat kid raised his hand. "Uh, I have a question. Do we have to mow the lawn or does the House Corporation have to do that?"

I was almost embarassed hearing this. The speaker's response: "Well, how many guys you got there, 20, 25? Either you can mow the lawn or you can pay someone else to mow the lawn, but the lawn has to be mowed". Ooh oookay...

Ah the dopey fat kid, gotta love him.


Lenoxxx

He really was. KY, TN, I forget (conveniently). :)

I agree. You shouldnt be charged for something you didnt buy. Thats something that you should take up with someone other than the dammned ELC. You deal with your region coordinator, Shane Foley or Sara Harris on a risk management / finance issue. Why ON EARTH would you even get involved with the ELC on a paperwork issue? "In the real world' you handle that stuff yourself; Hell, the guys in the colony I advis got that much figured out. When we had a problem with our insurance rates and they needed to be adjusted, they didnt rely on the ELC to handle it. Thats not his job (his job is to point you in the right direction, not do it for you. His job is also to identify problems in management and ops in the chapter/colony and help you craft a plan for action.) When the ELC here wanted to handle something paperwork-wise, I wouldnt let him. My guys faxed the form, and then sent the paperwork in with return reciept requested. Then you follow up with daily, weekly calls to HQ. My guys have never had a problem in this area and staff has been extreemly responsive... ya just gotta rattle the right trees. And they're not ELC trees. Everyone is dealing with the other little things, school, recruitment, etc. Many other chapters have fun and handle their $hit. As a matter of fact, theres about 200+ that do.

BTW, youre not paying for HQ's mishaps. If ya wanna be super technical about stuff, youre actually paying for other chapters mess-ups, which is why we have to have insurance in the first dammned place. Anyone here remember what happend with Lambda Chi at Rutgers, or Iowa?

The fraternity dosent have to be yours or anyones life, and it should be fun. Once you get the paperwork handeled, you can go back to the business of having a good time.

Contact the people at HQ I listed above. I gurantee they can help you. (317) 872-8000. I hope you get your situation resolved. If ya can PROVE that you handled your paperwork in the past, sounds liek ya have a good case for a credit. But they have those deadlines for a reason; they have to estimate and buy the insurance by a certain date. If the deadlines are missed, they go with the estimates they have for your group. Worth a try tho. Just dont leave it to the ELC's. Its not their job.

I think that everyone is working their butt off and trying their best at IHQ, I don't doubt that. But in reality, you get what you pay for.

Looking over the resumes, they don't have the proper background, and "on the job training" really should not be an option.

You can hire property management firms, real estate management firms, individuals that are familiar with state and city codes, who are familiar with running dozens of properties across the USA, etc. Maybe the reason IHQ has been in trouble over the last decade has been because we haven't been hiring professional accountants and business managers.

And leno, I'll tell you who I am. I'm one of the 16 brothers that had to take legal action against LCAP because they tried to enforce an illegal contract and tried to illegally hold my security deposit. I was also a dues paying brother, and like it or not, I'm entitled to my opinion.

I looked at their background, and tell me, if they applied for the same position at another company, or organization, would you hire a guy for property management that had a degree in electric engineering? I wouldn't. And it's not just LCAP, it's mostly for the other positions as well as I stated.

If we have 5,000 paying dues x $15 extra = $75,000. Apply that money to current salaries and hire someone with qulifications. There are professionals out there that can make our fraternity run more efficient, more cost productive, that don't require on the job training and can truly separate the business aspect from the brotherhood aspect to make sound financial decisions. And the money and time we save on that would be worth the extra $15.

Lets play math, shall we?

See the problem is that your extra $15 would bring MAYBE 2 staff positions to par with the for-profit world. Throw in beneifts, then your funding mechanism only pays for about 1.6 staff members. And while your onyl concerned with the LCAP issues, theres about 10 or so staff member positions within the three Lambda Chi Alpha Member Companies (LCAP, The Educational Foundation and the General Fraternity) that would need to be $15 x 6.66 (for the staffers) and that would be an additional $100. Honestly, I think it would be greatr to be able to pay staff what they were worth (we didnt even figure in the ELC's or para-professionals) but my undergrads wouldnt support an increase (not a total) of $230 a year in dues (which I think are about $45 a semester, or $90 a year) for staff salaries and benefits. Thats not even figuring in Insurance fees. THe group I advise pays approx $50 a man a semester in Insurance (and thats cheap). So grand total that would be $420 a year. At current billing levels, my colony members pay approx $600 a year, so that would only leave $180 a man a YEAR to run a zeta. Theres NO WAY my guys would ever go for that.

I think the LCAP costs would likely come from the LCAP revenue. Not everyone is involved with LCAP so charging the general membership wouldn't be fair. Maybe they raise some rent, maybe they cut some costs. Heck, we gave them a $600,000 house. After taxes, and some repairs, they should easily be able to make that property very profitable.

As for General Fraternity and Education, it may be worth the gamble to charge an extra $15 or $20 to bring someone in that could financially save us some money. Why not try to hire someone that could cut costs, find the waste, make our fraternity operations more efficient, go over our books. Hire someone who has experience doing that.

There is alot of waste that I witnessed in my years in LXA.

I don't know how much these guys at IHQ make. Obviously it's not public record. But there is three ways to get the $$$ needed: 1. raise dues (don't like that one) 2. cut costs/make it run more efficient (I like that one) 3. raise more gifts

I'm really just saying that it makes much more sense to me if we hired people (even if they are not part of the fraternity) that have more experience or education in the field that the position requires.

Looking over the background of the people in the positions, it seems like we almost always hire from within the fraternity, despite a lack of experience or education. I would really like to know the hiring/search process that our fraternity uses when filing a position. Does being a LXA weigh more in the hiring process than having the experience and education for the position. That is what I want to know.

Wow you filed a lawsuit, I guess that makes you an expert on something. Gamma Zeta, your opinion means about Jack to me, and most likely always will be.

Nobody knows who you are, you claim to be a brother/alumni, and nobody knows what you do, so again, you sidestepped my question as to what makes you qualified to tell people they cant do their jobs. You could be a guy stocking shelves at a grocery store, we really dont know.

You do bitch alot, and have alot of opinions, but like most people that do bitch alot, I suspect you wont do much when it comes to actually doing things, as in the case of most chronic complainers.

Lenoxxx

GammaZeta, I think a lot of people have made their feelings well taken.

You say you want Professional Staffing, well, I think maybe you have been out of the loop a little to long and are remembering times of old.

Are they, do we, have the best staff of any International or National Greek Organization? As far as I am concerned, you damn bettacha!

The Staff Ladies stayed in the hotel, and yes paid by LXA, but were away from their Familys and worked 16 hour days.

Does Kip, Joe, John, Mark and anyothers hve degrees to run an oporation such as an International Greek Organization? Maybe not, but they have all come up through the ranks as Brothers and because of the learning that they gained from that have the right to be offerd a position of trust and Management.

As lifesaver, Jono, and Lenoxxx have said, just how many people do you know as a Grad. of a College that are working in the field that they have a degree in?

A College Degree as was as was stated just a prep session. In went into retailing for RH Macys. They had classes for us that were much tougher than what I had in College. They told us simply, you learned to study in College, now We will teach you about retailing. I had a Business Degree.

Many of us have asked you who you are and if you are a truism or not.

I have made the comment, if you love LXA and what it stands for, then get with the young men who are there and work with them to become LXA and Have G Z back on Campus. Old days are gone, we all have problems and most of it should be taken care of on the local Chapter level.

Through this, you may just become a Hero as opposed to an Asswhole.:cool:

It is still your decision, but wont it benefit You, These Young Men, and LXA if you dig back in?

They hire the people that apply. I woudl bet my letters that they didnt pass over 4 or 5 PhD applicants for Sternhagen. The staff is smarter than that and you dont seem to give them the credit due. Sorry you were burned, but it seems that maybe you are just speakign from a position of anger and hurt.

Again, because you dont know, and people love to bitch without knowing the facts ('cause everyones an expert on how the fraternity is run) you cant imagine the cost cutting strategies the staff has put in place. Example, ELC's no longer have fraternity credit cards. All expensises are paid for on their own and then they turn in reciepts for reimbusement. There are numerous others that I dotn have time to mention. PM me if ya like.

They have also begun a capital campaign, that as of this summer raised 2.5 million dollars. And its only in its infancy.

lifesaver, call, PM, or email me! I am at your calling Bro!

Hi Leno,
So what exactly makes you an expert as well? Lifesave, I wasn't burned by LCAP, me and my brothers were justly compensated by Massachusetts Law.

I'm not bringing up the lawsuit as bitterness (again, justice was served) but to illustrate a point.

Here ya go: http://www.mass.gov/portal/index.jsp...itie&csid=Eoca

That link took me less than 2 minutes to find and it outlines everything a Massachusetts landlord needs to follow the law.

Unfortunately, LCAP decided to violate about 60% of those rules, especially the part about security deposits. The brothers that represented me at court said the Clerk Magistrate was shocked at the blatant violations by LCAP.

Their lack of research resulted in LCAP paying, if I remember correctly, somewhere around $750 to each brother renting from them. If I recall correctly there were 15 brothers, which would mean their mistake cost them about $11,250 in damages.

Again, it would have taken a whole 2 minutes to find that information to prevent a lawsuit. We even warned them that what they were doing was illegal. You don't need to be a lawyer. But it is common sense that when you handle a security deposit, there are strict rules that you MUST follow.

What is their excuse? They didn't know Mass. law? They have owned the Worcester, Mass. house for years so it's not like they didn't have the time to do a quick internet search.

What I want to know is how many other times did this situation happen? Do you think a professional property manager would have made that mistake, someone with experience? That one mistake cost them around $10,000.

I'm telling you this to illustrate a POINT. I didn't live in the 50 other houses they own, I lived in one and that was my experience with them.

Now I ask you. If you had my experience, where it was very clear that LCAP had violated state law, a law and regulations which could easily have been found and complied with, that they were WARNED about the violations, and they still chose to ignore them: and then to find out that the same people who took no responsibility to perform even the most basic of tasks, got PROMOTED?

If it were a private firm in which these violations were found, and then it was discovered that the person in charge of the house could have easily avoided paying out damages, that person would have been fired, not promoted.

That is my experience. Maybe you'll understand now why I am questioning the expertise and qualifications of these people. A bunch of college 19 year olds knew the law better than the hired property managers. So yes, I AM qualified to question the background and qualifications of these people.

If you would like, instead of my nightly installment of my journal, I could do a step by step of the violations, relate them to Mass. Law and the contract that was signed (the sample contract on the website is almost exactly like the one we were presented.)

Please remember: This is MY experience with them. You probably had a great experience with them, where they were knowledgeable, hard working and knew all the information available. I'm glad you had a good experience and I respect it. Me and my brothers, on the other hand, did not have a good experience in which they showed they were not knowledgeable and did not know all the information available. I hope you respect that.

Now, I hope you can at least UNDERSTAND, I'm not asking you to accept or change your mind, why I have reservations.

*Goes into the basement, blocks off the doors and windows, hides under a table with emergency food and water and prepares to be flamed and assaulted.*

Again,

You wont answer any of the simple questions that I have outlined. I never claimed to be an expert, however If you are going to rank on others, or demand that people lose their jobs, lets hear some qualifications.

#1- are you even a brother? who are you?
#2- Do you have a name?
#3- Do you have a job?

Frankly after seeing your whining, it may be a good thing the Massachusetts chapter was closed. That is, if you are really a brother, and if the other guys are like you, which is hard to tell. Nonethless, Im tired of your whining, and will no longer reply to your anonymous cry baby tantrums.

Lenoxxx

Hi Leno,
I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my ability.

1. No I am not a brother. I spied on Gamma Zeta while secretly living in the basement for 4 years. I then moved to Indiana where I disguised myself as a chair while learning the secrets of the national fraternity. Then, as part of my master plan, I will secretly bring down LXA on an internet message board, leaving thousands of young men without a fraternity. I will then create a fraternity based on ruling the world, and recruit all the former LXA's!!!! MWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHA (evil laugh) THE WORLD IS MINE! Obviously that is sarcasm.

Yes, I am a brother. Obviously I cannot devulge our initiation secrets, so I will try to answer any questions you have to prove I am a brother. If you would like, and if other senior members approve, I could answer a question from our initiation ritual through PM. That's the only way I think I can prove I'm a brother. I think other members know you very well and know you are a brother, so I will leave it up to them

2. Yes I have a name. Will I give it out? No. But as I told several other senior members, I will be more than happy to tell you who I am through email and private messages, once I get to know everyone better. Sorry if I don't go throwing my name and personal information around public internet message boards to people I have never met.

3. Yes I have a job, please see #1 - Evil Scientist trying to obtain world domination (just kidding).

I do have a job, I also attend graduate school at night.

I like you Lenoxxx. You stick up for what you think. To bad we couldn't be internet chat room friends.

But as the saying goes (do not read if you are politically correct or easily offended):

"Arguing on the internet is like the Special Olympics. Even if you win, you're still a retard."

GO RED SOX!!!!!!!

Well just to calm any fears that you might have that INT isn't listening our chapter president got a call yesterday from our ELC about what I've posted on this thread. They also called our Advisor and Grand High Phi Doc Smith. Apparently something I have said was very offensive to our ELC and other members of Staff on this thread. I'm really not sure what it was, but apparently I'm not allowed to have an opinion on the general fraterntiy or it's staff unless it is that they are gods to be worshiped and never questioned.
On a positive note I'm working on getting Doc Smith on the site so INT HQ will have another voice other than Lynn's. I expect I'll be getting a phone call about this post too...
Hopefully some ELCs will join up too so we can get some imput from them, rather than just lurking...

Keep it up EM, you're actually doing the fraternity a great service by posting and making your voice heard. It does a great disservice to our fraternity when the only thing that is discussed is how great we are and how there are no problems. We NEED to hear about the problems, especially from the guys on the front lines like you.

Yes, you are allowed to have an opinion, no matter what it is. YOU are part of the fraternity, YOU do the recruiting, YOU keep it going and YOU give them $$$. You bet you have an opinion and it DOES count. Anyone else that says differently can go screw.

We must keep questioning what goes on in IHQ, our universities and colleges and our own chapters. Talking about rainbows and butterflies and then ignoring what the problems are will be the end of our fraternity.

Think about it, where do you get most of LXA's information from? The website, C & C, General Assembly, regional conferences, LXA employees, other LXA publications...ALL OWNED AND OPERATED BY LXA! Of course they aren't going to tell everyone about the bad things going on, but those things still need to be known and told.

We need testimony like yours. If you think someone is not doing their job or is unfair, COMPLAIN. If you think you are getting ignored and screwed, COMPLAIN.

You said "Apparently something I have said was very offensive to our ELC and other members of Staff on this thread"

You said nothing that was offensive. You only said the truth. Truth hurst sometimes.

EM, hang in there, you are doing a good job. After all "It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease."

If you need some advice or have something to say that you don't want in the general forums, please feel free to give me a private message. Maybe I can relate my experiences dealing with IHQ.

Don't get me wrong. I've had a number of great experiences with HQ and the general fraternity. I really enjoyed being on International Ritual Team this summer as well as the rest of general assembly.
I just have alot of problems with the way they handle chapters and their methods for 'keeping touch' with chapters.
Most of the time my complaints about HQ are not that big, there of course are a few exceptions, but this is a large concern of mine. Why is their no general fraternity "Big Brother packets"? Why is their not a planned out fraternity education plan to help chapters? Every other group has their "pledge manuals" and their "pledge tests." How are we supposed to ensure that everyone in the fraternity knows about the organization, assosciate, active, and alumni?
There are alot of great resources for the delta, theta, phi, iota,...
what about the kappa and the big brother coordinator?
These positions are not well defined. "Fraternity educator" is not new member educator, so then what is it? What is their job? To set up speakers about chapter issues?
These are the issues we are facing right now, and I don't feel that HQ has easy solutions to these problems. Our relations with INT HQ have greatly improved over the years, but this is something they can really work on. Chapter services shouldn't be an ELC visit every semester, but ideas, help, packets, anything...

JUST FIX IT!
 

I've read these boards for a while ... no post has ever prompted me to reply; this one has.

Summary ... Just fix it

Aphrodelik96: You're paying more thank you should. Sounds like a problem ... but rather than be a man a fix your problem you've decided to go to www.greekchat.com and bitch. Every man a man; step it up, call HQ and get it figured out. Call James R. Favor; call 3 times a day, call 10 times a day ... don't bitch about it, just fix it

You can bitch about something all you want if you're doing all you can to fix it, but if you're not then get off your soapbox and shut up. You shouldn't be charged for something that you didn't buy, I agree 100%. I can't fix that, RACooper can't fix it GammaZeta can't fix it lenoxxx can't fix it... YOU CAN; just fix it.

EM1843: I'm going to say the same thing to you my parents always said to me. "We'll never compare you to anyone else, so don't you start doing it". I never got a "Billy got an A on that paper, why did you get a C". You'll never get that from Lambda Chi. You'll get a "Why did you get a C when you've gotten B's?". When someone knows you're better than what you're currently performing at, expect it to be pointed out; especially if they care about you. Don't compare yourselves to other chapters at UF, compare where your chapter is now to where it should be or where you know it can be. Do you have hazing problems? Maybe you need help with FRED? You're being made out as "flawed" because you probably are "flawed". All chapters have flaws and HQ wants us to be the best we can be. Every chapter can be better, worry about making your chapter the best first and then worry about other chapters. Heck, help them become better chapters; brothers helping brothers.

GammaZeta: Your comments I've taken to heart, perhaps too much ...

So here's your chapters homepage:
http://www.umass.edu/rso/lca/index.html

Not updated in a bit, maybe someone on the Gamma committee or some web savvy brother can help out with that.

Maybe someone could also inform your campus that you're a Fraternity ... or well are you still an active chapter there?

http://www.umass.edu/thepoint/activi...k.html#sorfrat
http://www.umass.edu/campact/category.html

Right ... I didn't think so. I can't blame you for all of that, UMass hasn't been pushing the greek system at the zoo like other schools do. That clearly gives you right to just vacate the house you live in, disband the chapter and move on, right? Sure, why not, I mean you care about the fraternity and all, but its more important to just leave the place and say that HQ "has dropped the ball many times". Apparently you just decided to deflate the ball and walk away; but that's ok, because you didn't drop the ball.

You "think the problem may be that we hire too many times within the fraternity" ... have you ever worked for a non-profit organization or an educational institution; apparently you don't know how they generally work. Its not about the money, its about hard work, and having dedicated people that devote their life to something that means more than themselves. Try and hire someone from the professional world at the salary we can afford to pay ... if they're not an involved brother you've got no chance in hell at actually getting them to agree to work for even with a 50% raise in salary; you might have a chance to entice some with a 75-100% salary increase. Look at what CFO's and CEO's make, divide that a few times and then you'll get what we pay our brothers; our family.

I don't know about Kip's resume, so I can't speak about it, but I can about Joe's.

I'm from Pi Zeta ... 30 Dean Street ... "the house that Joe built" ... that's what it is called. Why is it called that; because Joe built it. Joe stepped up and made the house happen; sure others helped out, but I can't even begin to explain how much he thanklessly put in to that house. He not only got it built, helped fill it year after year, but he served as House Corporation President for over half a decade. HEY JOE, or anyone else at HQ that reads this ... tell Joe thanks! But what does Joe know about property management?

Finance / Accounting ... Oh yeah, he built a company specializing in implementation of financial systems, sold it off, and worked as a consultant ... what kind of consultant might that be, ah yes a FINANCIAL CONSULTANT!!! What do financial consultants do? Good question, glad you asked ... They FIX, EXPLAIN, and IMPLEMENT proper accounting processes and systems to what department ... ah yes the FINANCE / ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT. But what does Joe know about accounting?

Find someone that can manage financial systems, run an accounting department, build a house (2 if you count his own), and take a pay cut bigger than Joe took and THEN you can talk to me about how Joe isn't qualified.

Oh yeah, Joe wasn't a computer engineer; I thought you said you read his resume.

I do have to give you some credit ... you are dead on about the fact that Joe is a great guy; I'm glad you had the opportunity to meet him. I just wish you had listened to a thing he had said, or maybe given him an ounce of credit or respect; or for that fact any of the officers in the Fraternity at HQ.

You again do make another great point:

"Obviously people in the fraternity should be given preference, but only if they are qualified." I don't think you'll find one person that will call you out on that statement; I agree with you. The problem is ... you won't find another candidate that will apply for an underpaid, underappreciated, overworked position. All of the brothers that apply for positions are doing it because they care, because they want to help make a difference in something that has made a difference in their life.

You say: "But why aren't we hiring professional, experienced property managers, COO's, real accountants? People who have experience with large corporations and non-profits." ... there's a simple answer to that, we are. We have real professional experienced people on staff. I think what you meant to say is "Why aren't we hiring non-brothers that want two to three times the money we can afford". We've already addressed this though ...

you sign off with:

"-OK, now go ahead and bash me and my post away *ducks for cover*"

what's up with that??? It's really easy to sit in the dark and hurt / scare a brother; I figured our ritual would have tought you more than that.

Faith, Hope, and Love. You have no faith in HQ, it doesn't seem like you have any hope for them, or for the Fraternity, and how can you have love without the support of them? I don't think it is possible.

Rather than sit and complain, get off your but and fix it. Help out HQ. My chapter came to UMass and tried to help you guys ... MULTIPLE times ... who convinced our undergrad chapter to go out and support you? that's right, sparky (the name I've given you since you won't give us your real identity), JOE did. But what does Joe know...

GammaZeta, get off your butt and just fix it; writing in a web forum doesn't fix the problems you have ... but it lets me stick up for OUR brothers, yes OUR ... mine and YOURS ...

I apologize for any rude comments, and I probably crossed the line a few points here, but I cannot tolerate someone complaining about something and not doing anything to fix it. JUST FIX IT!

I hope everyone has / had an awesome rush, its hard work and I envy those that do it well. Let's keep Lambda Chi the best Fraternity out there!

Yours in ZAX,
Howie

----------------
Howard Rappaport
President
Pi Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha, Inc.
howie@pizeta.org
http://www.pizeta.org

Well Sports Fans, I guess that about said it all!:cool:

Howie, thank you for joining our Little Band Of Brothers.

But, what all must remember, We are Brothers, fight like family because We are Brothers, forgot how to spell familaly(SIC).:(

We fight, cry, fight, and make up all over again.

Brother Howard, thank you for a great input.

IHQ can and will screw up, a given, but, if all is sent in, there is no problem per se' then the wheel will keep turning without a squeek, no bumps, and no wobbles.

If there is a mistake, then contact IHQ dont just cry about it.

Hey, there are some very dedicated people there in Indy who are working to help us.

Fire away Brothers, Hell, have you known any of us to be bashful?

Remember, they are not just names, work with them, and they will work with you. I have had the pleasure of working with some of them and meeting them at GA.

Tell me that they are not dedicated and I will immediately tell you are wrong.:)

Hi Pi,
Nope, that's just my chapter's old homepage. We've actually had several after that one but they've since been taken down.

No, we are not an active chapter at Umass, obviously. And since you have no idea of the situation of what happend (I will be getting there in another week or two on my journal/post so I encourage you to wait until then and then if you have any questions I will answer them for you) I really don't think you should be criticizing Gamma Zeta. But you are correct about Umass not pushing the greek system. Heck, several years ago the whole greek system was almost voided by the university.

"That clearly gives you right to just vacate the house you live in." Um, actually when the landlords have health code violations like growing mold, that does give us the legal right to vacate the house.

Again, you are correct Joe is a great guy and I have nothing against him. This isn't anything against him, I hope he does the absolute best job he can. But I'm not entitled to say we need people with more experience? We have had great relations with him. And the incident with LCAP being sued wasn't his fault at all. However, building a house does not mean you are qualified as a property manager for over 50 houses throughout the country. Finance and accounting is part of being a property manager, but only part of it. That's why LCAP has an accounting staff.

Taking a pay cut is not a qualification. It's nice, but that doesn't make you right for the job. He partly managed 1 house, near his home, not 50 across the country. In my opinion, that does not qualify him.

He founded eVision Technologies, Inc., a computer technology consulting company and that's pretty cool. Maybe you can explain to me, is that something to do with software/hardware/technology for accounting or doing actual accounting? Is he a registered accountant? I'm just wondering what courses in financial management he took. W.P.I isn't exactly known for their School fo Business.

But what about the others. How does a degree in electrical engineering qualify you for real estate manager?

Again, how do you know you can't find another candidate for the positions? I asked a simple question before, what are LXA hiring practices. How active are they in finding candidates? Do they just put an ad in a local paper? Do they use a job placement service? Do they advertise on Monster.com? What do they do to find the proper candidate? How much do they make? What are their salaries? If someone could answer those questions for me I would feel alot better and more confident. If they truly are the most qualified people we could find, then I will pledge to you right now that I will personally pay for a Gamma Zeta brotherhood event once they are reestablished.

But again, based on our experiences with LCAP (please read them again if you need to above) it was clear that at the time the people were not qualified to perform their duties, and then I find out they were promoted.

But you know, I do remember something Joe did say when he just helped LCAP and wasn't an official officer when he visited. He told us "Guys, LCAP is a business." Let me ask you, where was the whole "brotherhood" thing and faith hope and love, when LCAP tried to hold us to an illegal contract and illegally withhold our security deposits? Bet you didn't read that in the C & C. If LXA brotherhood is so strong, why a contract? You betcha, it all comes down to the $$$, no matter who, no matter what, no matter how.

God forbid someone says anything...BAD... about HQ. I forgot, they're all perfect and so is our fraternity. We've never had bad leadership before. Our founder was an absolute angel. We've never had millions of dollars unaccounted for. IHQ had never played favorites with chapters based on how much their alumni give as gifts. Nope, nothing bad has ever happend before.

You have to realize some things. It isn't as simple as just being a better LXA. WAKE UP! You are so naive.

I do like your house though at W.P.I. I actually went to a party there, probably some 3-4 years ago. I had some high school friends that went there and I visited them. You guys had a pretty good party, good DJ too. One thing I can say, you guys keep a tight ship there and a clean house. Give me a pm when you guys are having your annual Heaven and Hell party with the guys next door, maybe I could grab some prospetive from Umass in re-establishing GZ.

Tom, again, you are the voice of reason for both opinions. I haven't been here long, but you usually sum up each side better than anyone else can.

I respect you alot Tom, and if you have enough faith in IHQ right now, then I will too.

I'll tell you what. I'll give them another chance (after all, that's what we're about). Obviously things did not go smoothly with my chapter and HQ when I was an undergrad, but as an alumni, I'll give them another chance.

You all know my opinions but I'm willing to sit back and see HQ prove that all my time and money wasn't wasted.

Thanks Tom.

hey pi1397 what the hell is your problem? I came on here to talk about a problem...thats all...if you didnt like it...then dont read it. I know what Vir Quisque Vir is...if i didnt i wouldnt have been able to DOUBLE my chapter size in one quarter. I wouldnt be High Sigma, High Rho, Assistant High Delta, AND IFC VP of Judicials at the same time. So dont talk to me about "doing shit" and "getting off my ass." When i started out at my chapter 4 years ago, there were 8 guys in the chapter including me....now we have 42 guys and are a top 3 fraternity on this campus.

ANYWAY...we have tried...over and over and over again to resolve this problem. We called HQ just a couple days ago...and of course...we got no answer. I havent been able to call them back due to midterms but i will take your advice on one thing..and i will call the insurance people. I didnt think of that before because I thought HQ dealt with that directly. Anyway thanks for the advice...but you need to check your self...Bro.

Damn. Again.

Its easy to talk smack on a message board, isnt it?

Cant say Howie and I are friends, but I have met him a few times over the 6 GA's and Leadership Seminars I have attended. Hes a great brother (welcome Howie) and an inspiration to us all. I could only hope to be so involved over the course of my lifetime. Definately an inspiration.

I can see how we can all get heated and disagree with each other but I gotta call some of ya'll out. Howie isnt just a random-ass poster, hes an extremly valueable alumni member of the fraternity - and alumni that are as involved as Howie is are VERY few and far between. I get a bit incredulous that people on here can be as disrespectful to their alumni brothers as they can. Aphro tells Howie to 'check yourself? GammaZeta (aka Sparky) telling Howie he's naieve? Thats really embarassing AND disrespectful. As an AM and brother I was raised HELLA better than that. You can disagree, but dont EVER disrespect your alums. They built this ship. Youre just a passanger. (Even if thats not the case at your zeta, ya act like it outta respect).

This is gonna get personal, but I do it to illustrate a point. Maybe if things were run better at Gamma Zeta and they had learned to respect their elders, (among other things - the elder thing is indicitive of a properly run zeta where the standards of chapter excellence is used and strived towards, a chapter aware of their place in history, if you will) they'd be open right now.

Same goes for aphro - congrats on your successful recruitment, but if things were run better there, you wouldnt be holding down how many offices is it? (which is a violation of Code IV-6 of the statutory code... Lynn could clarify...) To us older members/ alumni, that dosent say you're a kick ass brother willing to take whatever challenge comes your way. It says your chapter sufferes from a leadership drought, and you are well on your way to burnout as a member. How do I know when I havent met you? Cause I WAS you as an undergrad. Bitched about HQ a lot, held two offices, etc. It cost me a lot, and I never had time to slow down and ENJOY my undergrad fraternity experience. BTW, how do you not 'get an answer at HQ?' Did you call during office hours? Did you not try to reach your region coordinator? Did you not try to reach the Director of Risk Management? Dont just try a call, how bout an email? Then you have a record.

Matt, you are always welcome to post your thoughts on here. Youre a valueable brother and contribuitor. BTW, the general fraternity does have all those resources you mentioned, Kappa Manuals, Big Brother manuals, etc. Most older esteblished chapters have no idea they exist, due to poor officer transitions, officers not keeping up with items and stuff getting lost over the years. I didnt know half this stuff existed until I became a High Pi at a colony and the expansion staff delivered it to the colony.

G'Night Brothers.

alright...I agree. I will follow up on it more and keep calling, etc etc. I didnt mean to show disrespect...but I dont like others "downgrading" what I have been through or my situation. Yes, my chapter sufferED from a leadership drought...not because of ME but because of the people who came BEFORE me...they put our chapter in such a big hole, that its taken 3 years to get out of. I understand its "violation" of this and that to hold office...but we have 19 actives and 22 AMs...so its kind of a necessity. Im not complaining, im just explaining our situation. I know its cool to give AMs positions but with our chapter, it hasnt really panned out the way we want it. Our chapter is finally blossoming and growing and turning into the big dog chapters that you guys are probably a part of, so obviously we're doing something right.

Anyway, sorry if I offended anyone or came across as disrespectful..but just because you or anyone else is "older" than me..doesnt really mean anything in the greater scheme of things. Respect BEGETS Respect. The guys who came before me in my chapter our "alums" and our still Lambda Chi's by technicality...and yes I respect some of them...but others I really wish we could strip their letters away because they are the reason the chapter sucked so much in the beginning. (Again im not complaining, im just telling you why I think the way I think).

So again, I am sorry...im sure you were all great members...im just a skeptic at first...because of what I have seen and been through. No hard feelings...

Peace
:cool:

Hey Lifesaver,
I really wish it was as easy as "respecting our elders" to keep our chapter alive. Unfortunately, respecting our elders doesn't pay a $30,000 tax bill. In my 4 years at Gamma Zeta, I can remember a total of three alumni actually doing anything to support us. Bill Whitmore was the ultimate GZ alumni. Although he may have been over bearing at times and a little too old fashioned, I think he is in his 80's right now, the guy was 100% dedicated. The only other alumni I can think of was John Bayuk who was high pi for a semester and some guy down south that handled the bills.

I'm going to try to talk a little bit about Bill Whitmore in my thread/journal today instead of the regular entry today. I encourage all of you to read it. He may not have been as well known on the national stage of the fraternity like some of you, but as a chapter advisor/alumni, I have never seen anyone more dedicated to anything in my life. I disagreed with him alot, but I think he would make a great example to alot of us.

You're right Life, I shouldn't call Howie naieve. But I do think ALOT of LXA's are living too sheltered a life when it comes to the reality of our fraternity. I'm trying to tell you of a serious incident that took place and no one seems bothered by it. Oh well. They'll have to learn on their own then.

I like the name Sparky. It is much better than alot of my given nicknames from Gamma Zeta. Nicknames were always important to us, and not just for the brothers. I think we had names for 75% of the sorority girls on campus, no one could remember their actual name. As far as my nicknames were concerned, they were a little more vulgar and riske than Sparky, the kind that made you blush when people said it in public. LOL!

gotta love sorority girls nicknames....

e.g. Okla-home wrecker...

thats my all time favorite...

First off, some of us OLDSTERS are posting on site.:p Many as a matter of fact and being the oldest, not the maturest, we still ahve the drive and feeling of what We as LXAs had and have today.

Is every Guy that comes through as and Initiated as a Brother going to be one who has PP&G in his blood, of course not. How many Brothers have disappared off of the scope never to be heard from again?

But when it comes down to it, there are always as Brother Rambo # 54, LX Z, that uses the 80-20 %. No matter whether it is Active or Alum, 20 % do the work and 80 % dont do a thing. Find a Zeta that is different and I will kiss your butt at the Plaza in Kansas City Mo.

Granted, it is a two way street.

Actives expect Alums to bail them out and the Alums get tired of that because there is no communication between them untill help is needed.

So what do you or anyone else think? No finger pointing at anyone here, but as Individuals, Brothers, and Different Zetas.

Remember, for you youngsters, you too will be a Oldie one of these days!:D

We've had some interesting nicknames from "Brown Pants", "Pornstar" to "Virgin Slayer". There's probably dozens of them. Proper decorum prevents me from telling the stories behind those names.

Just got back from Halloween Horror Nights, so I haven't read new comments. I must however appologise to Jameson and INT HQ. I have the Big Bro packets. They were in my Junk Email folder. Will make longer post later.

OK, after reading all this about IHQ, i'll have to post my own experiences with them.

A. If you fax something important in, you better get conformation on it, we have been fined in the past for this mistake.

B. They have been awesome this semester as far as communication goes. John Otten has called me personally several times and has helped out tremendously. They sent us an ELC for a full 7 days, which was really nice, minus i had to cover his expenses which our colony does not have the funds to cover right now. They are sending us recruitment help next semester which is AWESOME in my book!!!

C. As far as hazing goes, i really think there is not to much of a gray area, this is the reason alot of men join LXA, so i really dont believe in the excuse, everybody else does it, why does IHQ hammer one individual chapter. I am well aware certain levels of hazing probably does go on in certian chapters, but that dosnt mean i use that as an excuse for my colony.

D. I would rather have hardworking brothers working for us that have the desire to promote LXA than overquallified individuals with stacked resumes, but that is me, i see both points on this one.

E. As far as our colony goes, they did an expansion at a pisspoor time, the end of spring semester 01. From what i can see, the did however recruit quality guys, and set up good organization, but due to timing and lack of experience, 6 guys remained out of over 30 the following semester. Those guys pretty much stuck together for 3 years, not really doing alot with the fraternity. NOW the pressure is on us to become chapterd in a year. If i was to do colonizations, i would do them at beggining of fall semester, but it is always easy to criticize from the outside looking in.

All in all i think we have hardworking people on our staff, doing the best they can. Just my two cents. -Josh Vandagriff

Josh,
very well said.

I had faith in you at Indy and has proven true once again.:cool:

It is good to see that IHQ is taking to heart the fact that I brought up about giving more time and work with the Colony.

With your and Joels hard work, I am sure you will be able to acheive Chartership in the future.

I think you guys have a good shot at becoming a great chapter, even though it's hard. I know some of your brothers from initiating them here, and you have the right spirit up there...

Further review of the big brother packets is making me even happier. This will make my job next semester even easier if I am elected.