In terms of undergraduate houses, Rudey is correct. So the question remains, are sorority houses (undergrad and alumnae level) the only kinds of properties that NHQ and IHQ can own.

Who said anything about a vast empire? You said "...they don't have houses and real estate to worry about ..." You stand corrected. Now, run along. lol

Yes, the troubles that have been visited upon Zeta Phi Beta is a tragedy; but it's not unique. Even though, as we have seen in the recent accounting scandals in corporate america of late and other cases, this is serious problem in general, it's more disturbing in that it's a non-profit and BGLO. Without being PC here, as it concerns out HBCUs and other groups(e.g. churches,etc.), far too often many of our problems stem from someone looting the coffers,general mismanagement or financial malfeasance. In some cases there does seems to be a culture of entitlement in which leaders treat the organizations they lead as their personal fiefdoms where they use them for their own profit. Embarassing as this might be, this may be the thing that helps put the "fear of God" into our BGLO leaders, in order that we can actually fulfill out mandates of service and community empowerment. (An aside: A few years ago, former Virgina governor L. Douglas Wilder wanted to serve as president of his Alma Mater, Virginia Union University, and there were some who wanted to make this happen. But when Wilder, who ran a very tight ship administratively as governor, made it known that if he accepted the mantle of leadership at VUU, he would come in and clean house. Well, the powers that be at VUU balked. He's now mayor of Richmond,VA. )This should motivate ALL of us to demand more accountability in our groups!

Well said, Wolfman. Just an aside: this is not unique to the nonprofit world either.

Yes. We're having those (alumni) issues... :rolleyes:
July 2006, please hurry up! (sigh)

And you said they owned houses at campuses.

I will pray for your sins.

-Rudey

Of course not. Enron, Worldcom, Healthsouth...the list goes on.

My favorite is when a CEO used the word EBITDAB with me. I know what EBITDA is but evidently EBITDAB is Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and Bob.

-Rudey

Absolutely not. I sure that many HNQ and IHQ have investments that don't include chapter houses. Maybe in the aspect of owning land or whatnot.

Houses aren't the only form of real estate.

They do own their IHQ, which is a piece of prime real estate, located on New Hampshire Ave. in D.C.

Don't some organizations help finance housing for certain chapters? That would make them owners until the loan is retired wouldn't it?

While I understand where you are coming from, I don't see this as an issue exclusive to US.

It's a corporate issue, period. Our schools and churches aren't the only ones that suffer mismanagement of funds or senses of entitlement from the leadership.

He acknowledged that it is an overall problem. He said that it's more disturbing when it's non-profit and BGLO.

See sentence below:

"Even though, as we have seen in the recent accounting scandals in corporate america of late and other cases, this is serious problem in general, it's more disturbing in that it's a non-profit and BGLO."

The issue of leaders in BGLOs (and other groups) looting their organizations or simple malfeasance is only one side of the equation. The other side is the culturally ingrained idolization of leaders in African American organizations, which transcends the presence of organizational charts and has to do with the members' expectations of how a leader should conduct him/herself. In my observation there is a projection of the hopes and dreams of "success" of members onto leaders so that the exalted status they occupy is an extension of the hopes and dreams and status of the rank and file. So the bishop,pastor, president, chancellor, basileus, polemarch,etc. should live in a style befitting that status. It's a matter of pride for see the leader driving the fancy car, big house and fly gear! I've seen this dynamic in play in different organizational settings. We've got to evolve out of this mindset so that unscrupulous leaders won't be tolerated and we don't put good leaders into the situation where they are tempted to conform to the way exercising leadership, which is largely grounded in individualistic, charismatic notions of leadership. When you add into this heady mix a group of enablers, you're looking at a "mess." On a cursory examination, this seems to have been going on in the Z Phi B affair.

OK.

RIF, huh? lol

there it is!!!!
 

you hit the nail on the head!!!!