How old an APO ritual would you be comfortable with...
 

In the spring of odd calendar years (just after National Convention), many chapters have not had the chance to get new ritual books by the time they do the pledging ceremony. (I'm not certain whether or not the National Office actually has them available at that point)

I'm fairly comfortable with this, but I was wondering how far back is too far. I think that if I ran into a chapter that was using the pledge ritual (or initiation) from 1943, I'd let their RD know...

I'm interested in people's feelings on this...

I think chapters should make every reasonable attempt to have the most up to date rituals, pledge manuals, and all other documents within the first semester after convention. So if there are any changes at this year's convention, I would expect every chapter to be in compliance by Fall 2009.

On the other hand, if a chapter was using a ritual THAT old, I think it would be nice to see reenactments on an annual basis at special brothers-only events or conferences. But not to replace the official, current rituals.

One of my chapters is fairly religious about keeping their ceremony books up to date, such that they'll go through after convention and write in the minor changes while they wait for the new ones to show up.

My other chapter has a bad habit of not properly disposing of ceremony books, and there used to be a hodgepodge of books in use during the ceremonies. I ordered them new books as soon as I found out this was happening and shredded all of the old ones except one of each printing, which I have at home. I have books from 1993, 1997, 1999, and 2001 in my APO box.

Pardon the crash, and just say so if I'm overstepping bounds of appropriateness by asking, but I find this interesting. Is APO's ritual really amended as often as each convention?

Uh, yes. There are usually some minor tweaks about every convention.

Also, the National Office usually sends to every Chapter, usually in the Fall, a complete set (8 or 9 books) of ritual manuals. So there is NO excuse for a chapter to be using old rituals atleast by the fall after Nationals.

No, no overstepping of bounds :) Our national convention is only every other year, as opposed to every year like many other GLO's.

As part of my on-going research project on APO history, I am trying to get copies of all our rituals. Currently, I only have rituals from 1997 on (basically when I joined). I would like to get atleast quality pdf scans of all older rituals. So if any have older rituals they can provide me, that will help.

(yes, I can verify my APO membership for any who need this.)

Interesting. Thanks.

By Minor Tweeks, one that springs to mind (perhaps wrongly) is having a section of the ritual read by the Service Vice President (who is also the First Vice President) rather than by the Treasurer.

No offense to Treasurers, but I can live without the Treasurers having a role in either the brotherhood or pledging ritual.

Randolph Finder

Just an FYI, if you feel your chapter hasn't gotten the newest ritual manual, or you have a new advisor (I was told that the advisory chair should have a copy, and I know all the advisors on our board have one), all you have to do is call National and they will send you one, providing you give them the right info, letting them know you are, in fact, a brother.

And I'm with Randy.....the Treasurer really doesn't play the type of roll in the chapter that warrants a place in the ritual. :)