Orders?
 

What are those? For example, Order of Omega and Kappa Alpha Order.

The Order of Omega is a Greek honor association. Kappa Alpha is considered an order, I believe (?), because they are associated with an order of Christian Knights. Someone else may be able to explain that better.

Kappa Alpha is an Order of Christian Knights pledged to the highest ideals of character and achievement. We earned this title after Dr. Ammen was initiated into KA and he revised our ritual. We are a social fraternity, but we consider ourselves a Order. The best way I have had "Order" explained to me is that an Order is a group of people bonded together under the same ideals and principals.

[This message has been edited by KABillyMac (edited May 31, 2001).]

But, isn't that the same thing as a fraternity?

Yes but its not just any other fraternity. Everyone in K.A. shares the same ideals and principles taught by K.A. The diffrence lies in wether or not some fraternities have set ideals and principles for their members. Our principles and what we hold dear is taught during pledging. I dont know if that answers your question or not, but I hope it did.

The Order of Omega is an organization for Greeks who have demonstrated strong leadership (and academic) skills. The top 3% of the greek system is admitted. In a way it is like being a part of a very large coed fraternity. We elect a president, etc., have an initiation, have a new member orientation period, organize fundraiser/philanthropy events etc. The coolest thing about it is that you have the most gung ho people in the greek system together in one group http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif. I know my chapter is working hard to better internal greek relations and to strengthen our relations with UBC.

Siobhan
Order of Omega
Pi Chi Chapter, UBC
Beta 2001 www.ams.ubc.ca/greek www.orderofomega-ubc.cityslide.com/contents/contents.cfm/7367

I respect the belief you hold in the ideals your fraternity is teaching you, but I must say that I think you're making a gross generalization about other fraternities. To try to distinguish your organization from others of the same class simply by title lends itself in some cases to elitism and arrogance. I'm certainly not suggesting this to be the case necessarily with your chapter or indeed with KA, but when people are taugh to believe that they are in some respect better than others due to affiliation with any belief or organization, one tends to find some level of social unrest.

To offer a counterexample to your claim, my Fraternity has a very specific, very well defined set of ideals that are alluded to during pledging and explicitly stated and presented during initiation. Those ideals are presented from the Fraternity's point of view, but it can be easily seen upon studying the Ritual that these ideals may be applied to in fact every aspect of life. Now we may not align ourselves with any particular religious movement even though our Ritual was written by the minister son of a minister, nor do we call ourselves an "Order," but beyond the distinction of title between Fraternity and Order, I would submit that we are no different than you.

Our Fraternity was founded explicitly upon the ideal of Friendship and implicitly in the hopes of gathering together in an eternal bond those individuals who share the believe in striving for moral decency and personal improvement and development. Our Ritual does not proclaim religion, rather it supports it in whichever form any given member may wish to observe. My point, after I'm sure much long-windedness, is that one fraternity ought not to consider themselves superior for any reason, especially those superficial as titles. Instead, members of any given fraternity should endeavor to bring their organization into public favor by living according to the ideals their fraternity demands. Truly the only way for any fraternity to claim superiority is through the humble and proper actions of its members, and in such a case, their actions alone will make the claim for them.

Well put, SAEactive.

I believe by definition I have provided the answer to the question of "Order", being further supported by your dictionary definition. My intent was not to sound elitist, only to use an example of the diference. For me,as a member of two Orders (Masonic and K.A.) the question of "Order" can only be answered by the definition of the word, and my knowledge. I do not know what the principles and values of any other fraternities are. I agree that fraternities have to be founded on some sort of shared principle and value system, but where as we are more publicly known for ours, some may be shrouded in secrecy.

KA is currently colonizing on our campus and they are a great bunch of guys. I also asked what the difference between an Order and a Fraternity were. The president told me that basically an Order chooses their members by 100% vote. Every member of the order must vote yes in order for a potential to join.

Nicole
Eta Delta-Delta Gamma