What Discretion Means to Me...
 

Greetings Everyone!

I was reading e-mail today (big shock) and came across 2 e-mails from 2 different GC regulars asking that I checkout a certain thread on this board. I said to myself "Oh Goodness, what kind of heck has broken loose this time?" I'm not going to call out which thread it was nor will I disclose what the content of the thread was. What I WILL do, however, is ask my interested sisterfriends & brotherfriends of ANY of the NPHC organizations, and my newly initiated (fall 2k and spring 2k+1) NPHC peeps to share what discretion means to them and also how discretion relates to the internet. Those who crossed before fall 2000 may share their opinions as well.

We throw the word "discretion" around quite often, but I just want to know if there's a real understanding of what it means. This is not an attempt to make anyone feel self-conscious or apologetic. Hopefully this exercise will help ALL of us determine what areas we need to work on as interested parties and as members.

I look forward to reading everyone's comments.

Kelli

[This message has been edited by 12dn94dst (edited April 09, 2001).]

Well, I crossed in Spring of 2000 and am still a neophyte. I am learning EVERYDAY and agree that this is something that needs to be carefully thought about and them immediately and promptly PRACTICED!! High five soror for posting this thread!

My definition of discretion is plain and simple: being mindful of what you say and to whom you say it...making sure what you are considering saying or doing is appropriate and will warrant no negative reaction from those who witness your words or acts. If this definition is followed, which it CERTAINLY was by me both prior to and after Spring of 2000, one does not have to worry about their words or actions coming back to haunt them when they least expect it. Its all about you having complete control over what you allow people to know about you.

A quick and simple saying that has been engraved in my mind is "Loose lips sink ships".


Pretty much sums it up for me.



[This message has been edited by CrimsonRage (edited April 09, 2001).]

Hello Sorors,

Discretion was always ingrained into me and my sands as "loose lips sink ships"

Crimsonsoror1913

discretion simply keeping a secret. if you have to ask can you tell, it's a secret. but really, don't share anything that cannot be read in search of sisterhood. that is a public document. everything else is not for the public. and certainly nothing that is not written down should never be written on the internet or anywhere else. do not use the secrets as challenges. your process is personal if you need to talk about call you ls's or your prophytes. do not ask on the internet thinking it is anonymous nothing on the internet is anonymous.

Discretion means being mindful of what you say and to whom you say it.

The question we should ask ourselves before we post is "Could there be negative repercussions if I post this?" Additionally, Sorors and other Greeks should consider if the action violates a vow, oath, bond or trust.

------------------
MCCOYRED
Mu Psi '86
BaltCo Alumnae

Dynamic...Salient...Temperate...Since 1913

Discretion to me is keeping "house business" in the "house." When in doubt, don't. That's the rule I use for myself. I basically agree with everything that has already been said, especially dstbrat's post.

I could not have said it any better.


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Peace
KL

For me it means KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! Point blank.




[This message has been edited by Mz. Sports Luva (edited April 10, 2001).]

Discretion

D.I.S.C.R.E.T.I.O.N.

Deep
Intelligence
Seeks
Conscientious
Rewards
Every
Time
I'm
On
Now!

D.I.S.C.R.E.T.I.O.N.

Discretion

For me the statement not only embodies what others on this board have said, but D.I.S.C.R.E.T.I.O.N. as well.

112

Hmm... discretion... a good topic!

Discretion means having the common sense not to ask questions related to membership in ANY BGLO on a public forum. If you were truely interested in belonging to that organization, you would have taken it upon yourself to find out about basic questions. National Websites usually have basic information about membership requirements. Besides that, talk to members you know and trust. If you don't know any, GET TO KNOW SOME!
<<<getting off my soapbox>>>>
Oops, I know that this thread is about discretion, but I kinda worry sometimes about prospectives that don't use common sense. If you don't have any now, what makes you think that you will have some if you become a member of XYZ org?

I think we covered it, I was thinking "eyes ahead, ears open, mouth shut" myself.

I am not sure what the poem has to do with discretion, though... ?

Cool Beans! Thanks for your feedback!

(Sorors, why do I feel like I'm running a DID workshop?)

Let me add my 12 cents and summarize b4 I move to my next question.

Like Sorors dstbrat (welcome back!), mccoyred and everyone said, discretion is being careful about what you say and to whom. I think another part of discretion is being mindful of WHERE you say things. It's sounds obvious. HOPEFULLY no soror would scream the motto to another soror across campus. And I pray for the interest who walks up to a Delta on her yard and says "I'm crossing on your next line & there's nothing you can do about it!" If I'm chillin in my living room with mccoyred & we're discussing what happened during one of the sessions at convention and my non-Delta roommate comes in the apartment then, of course, the discussion would stop. But sometimes, like in the case of message boards & chat rooms, it's not all that easy to stop a conversation.

Before you start a thread about the pros & cons of, let's say, having pledges wear the exact same outfit for a week without washing it OR where to buy gifts that will win you a spot on the next line, you should ask yourself "who's going to see this (ie, local, regional and/or national officials)?" and, as mccoyred stated, "could there be negative reprecussions?" Now, as an interest you have no idea what kind of funny little rules we have going on. That's were the brain God gave you and the Delta you've met face to face and have been speaking to for a while (not the one you met in the cafeteria yesterday), come into play. It's my opinion that SHE should be your sounding board, not us on GC because it's harder for the conversation to be controlled on a message board and 8 times out of 10, we can't do anything to help you for real. Honestly speaking, we DON'T KNOW who is looking at these boards. There are 2 National officers/committee members THAT I KNOW OF who post on GC. There's no telling how many more are just reading. Not trying to scare anyone, I'm just being real. Six degrees of separation is a reality on the internet and in Delta. I'd hate to hear about someone's chances being messed up or severely delayed because they didn't know any better (but not so much if they ran their mouth too much).


My next question: If you could a design a workshop/seminar to prepare others for their journey to Deltaland, that is from the firm decision of "I want to be a Delta" to Initiation, what topics would you include & why? In light of this discussion, please keep it general.

OH! Salience, you wanted to know how the poem ties into all this. What I see it to mean is if you think carefully about what you're going to say/type before you do, you'll benefit in the long run. Which brings to mind another good question for my next seminar http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif, but I'll save it.

[This message has been edited by 12dn94dst (edited April 11, 2001).]

Just a few cents from a SF:

I agree with everything else that was posted. Discretion is about being mindful of what you say. I think a good principle to abide by is that if you have to think twice about whether you should say/ask something, you probably shouldn't.

You go, Soror Moderator! Thanks for putting this topic out there because everyone (sisterfriends, neos, oldheads) can benefit from this discussion.

Okay, y'all. What would your workshop consist of? (thoughtful scenarios only!)

------------------
MCCOYRED
Mu Psi '86
BaltCo Alumnae

Dynamic...Salient...Temperate...Since 1913

For the first session of the workshop(and it would probably be the longest one) I would concentrat on resources for doing research. Excluding GC, I can name at least 4 or 5 different resources I could go to if I were interested in pursuring membership in a BGLO.

During this workshop,prospectives would also learn or enhance their people skills. I would try to make them see that applying for membership in a BGLO is like applying for a job. There are things that you wouldn't do when you are applying for a job so you should hold those same standrads when applying for membership in a BGLO