The Secret Service and Ritual
 

Okay, I tried to search for this, but I gave up. :-) Stupid technology!

Does anyone know how Greek orgs handle the issue of holding ritual when a chapter member is under the protection of the Secret Service? I was just thinking about it today in connection with the Bush sisters and wondering how Theta handled the situation. I was thinking the Secret Service agents might be able to just check out the room and then stand at the entrances, but then again you never really know when someone inside could turn out to be a psycho.

Does anyone know? Thanks!

Unless the organization is a local, there is more than likely SOMEONE in the SS who is also an initiated member of the national greek org, even if they are not in the geographic area or part of that protective detail. *shrugs shoulders*

I believe the SS don't have to be on their backs 100% of the time. When the Bush twins were caught drinking underage at Chuy's, I think the SS agents were actually outside the restaurant, not inside with them.

Also, I'm sure there is some sort of panic button available for these situations, where if something WERE to go wrong, the person under surveillance would be able to alert the SS. Think about it, if someone's under SS surveillance, the agents aren't going to be in the bedroom while they're having sex, or watching them while they shower. There are a whole slew of situations where a person would need or want to be separated from the SS agents, I'm sure they know how to handle it.

The President, obviously, would be different, but I doubt there will be a President in office AIing into anything soon. :p

I think any chapter that the people needing the SS would be entering would have all its members checked out, as some sort of formal process. And like you said, they probably just check out the location, as they would for any other thing the students were doing on campus: going to parties, to classes, the gym, etc, and then leave. No non-sisters allowed at initiation, secret service included! :)

Off topic, but kinda related...

When I attended the 2001 Convention, we had a Q&A session with the then-Ritual Chairman.

Imagine my surprise when she revealed that anyone can watch the Ritual (not that measures wouldn't be taken to prevent that from happening) -- but what non-members aren't allowed to know is the symbolism behind it.

How is that possible? if they were watching it, wouldn't they get what it was about? Or is this question one of those "I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you" sort of things?

That would lead to a bit of high turnover in the SS, I think.

Could it be that people can watch it, but they just can't hear it?

So..they can watch but as long as they can't HEAR what's being said? Wow...that is a big surprise to me too! :eek:

YES.

I should have phrased it differently.

Don't get me wrong, Ritual is performed behind closed doors and no one's ever allowed to watch.

HOWEVER, in the event that a non-member just so happens sees what's being performed, there's no cause to freak out because they haven't heard the symbolism and meanings.

I think the topic came about because someone asked if those performing Ritual were allowed to be seen outside the room in Ritual attire PRIOR to the ceremony.

I hope that makes sense and NO I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP.

It makes total sense for groups that might have to use a student center room, for instance. You couldn't expect to shut the whole place down. You'd secure the room, but if random weirdos kept walking down the hall, you didn't have to worry too much.

I'm at a loss for a situation in which this would happen? Someone slacks off locking/guarding the door and a non-member accidentally walks in? In which case they would still probaby hear something...

Forgetting to draw the curtains to the room?

Being a room with no curtains?

We had Ritual once in the Campus Center and even though we thought the blinds were closed, you could still see a little of what was going on from the lower level. Someone I worked with then asked because he thought it was weird seeing a "sea of white".

Ritual being conducted in a student center room with paper covering the little door window from the inside and the paper falls off and someone walks by and looks in.

Been there, done that. :)

A woman from my hometown was a Zeta active when President Johnson's daughter was active. She said they weren't inside during ritual events.

Us too. :D Plus, we have had numerous people accidently witness our pre-ritual, which happens outside the room. The looks are priceless.

A couple weeks ago, a certain group was having some sort of ritual next door to us in the student center. It sounded like they were having church service. Did they know that they weren't the only group meeting on the second floor? :confused: :eek:

Funny isn't it?

Yes, I have been to Chapters that did not have Houses or Churchs that We do in but Student Unions.

The SS do not attend the Ritual, they will stand out side and guard.

They do have respect for Rituals but carry big guns too!:)

If not, the Boss will raise hell because The Daughter or Son Will.


OOPs they get redesignated to the hinter land!:D

We (APO) once had to conduct ritual in a small hotel ballroom, which unfortunately was the same room for the afterparty. Which had a bar. Which was already set up. Which the bartender wasn't allowed to leave unattended.

All I could do (as the helpful alum) was stand in front of the bartender the whole time and make sure he wasn't looking. And he never once raised his head, which I thought was nice of him. Although me glaring at him probably encouraged that.

I was under the impression that APhiO is a non secret fraternity. Is this wrong?

I believe so. Delta Upsilon is the only non-secret fraternity.

Our ceremonies are described as private. Induction and Initiation are not to be viewed by non-members.

Happened once to my chapter as we were preparing for initiation. No ritual in progress yet, but preparation that was still not meant to be seen by outsiders. Central location on campus with many doors, one of which was unfortunately unlocked. A member of another sorority on campus opened the door and walked in, looked around in confusion, then one of my sisters yelled, "Yeah, seen enough?! Get out please!" We were all a little caught off guard and you could tell everyone was thinking, "Damn!"

Which of his daughters was a Zeta? Was the other in a sorority?

In all practicality, does it matter that much if a non-member learns your ritual? Does that somehow take away from your experience?

I am with DU and AKL on this one.

Has anyone heard from wptw lately?

I don't mind if a non-member gets hold of my Ritual as long as it's not used maliciously -- certain websites from 2001 come to mind.

If a collector somehow comes across my Ritual and can appreciate the beauty in what is said in those words, I won't lose any sleep over it.

Sort of in-line with the thread:
Bush twin robbed in restaurant

Our Foreign Staff
http://images.thetimes.co.uk/images/trans.gifOne of President Bush’s daughters had her mobile phone and purse stolen in Argentina, despite her heavy Secret Service protection.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...465869,00.html

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americ...rse/index.html

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/age...871456323.html

Off-topic, but one of Bush's staffers got mugged and his nose broken at one of the Waikiki bars I frequent last night.

It happens at our national conventions and regional conferences because the hotel's/convention center's AV folx are in the room. Sure they hear it, but they do not know the symbolism behind what is being done and why. And if they are doing their job they aren't paying attention to what is being said, just to how it sounds and projects on the large screens.

Very honestly, watching someone else's Ritual would be boring to me in that it wouldn't make any sense to me.

We had a lady from the church we were holding our New Member Pinning walk in. She was very nice about it & showed us how to properly lock the door from the inside to prevent it from happening again.

Also had a waiter accidentally walk into the wrong room holding a tray of food during a formal meeting. It was at the Student Union where the rooms don't lock well. One tug & the door opens. He looked confused, some girls looked panicked, & I started laughing.

You people without houses.

Besides that, don't ya'll have anyone watching the doors when ya'll are at the Student Union? You know, standing outside and such? We do that for our house.

We lock the doors if possible and post notices on them, but there's no real door guard standing outside. I have no idea if other chapters do that.

I agree with you, and I actually think that SS would probably still monitor their protectee even if they were standing outside her sorority chapter room while ritual was being conducted. Not to like, glean the inner workings of Theta but because they care way more about the president's daughter than they do about her sorority.

I know people said that SS were forced to stand outside, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if the agents put the chapter room under surveillance via hidden video camera or audio monitoring or something. My best guess is that the secret service is watching their charges in all sorts of ways all the time, even if they or their friends are not aware of it.

I have a vague inclination that the secretive and sacred nature of sorority ritual means squat to the United States secret service.

The secret service (protective division) while small is large enough that it's likely an agent who happens to be in the sorority was likely put on the detail.

HEHEHEHEHHEE sooo been there too. We not only put a piece of paper to cover the little window, but to hide the fact that we were using candles in a union room !!! :eek: hehe hehe hehe.

Also ...we once had a woman from another org. just BUST ON INTO our formal meeting once with one of those knocks that really just meant I'm knocking but I'm coming in on my own. I'm not knocking to wait for you to answer the door... :rolleyes:

yeah we definitely put a person at the front door, someone guarding the entrance to the parking lot, and someone at the back door.

You really need this on your house though? I mean don't you have locks on doors? Do people just bust in at random times?

Only during initiation was someone outside watching the door. During meetings we need everyone present. I never really worried about someone walking in on pinning because we normally had it in classrooms that nobody would be using at night.

We initiated at 7:00AM... not a lot of college students up then either :D

Alpha Kappa Lambda is as well.