[MysticCat]

^^^ I'm really not trying to be obstinate, but that makes no sense to me. Context is everything. I don't assume that everything my national publishes is telling me an "official fact." Sometimes they're telling what's official, sometimes they're telling what's traditional but unofficial lore, sometimes it's neither. Sometimes they make clear whether it's official or not, sometimes they rely on me to be able to figure it out from context.

Perhaps it's a matter of semantics, but if it's not in (1) the constitution, (2) by-laws or (3) a policy adopted by a body with constitutional authority to adopt such a policy, I wouldn't call it official. Even if it is in a new member manual.

In this particular case, I would take the reference given as a sign that Alpha Xi Delta wants to acknowledge and celebrate the historical relationship with Sigma Nu and doesn't see the need to censor use of the long-used term "brother fraternity" as the way that they have traditionally referred to that relationship. At the same time, Alpha Xi Delta does not officially designate Sigma Nu as it's "brother fraternity."