Quote:
Originally Posted by Silenus
...While both programs have their advantages and disadvantages, in the end it comes down to how the individual chapter handles it....
I joined a fraternity not just for the usual reasons - brotherhood, social opportunities, &c. - but because I saw value in the fraternity experience generally and the SigEp experience in particular. Part of that value comes from the abovementioned reasons, but a large part also comes from the unofficial traditions that have long been a part of fraternity culture. These range from traditions that everyone admires, such as standing up for brothers in even the toughest situations, to those that are no longer (officially) popular, like hazing. These traditions are precisely that, traditions. They were not ideas some sadist made up for pure joy of torturing teenagers. They developed organically over the course of a century or more and they have persisted because they are effective and have value. These are casualties of programs like BMP, and whatever the virtues of such programs it is pure hubris to believe that a committee-designed plan can ever fully replace such organic traditions.
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I hate this thread so much... yet for some reason I'm posting again.
Here's the problem I have... you're talking about traditions that are effective and have value. Tell me where hazing falls into 'effective and valuable.' Pledging? Fine. Hazing? No. Keep in mind, hazing isn't "Traditional." When our fraternity was founded, Franklin Webb Kerfoot wasn't shit on by Benjamin Donald Gaw before he was allowed to wear SPE on his heart.
But I don't want you to think I don't understand what you're saying; I do. I'm just stating the above.
The BMP isn't designed to replace good traditions; it's designed to replace negative traditions (which results in fewer risk management issues), increase membership retention, and build better men.
But as you said, it all depends how a chapter handles it's program.