what type of campus for your GLO?

[Erik P Conard]

'way back when the literary societies had larger libraries than the
colleges, 'way back when most schools were private; 'way back
when the colleges were finishing schools for the ladies as well as
readying men to run dad's business; way back beginning when
Pthe Phi Psis built that cabin in the woods in Gettysburg...
'way back when the newly-founded state universities, from the
Morrill Act in 1862...welcomed men's groups especially and the housing they provided...and the Greeks who built them.
'way back when the Betas had a 15 man chapter and were the
kings of the campus along with the Alpha Delts, Zetes and Dekes.
'way back when the teachers' colleges emerged, and the aggie schools, and the engine schools...creating locals who became
national chapters..and so on.
'then the streetcar college wanted to offer inducements to have a
residential atmosphere...and Greeks to boot...
and the night schools blossomed into day schools, too;
and the junior colleges and extensions became four year ones...
but the Greeks now began to wane....
And they ran off the advisors, fired the housemother, alienated
the alums...began keggers in the house, deflowering the ladies
now on the second floor...throwing up on the Pike porch or taking
a leak on the SAE lion...several thousand dormant chapters later
some are asking...maybe the basic idea of fraternity is valuable,
with SOME supervision. Even Harvard, Yale & Princeton have now
widely touted this notion. And now Kappa has responded...wow!
Gosh, manners might return...study halls...exchanges...
It is probably not fair to try to compare Cleveland State with Ole
Miss or Berkeley with Keene (NH) State...or Harvard, who
now wants GLOs, with Iowa Wesleyan
But some of us have chapters at all of these. Some of us have
been advisors at many of these. Read the list of dormant chapters of the GLOS...most of them were not the ivied-places, or
the State U with the law & med schools, nor the paid-athlete ones which draw throngs of alumni hell-bent on winning teams.
SO...where are we? Does Alpha Sigma Tau go to Ole Miss and
does KKG go to U of Southern Utah? Does SIU-Edwardsville meet
the Pi Phi's and do they pose a threat to the Tri Sigmas? This is
interesting...many changes have, indeed, occurred. And Tom,
you are right...things are a-changin'...might be an interesting topic for historical and nostalgic greeks who can see a differnce
'tween the overalls and the bloomers.
One thing, by the way, it is interesting to note what has become
of the old chapters and old houses, say at Amherst or Bowdoin,
now that we GLOs have been kicked off and our houses given to
co-ed or diverse or other non-traditional groups...with the aid of
the institution...from student funds....Anybody got any pictures of
the once-gorgeous houses at Bowdoin or Amherst?
Even an old codger, an old SOB, or what have you...even those who mean well...can see that....'course that is a fur piece from the hallowed halls of Ole Miss. And if some of you think this is condesending, better take a course on reading comphehension, for it is not that at all...