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Old 08-28-2004, 01:52 PM
PhiPsiRuss PhiPsiRuss is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by adpiucf
I don't think you'll find one, but you will find chapters with loads of "traditional" age college students who are learning how to be mature adults and who feel that advisors at HQ are like mean and disapproving parents... so the maturing traditional age collegians are more likely to hide a problem than communicate openly... for fear they will be disciplined and punished, like a child being sent to his room. This lack of communication leads to mistrust and a chapter that can't communicate is looked at more closely, and yes, is more likely to screw up, because they've grown afraid to communicate even the smallest things-- like approving a local event.
This really depends on the GLO. Many GLOs simply lack the resources to provide positive and constructive reform. GLOs with the resources to reform chapters aren't looking to bust chapters. They're looking to help them.

I was my chapters VP when we had the last administration permitted open keg party (36 kegs, 3,000+ people, no fights.) I was there at the time of transition and it was frustrating. FSU passed rules that were inspired by my chapter. When kegs were banned from fraternity houses, one brother parked next to the house with an ancient VW convertable that had a keg in the back seat. A month later, FSU passed the "adjacent property rule." After several friday afternoon golfing excursions through campus, FSU banned golf on campus. We found other things to do, and other ways to do them. As I look back on my undergraduate years, there are a lot of great memories, and there was a lot of alcohol. There aren't that many great memories that involved alcohol. When America's age of litigation started, everything changed. We're not going back to the way that it was before. If fraternities have to have alcohol to exist, than they don't deserve to exist. Besides, most NIC organizations do allow alcohol under restrictive conditions.

Chapters that have had poor communications with their fraternities did not pop up into existance after the liability insurance era emerged. They have always been around, and traditionally the area of contention was not alcohol. Sometimes poor communications is the fault of HQ staff. Sometimes the blame lies with actives. Sometimes its both. Usually it lies with stubborn advisors who don't want change. These advisors poison the atmosphere for communications between HQ and chapters, and are there to keep it poisoned for years on end. When communications sour between a chapter and HQ, and there are no alumni that try to keep Hatfield-McCoy style hostility alive, the hostility fades and good communications and relations eventually are restored.
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