[KappaKittyCat]

Ok, I'm going to post this because one of my advisors gave me permission to write a little "farewell note" and an explanation. I'm sorry that I haven't responded to PMs. I've just cleared all cookies from my computer and logged off of GC completely so that if I should happen to have the urge to post while I'm reading the boards, the logon screen will come up and this will remind me that I'm not allowed to. This is the first time I've logged on since I changed my signature on the eighth and I'm only now seeing all the PMs. I must reiterate: if you want to contact me, you need to email me because I'm not checking my PMs.

Here's the deal. This is a brand-new issue. We had a Traveling Consultant from Headquarters visiting our chapter last week and she told us that the Fraternity Council has just learned of GreekChat and other such forums. A Regional Director of Chapters was surfing and discovered it. Fraternity Council's objection to GC is that it's not sponsored, monitored, or regulated by Kappa Kappa Gamma. Anybody pretending to be a Kappa could post.

They're not worried about "ritual revealing," but about other negative publicity. They're also concerned that this forum for exchanging ideas could propagate "bad" ideas, i.e. traditions that include or could potentially lead to hazing. They feel that such an exchange of ideas should only go through the Fraternity Council, advisors, Field Representatives, etc. Kappa is very big on risk management. They're concerned about how Kappas are representing themselves and the fraternity online.

Kappa's constitution, bylaws, standing rules, and policies include a clause that only the president of a chapter can make public statements about the fraternity, and then only with the permission of the Fraternity Council. So our TC told us that this has just come down from Fraternity Council, and that I was to pass it along to all the Kappas on GC. Presidents of chapters should be getting emails about it in the next week or so.

Ok, that was my telling y'all what Fraternity Council says. Here's my own opinion, something that in no way reflects the position of my national organization, and a call for help.

I'm really upset about this. GC is a community for me. It's an extented family. I've made some great pals here, helped some people out (I hope) and gotten a lot of help and moral support for myself and my chapter. I've gotten to know sisters through GC, not to mention members of other sororities. Everything I know about Panhellenic I've lerned on here. Before I discovered GC, I couldn't even name any sororities that weren't on our campus. Now I can name all 26 NPC and I'm working on the Divine Nine now. Before, I didn't even know that NPHC existed. I've learned so much. They're cutting that off, and I'm sad.

I'm hoping that this moratorium is a temporary thing that will lift once Kappa has set up someone to monitor these boards, or once it has set up guidelines for posting, or something like that. So, my fellow GCers, I need you. All GC Kappas need you. Here's what you can do. I seem to recall KDonline posting something about KD's having guidelines for how KDs are supposed to represent themselves and the organization on public forums like this. I know that OohTeenyWahine mentioned something about Alpha Gam's monitoring such boards.

If your organization has such policies, please encourage your webmaster (or whoever) to contact Kappa and let them know what you do and how it works. They need to come up with something like this, and soon. The Internet is here to stay and there's nothing we can do about it. It appears that Kappa only sees the potentially bad things that can happen on a site like this, not the good things. So it's up to us to tell them about the good things that happen on GC. This is also a call for everybody on here to think carefully before you post about the way you are representing your organization. As we Greeks know all too well, a few bad apples can spoil a good time for everybody. If there were ever a time to behave online, it is now.

Eupolis makes some good points. He knows of what he speaks. This can be a sticky issue. I am and shall always be a faithful member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, and I will abide by her policies, even if I don't understand why they're in place. No more posting from KappaKittyCat until I'm told otherwise.

I'm sorry if this is a little soapbox-esque, but I'm upset and also in a hurry at the moment. Just so you know, I'm still here. All my contact info is still in my profile, so please get in touch with me if you want to talk about this more. I miss you all already.

Yours in the Bonds of GreekChat,
KappaKittyCat