Quote:
Originally posted by ktsnake
You could possibly argue that it's immoral to place your organization in financial jeapordy so that you or your chapter can operate outside of the rules. I just don't see that argument working with 18-21 year old kids though.
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I agree, sadly. I think that until you go to a Convention or Leadership Conference type activity with many chapters present, or become alum and get involved with members from other chapters, you don't really comprehend the organization as a whole. You tend to think about your chapter and it's point of view, but you don't see the big picture. That your actions could be responsible for the loss of your entire organization, affecting tens of thousands of members permanently is an idea that's lost. The other problem with the argument for that age group is the "It won't happen to me" mentality that persists until the mid-twenties.
Driving 3 hours in the middle of the night to get food from a particular restaurant could be a lot of fun, unless the driver gets drowsy and crashes the car, killing everybody in it. Every Spring Break we hear about at least one car of college students getting into a fatal accident while driving home after a week of no sleep and tons of partying. But, developmentally, at that age, there remains the thought "It won't happen to me". One of the biggest frustrations is trying to figure out how to get past that and make them see "It could".
Interestingly, the last time I did the Alpha Gam program "Get Real: Thinking About Drinking" at a chapter, I got feedback I didn't expect. The program focuses on drinking attitudes rather than a lot of facts and figures. The developers figure that college students are bombarded with facts about alcohol, so this program consists of interactive activities designed to challenge the way members think about drinking instead. Some of the evaluation cards afterward said that there should have been more "scare stories" about people who died or were injured as a result of drinking. That really surprised me because I don't think those kinds of stories work, because of the "it won't happen to me" factor.
Also, for anybody who thinks their GLO isn't a business, I urge you to stay involved as an alumnus, especially as you climb up the "ladder" and see what you think then.