Quote:
Originally posted by gamma_girl52
"It's Alpha Phi Omega's fault!" when referring to chapters being closed...there are different reasons behind each one and it's not like they can't re-open. That's kind of pushing it anyway, to blame one organization for the shrinkage of another. Jaybee, you know I love ya, but come on now.
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I've talked to black and white sisters at different times in my 22 years of existence. I speak no fables. A membership director of Gamma Sigma Sigma from the Baltimore area told me that many of their campuses was losing membership to Alpha Phi Omega.
Let’s be real. This family is being cherished, and backed up by some male members of Alpha Phi Omega and some female members of Gamma Sigma Sigma. If both organizations blanketed all their chapters into being coed they would not try to have a relationship. Do you really think that members who love the coed chapter that they are in, wants a relationship with a sorority? Come on now. There are campuses where the coed chapters of Alpha Phi Omega exist and single gender chapters of Gamma Sigma Sigma exist. They are in separate worlds. Look at University of Florida, and University of Georgia. They know they each org is there. Nobody is recognizing this relationship but proponents of single gender chapters in Alpha Phi Omega and Gamma Sigma Sigma.
Is a separation there? I would say yes. Is it a problem? That is at the individual level. You have to realize there are a lot of male brothers that still haven’t been around a female APO. So they snap, when one comes around uninvited. That might change over time. Then it may not. Some don’t even say anything, they just gives you looks. Others have dealt with it before. So they try to be more cordial. Of course when they come to a national conference or convention everybody is cordial. Also, there are individuals in Alpha Phi Omega who would like nothing more than to see the death of Ay-Phi-Que. And they wouldn’t support anything that is in support of them.
There are a lot of people who love the single gender aspect of the 25/52 family. It actually is the life-force of the family itself. In my opinion, a blow up in coed arena lessens arenas where there can be single gender activities. In my opinion if all the chapters in Alpha Phi Omega where coed, then the same thing would happen as it did on Dillard’s campus:
The chapter had been a low-key chapter. The family was being hyped and the sisters were so excited that the chapter drew attention to itself with having 39 on their spring line. I knew they were in trouble when I heard it. I tried to promote an activity on their campus. The other counseled organizations pick that chapter apart. They never had a chance to learn what they were in. And they never had strong relationship with the coed chapter of Alpha Phi Omega who is still on that campus today. Yet those two chapters use to have a history together.
See very few people in our organizations pledge anything else back in the day. You got every thing you need in the 25/52 family. It was just that tight. We didn’t have to go to a
Pan-held Party, we had own thing. Matter of fact we use to be invited and won some step competitions sponsored by the Pan.
And lets not think that single gender entities are not about service. If any all male chapter don’t think about service, that’s sad. When I was in college we had dorm cloth drive contest, day care Halloween parties, and even a Melting Pot Festival for foreign students. I think you can talk about other things and do service too.