Secrecy Article
 

Interesting article on secrecy in the latest issue of Bete Theta Pi magazine.

What are your views on the subject.

I, for one, would not publish the Key Three. But I could see the rest in the being published. Not that I agree they should be in order for our fraternity to move forward or change. But I could accept the decision of a Convention vote to do so.

Um, no. I was shocked to read that article and more than surprised to learn that this was even considered. Advertise your secrets to the world? Are you f-ing kidding me?

Yes, I realize that we've got an open constitution, but there's got to be some sort of secrecy involved. Think back through the ritual and you will see that this is a completely unacceptable idea.

I would also agree that the secrets should be kept secret. Isn't it our ritual that ties us together throughout the nation? It should not be made public under any circumstances. It will mark the demise of the fraternity.

I agree with both ouf you. But since I am not allowed to vote a the Convention (the only place this issue should be decided, either that or "one man" "one vote" for every Beta Active or Alum).

However, for the sake of discussion, detail your reasoning why this would be the death peal for our Fraternity and support and defend your position why that which is now secret should not be made public.

I will give my "other side" view (taking it for the sake of an open discussion). I will use the example of the Masonic Lodge. The Lodge is still considered to have secrets (grips, words, oaths, obligations, penalties etc). Yet, one can go to many book stores and purchase two books that completely give away the entire ritual, grips, words, oaths, obligations, penalties etc.

Many members have joined knowing the answers where out there yet did not go the store and get them.

I think after the initial "shock and awe" wears off, we will be back to a group of pledges that do not take the time to go get the book and still come into the Beta with no knowledge.

An interesting sidebar to this is what would our Brotherhood be like if the pledges knew more of what Beta was about before they pledged. Members that chose to come to Beta BECAUSE of what they knew, not what they were seeking.

Again, I do not support the idea of giving away our secrets. I will abide by rules of the Brotherhood and support the decision of the Convention of the proper powers that determine what gets published.

Also, for the sake of an open discussion, I have opted to post an alternative viewpoint opposite of what I believe.

I hope more Brothers post here in a calm and thoughtful manner.

If you/we/Beta can't show people what we're about without showing them a few key sentences, then we aren't doing our job. Our actions and words should be clear examples of what our goals and aims are. Therefore, I would think that our most important pieces of information (the 3) should be kept secret.

Just my $.02

I read it and was a bit irritated by it, but I think the article was written to spark discussion among our Domain. Just wait til the next issue and read all the 'Letters to the Editor' that are sent in.

If we were to ever, EVER, publish the 7 and the 3 solely to 'show the rest of society that we're not evil', I'll be truly disappointed. I don't think it'll happen though....

Sorry, but that reflects a complete lack of understanding of what Beta, or any fraternity is all about.

You come to it because you are seeking something and you find a common bond during rush with a given chapter which also sees promise in you.

It is about far more than words- and anyone who ever told me they wanted to be a Beta because they liked our secrets is someone I would never want as a brother.

In the hands of someone shopping for a fraternity- our secrets have little meaning beyond some superficial interpretation that anyone could bring to them to suit their own purpose.

To a brother who has successfully earned his place, those secrets mean everything.

And so why divulge them?

Just check out the Alumnae Initiation board on this site and look at all the women who say they want to be in X sorority as alumnae initiates because they like the motto or the national charity involved even though they know nothing of the GLO they want to join- and see the reaction they get from legitimate initiated sisters who joined and earned their place as undergrads via the manner which is traditional for good reason.

Edit- checking the thread again today I see this looks like I am attacking you Oldest_Pledge. Apologies- that was not the case. I know you share my desire to keep ritual private, and I was just reacting to this concept you posted from the opposing viewpoint.

Worst. Idea. Ever.

And another reason that the General Fraternity needs a house cleaning. The incestuous relationships up there on their hill are sickening.

Again, I have been saying it for YEARS, but this is just another example that the dorks up on the hill want to turn this Great Fraternity into an academic honor society!

Coramoor, I can't quite figure out why you've become so bitter at the GF that you'd automatically discount anyone who works there and/or their opinion. Have you forgotten that most of the GF "employees" are former Beta undergraduates? Although I disagree with our secrets being made public, I don't think it mature to label people as "incestuous" or "dorks". Lest we forget that the GF can't do anything permanent without the approval of our voting delegates at each Convention. So, in the end, the decisions are up to them.

I read the article online when I first saw this post, and got my magazine today which gave me a chance to sit down and read the article through a couple of times and give it more thought.

What strikes me most immediately about this article is that its quality, logic and presentation is not up to the level of the fundamental change it purports to discuss.

Quite simply, while it reads nicely and has lots of historical references- it is certainly not prepared and presented at a level appropriate to the sort of major philosophical change it seeks to promote.

That means one of two things in my book. And this is conjecture to some degree- but if someone comes at me with a big idea I expect a presentation to match!

1- It could indicate there has not been a proper consideration of the implications of what is being proposed. I do not think that is the case here.

2- It could mean that the author has a purpose in mind which he is reluctant to state openly since he is aware of the reaction it would provoke.

I think #2 applies here.

The most troubling part of this article to me, and the one that gives away the real intent in my view (meaning- Coramoor, you are on a good track), is the section on page 18- last 2 paragraphs.

I have received numerous reports from active Betas about going to GF for various trainings and seminars and being "lectured at" by non-Betas who run the events.

These guys are amazed at that.

It is partly the lecturing aspect on "how we should be", but the big question all of them are asking is, "Why does General Fraternity feel the need to have a non-Beta help me be a better Beta?"

The guys will go on to say the program they attended was a great and worthwhile event that had meaning. And eyes light up when they talk about visiting various rooms at our GF which are reserved for brothers only.

The real love and inspiration they bring home seems to be what they learn about Beta from Betas- NOT the lectures they are getting from non-Betas.

The penultimate sentence of the penultimate paragraph on page 18 of our magazine makes an astonishing claim as follows, "This relatively new addition to the Beta family [Friends of Beta] has helped many chapters reach new heights..."

Forget all the references to history and general and repetitive commentary- how about some solid support for that pretty strong statement? That is a very major assumption, and one in which I place no value whatsoever based on personal experience as an active AND an involved alumnus.

The value of outside input in some forms is quite obvious. If someone of another GLO were to post here asking how to do a fundraising for a new house- I think I and many other Betas could offer a world of advice.

But that is guidance on the conduct of business affairs common to all GLOs.

It concerns me greatly to see a proposal to move in the direction of divulging all our secrets in an attempt to get non-Betas to help us be better Betas.

Let's face it, a lot of fraternal ritual is already in the public domain. That book "Pledged" decided to take a swipe at sororities by publishing many sorority secrets.

But reading that one comes to realize that each of our secrets and principles are very much similarly aligned in nature and intent. How could they not be? After all, we all seek to provide the same thing to college students looking for something more in their college days and lives after.

So the words being revealed is not the real point here. The real point is having something that one must attain- and the power such things have. The words themselves are only meaningful to the extent of the reader. It is the experience that matters- and this article seeks to take away that experience.

This article is focusing on the mechanics of our secrets- on the mundane reality of words and principles and how they are spoken about.

This article laments, by strong implication, that guys cannot recite back certain parts of our own obligations or other texts along the same lines.

Never mind if a Beta lives a good life and is a good brother to his chapter even if he remembers nothing of the specific words he once spoke.

It is the same sort of fundamentalism that has plagued religion for centuries. If one takes the Bible literally and then memorizes it, one has merely memorized a text- and will then apply it within the confines of his own prejudices and personal beliefs, never once truly thinking about it or allowing its subtle awe to subconciously have a lifetime's impact. Self-righteousness and judgment take precedence over brotherhood and inspiration in this line of thinking.

As a damn fine brother of this fraternity put it to me recently, "If we need non-Betas to inspire and instruct active members when they go to General Fraternity, something is seriously wrong with us and how we are passing on our own legacy!"

For all the quotes and history in that article, I have one quote in response- and one that no Beta ever forgets. One quote that sums it up perfectly and gets beyond these mundane matters of memorizing words and babysitting the very young men we have chosen to carry on our legacy supposedly on the basis that we trust them,

"THE FIRST MARK OF A BETA SHALL BE HIS BETA SPIRIT"

Try putting that in a training manual for a "Friend of Beta" to explain to a room full of new initiates.

Finally, a response of the type that needs to be posted. Unfortunately, I am not as eloquent.

It will be interesting to see what the future brings to our Brotherhood.

Thanks man.

I wasn't feeling too eloquent when I wrote it. This just really disturbs me.

If time permits, I plan to condense and refine the above post into a letter I will send in and we'll see if it gets published.

Every time I really get to know someone from General Fraternity, I find a brother who I can really respect and has good ideas. I have yet to run into the sort of person who seems to be actively promoting what many of us are worried about.

So maybe it is a communication thing? I just don't know. But something is not making sense here.

The guys I have met in person from the GF all seem like good guys also...however never judge a person by their words, always judge by their actions.

In my observation of their actions many are NOT good brothers.

I know that I come across as having a very negative opinion of the GF. I can assure you that my opinion is founded based on my many experiences working with people there. Not everyone mind you, but I do not want to get into naming people on an internet message board.

Interesting side note, I heard this weekend from another GLO member that the same discussion is happening over there too.

So this is something to watch closely. Might not just be a Beta thing but part of a general movement among many GLOs. So, it could be indicative of something that many GLO leaderships are considering.

If that is the case, then I would be a bit more open-minded to hearing the reasons why- assuming someone wants to state them clearly and then back them up with supported evidence for the conclusions.

I don't think it'll ever happen. If it's the talk-of-the-town among greeks, I assure you it'll pan out like 'dry housing'. Phi Delt and FIJI will go first, nobody else will follow - three years from now, it's no big deal.

Unless the GF decides it wants to add another 'First' to the list.

Although this first will definitely lead to our last.

I'm making a roadtrip to Oxford this weekend. Maybe I'll be able to ask some of the GF staff their thoughts on the subject.

ECU,

I'd just warn you. Don't believe what a person says, only what their actions are. Obviously it's already being debated at a National level to reveal our brotherhood traditions. If anyone tells you not to worry about it, they are lying.

I've pretty much got to agree with Coramoor on this one. What reason would there possibly be to author this article if the possibility of publishing our fraternal secrets did not exist? Answer, none.

I've only been a member of our good and great fraternity since 2002, but I will definitely say that I don't like the way things have been headed as of late. The General Fraternity (and by the GF I basically mean the staff of the AO, as well as the trustees) have sought too much oversight in recent years. They are removing chapter autonomy, making us evermore like sororities. Seems like the next logical step in the progression would be to just eliminate all secrets, the way most of them have.

I've personally met a number of the gentleman who it might seem I am disparaging. Every member of the AO staff and Board that I have met is certainly a good man, however, they are also misguided by self-delusion. Unfortunately, the issues that I previously mentioned will continue to perpetuate given the appointment of our new Administrative Secretary. For the record, I have met Jud Horras and had a very serious discussion with him at 2005 Conventon. He is certainly a proponent of the current path of the fraternity, which is likely a major factor in his hiring, and will most certainly continue to maintain our current course.

Something has got to be done about all of this. You took upon yourselves the same obligations as I. Think back to that and then determine whether or not the releasing of our secrets should be allowed.

Furman, you hit the nail on the head.

The appointment of Judson has really disturbed me. I mean, the Admin. Sec. is an extremely important position. Basically he runs the show in between Conventions, and if he makes a decision that 99% of the chapters disagree with...there really is not a way to address it until the next Convention and often by that time it is too late.

Out of the tens of thousands of Beta Alumni, hiring someone from within the AO that has practically nil real world experience in leadership or consulting...it really goes to show that those currently running the GF are not willing to entertain other thoughts on how to improve Beta.

Honestly I see this as a huge threat to the fraternity as a whole. They might have good intentions...but the road to hell is paved with them.

Jud's not a bad guy- he is very honest and up front about his views and vision for the fraternity. And by all accounts he did a great job in RM. He is young for the General Secretary role, but I think has the potential to excel.

I actually went to bed early tonight for once to get some rest and I could not sleep for thinking about all of this. And the answer kind of hit me a few minutes ago- an answer anyway, surely not THE answer. But hopefully one more step forward.

This secrecy question, worrying about Jud and much else some of us/all of us are concerned with comes down to two separate matters. This will be a long post, but hopefully useful.

First- there is the question of big picture vision and philosophy. In other words- where does Beta want/need to go from here? What keeps us thriving 10, 20, 30 or 40 years from now?

On this question, I think General Fraternity (GF) and guys like Jud are right.

10 years ago when I was an active, one semester we had 2 guys pledge who were superstars. At the time Beta was a solid to upper mid-tier fraternity on campus, and these guys had been rushing at all the top houses. But they chose Beta.

Well, 2 months later they depledged because pledgeship placed absurd demands on their time for purposes that were not academically oriented at all. They were both in very difficult majors, which did not help either.

Both those guys pledged in the spring at a more socially prominent fraternity and did great things there.

There is something very wrong with that. And it happened to us more than once- just that this one key instance has stayed with me forever because one of those guys actually came to me directly to say why he was depledging even though he did not want to.

This is a big part of why my chapter lost a huge house we had owned for decades in the late 1990s. And it is the story of many chapters of Beta and other fraternities.

Fast forward to this past fall.

We had a guy pledge who was in one of the most competitive majors there is at my alma mater. He was worried about the time commitment involved, but the way the actives run the chapter today- he quickly found that he could have it all and do very well.

He was initiated and is already in office doing an absolutely incredible job- and his grades have never suffered. And there are others like him. The majority of our membership is now composed of guys in majors that require a lot of work.

The change in my chapter from then to now is the result of many things- in no small part how difficult it has become to get into college here and how competitive the top programs are- but I think we serve our actives today far better than in my time.

It does not mean that I have any less regard for any of my brothers from "back in the day". We were college students having fun. We were proud to be Betas and each of us made our own choices about what to prioritize.

But at the same time, there was not a culture of balance that came forth from the active chapter and was sustained by alumni and GF. The desire has to exist within the active chapter, but alumni and GF play a big role in providing support for a more balanced approach.

This is why I think things like RTS (though I would tweak it a bit) and promoting a more academic mindset are important.


Part 2- How do you get there? What is the right path? And this is where I think the real conflict rests. I have yet to meet a Beta who thinks the idea of promoting academics is bad- but how we do it is where things get tricky.

I think the concept of MPI was very well conceived. And I also have a lot of regard for our RM policy. GF gives us a lot more room to self-govern than many other fraternities are allowed.

But nothing is every static- there is motion at all times. Right now there is concern that motion is approaching a point of excessive governance and an attempt to force fundamental change- and in some ways I agree it appears that way.

The answer, I think, is to get involved. Friends of Beta are a good thing in a certain capacity, but if you don't like non-Betas advising your chapter, step up and take on the job.

I defended the GF and Miami of Ohio leadership in that thread on the recent meltdown over there because what happened was in line with what the vast majority of active members of the chapter wanted. That was self-governance in action.

But not every chapter is Miami of Ohio- in terms of the actives, the alumni and the character of the school itself.

On the big issues like exposing our secrets, we will get to vote on that at Convention and the will of the majority will have the final say. And all who love Beta will take that decision and move forward.

But for smaller issues and the general position of a chapter, if we want GF to see a more flexible approach is possible- then we have to show them results.

GF has decades of proof that a certain direction was not working. So they are trying something new.

It falls to individual chapters to show that it is possible to take many paths to get to the final direction we all agree on.

My chapter will never be another Miami of Ohio- but the guys pay their bills, get good grades, work hard at recruitment, attend leadership conferences and engage in many philanthropic activities.

And we have ELCs and a GF that respect us and give us their ear when we have questions or need guidance. I personally as an advisor have had a lot of support and help from GF on many fronts.


Long story short- I try not to obsess too much over one proposed issue. Yes, there is a very fiery and strong debate to be had about releasing our secrets- but it is way too soon to throw in the towel and assume we are doomed. Big stuff like this is not imposed- we have to approve it. And if the majority approve it, it will be because compelling arguments in favor of such a move prevailed.

I do not think such arguments exist, but we will see.

Very Interesting
 

This is all very intersting. If other GLOs are talking about being "open," I can understand our AO also looking at the issue.

In my only dealings with AO in 1983-84, I found them cold and un-caring. I was one of three pledges for the Spring 83 term at the Indiana State University colony. We had no visible help from our nearby chapters. I saw no Alum Advisors, District person or anyone from the AO.

Our class decided that we would make the trip to the Convention that summer for our initiation. Well, I got orders for some extra Army training (I was in the Reserves to pay pay for college) and I was unable to go.

At the convention, our colony was closed. When we returned to school that Fall all attempts to have me initiated by the three area chapters were politely declined. And I sent several letters to the AO asking for some help. Those went unanswered.

Then 20 years later, I met a great Beta who took it upon himself to see that this error was corrected and I was given an opportunity to join a pledge class at another university and placed on the General Fraternity roles.

I'm not suggesting that we shouldn't worry about. On the contrary, I'm saying that if/when this proposal is made to the student body, it will be up to the voting delegates at Convention and not one member of the AO or Board of Trustees.

After speaking with a few AO brothers, I am confident that the article does not speak for 100% of them. I believe the majority will agree with us when we say that our secrets are best kept where they are: in our ritual. If someone wants to know what we're about, we have plenty of publications and websites to show them.