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I think the biggest issue facing MOP is the perpetuation of myths by non MOP chapters and alumni.
There is a huge feeling that if you go MOP, suddenly you can't use alcohol, or that your house/living arrangement has to be dry. Believe me, Nebraska was the pilot chapter of MOP, and there is always a lot of alcohol flowing on the weekends. I mean we always talk about having a dry party, but it never, ever happens.
Alcohol is certainly not the devil. "Tradition" is what kills chapters, and the refusal to change in the name of tradition. Alcohol doesn't lead to the whole "I was hazed as a pledge, so now I'm going to haze pledges...I've earned it."
It's a shame that there are chapters so tied to the idea of being dry that they seek to limit the fun of others.
Are there limitations, probably some, but not as many as people think. I really believe that. Other than Kickoff weekend (now a one afternoon thing) and mid year retreat (now usually just a thing for execs), there's nothing that I can think of that we were like "we have to do this b/c of MOP".
On the whole, though, I think that any restrictions that are part of the deal need to recognize the differences in campus culture. For us here at UNL, dry rush is not a problem, b/c every chapter rushes dry (for the most part...every year a couple of kids are rumored to have signed b/c they were taken out by a chapter). However, I know that at many campuses, a truly dry rush would be a death knell, and the chapter would be on the outs rather quickly.
And while some non partnered chapters may not believe me, the thing that sets MOP apart from things like balanced man and Sigma Nu's LEAD, is that it is not a top down approach. The GF doesn't come in and say you need to improve on these things. Kickoff weekend is all about the chapter identifying it's own weak areas (in line with the 9 goals identified by the GF) and the chapter coming up with it's own ways of solving that problem. The GF simply says, we'd like to be strong in these areas, then facilitates (not leads...there is a very big distinction) sessions to improve in those areas.
Also, a.e.B.O.T, GaTech has not won Knox awards every year. They've won Sissons every year...that's a big difference.
As for the need to partner...you can't argue with success. The results between partnered chapters and non-partnered chapters are for the most part staggering. But is it necessary? No. I think what it comes down to is that MOP can be a tool for your chapter exceeding what anyone thought possible. That's all it is, a tool available to be used as a catalyst for growth. Actually, I really like the idea of a catalyst, b/c it speeds up the rate at which you reach your goals more than anything. I mean seriously, in 1995, our alumni cleaned house and the chapter went from nearly 90 members down to 13...Ten years later, we win the f'ing NIC Award of Distinction as one of the best chapters in the nation. I don't know if that would have been possible without MOP. It's hard to say, but I would tend to think that we wouldn't have even won a Knox to this point were it not for MOP.
In the end, MOP is a positive thing for our fraternity, and there should be continued effort to expand it to more chapters.
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