True Brother Initiative

JonoBN41 · #1 08-06-2007, 08:00 PM

Ed, first of all, welcome to GC. We appreciate hearing from you.

I don't think the True Brother Initiative is the same as LEAP, Impact, or the Alumni Ritual. It seems to be more on par with the change from pledgeship to associate membership or SigEp's Balanced Man program. I have been informed that the next Paedagogus (which would have come out this year) is being held up and rewritten in order to incorporate the TBI. In other words, it's a much bigger deal.

I do wish the alumni had been a little better prepared for the unveiling, especially since the alumni are expected to help administer it, according to a document from IHQ.

I'm sure it's a great program - I'm not saying it isn't - but it could have been presented with more alumni support, especially from those who have demonstrated a sincere interest in the fraternity for many years and are apparently needed to help implement it.

Virtually all of us on this board have an interest - that's we we're here. And that's why we feel a little put off. Not just the lack of being consulted, but because we still don't know much about it. It will fade, of course, as we learn more. It's all about learning, is it not?

If you have more information (and you seem to) on how the TBI applies to, and draws support from, alumni, please let us know.

In ZAX,
Jono

(Lennox - yes, that's why we're in Iraq)

GammaZeta · #2 08-06-2007, 08:27 PM

"2) They feel that they are the type of person that would not be
sought-after under the new suggestions for recruiting.

2) The core values enumerated in the True Brother program are nothing
new. I have a 1948 edition of the Paedagogus that has a very
similar list of ideals. The revised statement was clearly derived
from research of the primary documents of the Fraternity (rituals,
creeds, and constitutions of LCA & TKN, early writings of the
founders, etc.) To be blunt -- as far as I'm concerned, any alumni
that object to those values should never have joined this
fraternity and are quite welcome to leave."

Ok. LXA is made up of alumni from the past 90 years. Assuming we all hold the "core" values. Now, LXA is trying to make a special program based upon recruiting certain values. Obviously, HQ believes that there must be a difference between the alumni of the past 90 years and the type of people they wish to recruit. If they did not see that difference, why the new program aimed at specific items?

So, we can conclude that HQ is beginning a program to recruit new members that are in some manner different from our alumni base. Everyone here has admitted that there is a specific "type" that HQ wants to focus on.

If there was no difference, then there would be no need for the new program. Since there is a difference between the wanted new members and the alumni, what is that difference? Obviously True Brother is some sort of values orientated program with some other aspects thrown in. This shows that HQ thinks there is a difference in values between alumni and the new protocol for new members. Now common sense tells you that HQ won't regress and recruit people of lesser values, we will not be looking to recruit in jail, etc. Therefore, HQ will be looking for people with better values than that of our alumni. I am insulted.

So obviously, in some form or another, alumni are no longer the standard, or they would not be changing it.

For those of you that say alumni don't matter, and HQ doesn't need the approval of alumni.

Well, think of it this way.

How many alumni do we have?

How many actives do we have?

Have you been associated with LXA longer as an alumni, or as an active brother?

EXACTLY...

EM1843 · #3 08-06-2007, 11:00 PM

Gamma as usual you have good points, but your delivery kills them.

I still believe that Lambda Chi exists because of and for undergraduates. It is great that we as alumni can come together and talk about Lambda Chi, but if that was all we wanted we could just be Elks and it wouldn't make a difference. Fraternities are special because we have the opertunity to interact with and be a brother to so many people. Without the undergraduates we will become nothing.

My only grievence with TBI is that I don't know anything of substance about it and I don't know where to go to find it. I don't care if it's a 400 page manifesto on what TBI is I will read every page. IHQ needs to get the information out to those who are interested in the program, and fast.

And Gamma, I think we would do good to seek out men with good values, because we have seen what a chapter without them will do. The less dead weight we have to pull the better we can be.

GammaZeta · #4 08-06-2007, 11:32 PM

As alumni, we are picky, prissy, pissy, crotchety, have PMS, and expect more than we deserve. But we do write quite a few checks and donate a lot of our time. So I think HQ owes us a little more than we got.

"Without the undergraduates we will become nothing."

If it was back in 2000 or 2001, I would have agreed with you. Gamma Zeta was a very close chapter based on friendship and brotherhood. Since we disbanded some years ago, I find the friendships that have lasted to be stronger than ever. Gamma Zeta Chapter may not have undergraduates right now, but what we have is certainly not "nothing".

So from that perspective, without an undergraduate chapter to nourish and nurture, the only relationships that we have left from Gamma Zeta is between us alumni. When HQ does something that even hints at excluding alumni, or treats us as 2nd class brothers, or less important than another part of our fraternity, it is saying that what we have left of Gamma Zeta is not important, that it doesn't matter, that LXA is actually really only about the undergraduate community.

I've heard over and over and over about Lambda Chi Alpha "being for life." Is it really? I know that my friendships forged at Gamma Zeta are for life. Our bond between brothers from the chapter is for life, but everyday I feel that the total bond between all brothers of Lambda Chi Alpha is weakening.

"It is great that we as alumni can come together and talk about Lambda Chi, but if that was all we wanted we could just be Elks and it wouldn't make a difference."

Maybe the remaining 1,500 brothers of Gamma Zeta are just "Elks". Right now, all we can really do is come together and talk about Lambda Chi. Sure we like to drink, have fun, joke around, but I never thought that we were anything but Lambda Chi Alpha's....maybe I was wrong.

GammaZeta · #5 08-06-2007, 11:37 PM

Quick question:

In general and in the True Brother program; are we supposed to teach values to the men, or are we supposed to bring out the values of the men?

Mooch279 · #6 08-07-2007, 08:38 AM

Touchy.....i think everyone is getting a little worked up over nothing. Its not like they are changing the rights of an associate. They are simply giving structure to everything that should make a True Brother of Lambda Chi. All of the ideals are the same, all the traditions and principles are the same. The way i look at it is its just a newly structured fraternity education plan that doesn't stop after initiation.

My home chapter was one of the pilot chapters and they all seem to really embrace the program. I have to admit i haven't been involved in the day to day with them over the last year but I'm going to the semester planning meeting on Saturday so I'll try and get more info from their prospective.

As far as its being like balance man, from my understanding in balance man basically there are three levels of brothers Sigma, Phi and Epsilon. You don't know or the meaning changes as you reach a new level. Definitely not so in True Brother. Side note when i was in school their were sig eps at my school that were stuck at sigma or phi for years, towards the end i think there were very few full Epsilon level brothers in the chapter.