The Brotherhood of Lambda Chi Alpha?

[JonoBN41]

Clint,

May I reprint what you wrote to our alumni/active server so that about 130 of us Beta-Nus can read it? Please say 'yes' because I already did.

Bro, that's the best stuff I've read in a long time. Most importantly, you brought out issues I wasn't even aware WERE issues! And I'm the president of our alumni association.

You also stated the way I think most of us feel, and you said it very well. Are you really still 'just' an active? You come across sounding alot more mature but at the same time realistic and certainly sincere.

Lambda Chi is fortunate to have brothers like you. Thanks.

In ZAX,
Jono
BN41

[chopper816]

im going to make a call now, this fails miserably at general assembly... at regionals in kc, only 2 or 3 guys were for this, if thats the trend in other regions, then this will be killed. No offense to Doc, but this is a bad idea.

[LrdOL]

It's sad that we have to worry about such a thing as a name change to begin with.
Theoretically, they want to help, and by all means that is apprechiated (sP? i'm sorry i just woke up ) but certinly it's unnessesary after all this time.
But what i'm more worried about is that we fear change as a group. The name thing to me is just pointless, and thus i do not like the idea. But when it comes to other things, like making the ritual public, i think that's passe in order to please the public. So what if they know anything. Are we afraid that if they don't know something, they're going to try harder to shut us down around the nation?
I don't think so at all. The ritual and the morals and the ideals are all now inside, breeding, fustering, and manifesting around us due to our individual actions. WE know that, WE act as MEN, WE act as GENTELMEN, and we thus try to be just, moral, safe, and we all try to make well rounded choices.
If we all actually tried to follow the ideals and morals to the letter, we'd be amazing, the public wouldn't care anymore. .... but like someone else said, WE"RE COLLEGE STUDENTS!!!! we can't be perfect and we're far from it.
Making things public and changing names and changing image to fit in the system on campus are one in the same thing. They're trying to settle!!!!
you don't settle for anything.
you son't settle for "A Girl" in order to just have a "Girlfriend" do you? no!
it's the same in your everyday life!!!
Don't settle.
be the best you can with what you have. You are a Brother Of Lambda Chi Alpha, which is a Fraternity, not a Frat (you don't call your country a cunt now do you?).
Be not ashamed of your individuality in a group full of men. Do not be ashamed of your group mentality, but do not fear change, it will be change that will help us survive (other things besides the ritual and the name change, didn't want to go against my theses there )

my tired two cents

in ZAX
Jacob Lee (aka Sonic)
University of Rhode Ilsand
HZ 1268

[LXA1048]

Jono,

Feel free to put anything I write anywhere. I only speak what I believe so I have nothing to hide. Yes I am an undergraduate. I will probally graduate in a year and a half which isn't bad because I am only 21 years old.

As for this motion passing, I really doubt it. The only people who are really for it are Doc and the Student Advisory Committee. Almost everyone else at the our conclave was against it in Indianapolis.

Speaking of SAC, does anyone else find it strange that they are the ones that are supposed to advise the Grand High Zeta from the undergraduate perspective, and they are appointed by Internationals. Doesn't it seem strange that if we are going to have a member on the Grand High Zeta that the undergraduates should be the ones to choose who it is? The Grand High Sigma is the chairman of the Student Advisory Committee. Any way just another thing to talk about.

Talk to you all later,
Clint

[JonoBN41]

For Clint (I gotta meet you someday),

This is what I wrote to my chapter and alumni on our server.

Marcus,

It's been a long time since someone has peed purple green and gold on the server, and I love you for it. I also know how fired up one can get from attending one of those events. I've been to a couple General Assemblies myself. It's all good, my brother. Doc Dirghalli impressed me at the one in 1976(?), and he's the one with the proposal now to change the name. I don't quite understand the rationale.

We'll get to that in a minute. First I just want to say that the email I sent was written by one Clint Hampton who is an active and the current High Phi at Murray State University. He expressed his own viewpoint and for someone his age, I thought it was very well said. It also opened my eyes to an issue I hadn't known was in the works, and I thought it was a quick way to convey that to the general brotherhood. In your 'rapture', shall we say, you may have taken a few of his comments in a way he didn't mean them to be taken. Keep in mind, I excerpted that from an ongoing banter on greekchat.

I am very impressed with the state of the chapter at Beta Nu. The brothers there have recovered from some trying times. You guys have put more meaning back into Lambda Chi Alpha than I ever hoped you would. That's a good thing and I for one appreciate it.

This whole issue revolves around the 'perception' of 'fraternity'. Now I'm up here in New York, right? Do I see on the evening news that some chapter of some fraternity raised $2000 for charity? No. Do I hear that my nephew's chapter of TKE at Rutgers raises $20,000 every summer (in memory of...) with a golf tournament and now have 5 high school scholarships going? NO.

The general public hears that a pledge of some fraternity, somehwere in the country died during hell week. They saw Animal House. They watched FOX's episode of "Undeclared" which was SO ridiculous even I wrote to the writers of the show. I was very disappointed in that because they had the potential for taking the high road and they chose not to. And I told them so, too.

What does this come down to? What's it all about?

Image. Doc Dirghalli thinks we can change the image of 'fraternity' by changing it to 'brotherhood'. I doubt it. His intentions are noble, but it won't work, and I hope it won't happen. Even Ayn Rand wrote in 1954 that you can't change the nature of something by changing its name. Did racial discrimination go away because pc people say african-american? Did sexual discrimination go away because some people say gay instead of faggot? Well nothing will be accomplished by a change in name.

The whole thing is absurd. You can not change the nature of something by changing the name. What you can do is stop people from doing counter-productive things, especially within you own organizations. It looks like Beta-Nu is doing that and I'm glad.

A 'brotherhood' sounds like a union, which I abhor. I'm not a union man. I joined a FRATERNITY and I did so 30 years ago come April 29 (Mel will tell ya) and I want the delegates to vote NO!

Jono

[Tom Earp]

Clint, I too just sent this along to the Brothers Of LX Z well the 200 e-m that I have gotten!

It seems that International is trying so hard to be Politically Corret that they have forgotten wha the True meaning of LXA really is!

[BrianAggieLCA]

Hey guys,
I'm a brother at Texas A&M and am on the 2002 Student Advisory Committee. I'm gonna try to give my view as one of the authors of this legislation. I'm gonna admit up front, that the reasons that we gave at the Regional Conferences sounded like we were ashamed of being called a fraternity. We made the mistake of forgetting that the actives and alumns dont have the same information that we do, and so wouldnt see things from the same perspective as we do. To say that we want to change the name to brotherhood because we are ashamed of the word fraternity, and dont want outsiders to see us like "Animal House" is wrong. If someone is going to pigeon-hole us then that is they're fault for being closed minded. For me, the name change is for us, not them. The one thing that makes us different from the other clubs and organizations on our campuses isn't our mixers and crush parties or our focus on scholastics or even our service activities. You can get all these things elsewhere. But the one thing that no one else has is Brotherhood. It's the force that ties all the other aspects of who we are together. Take away the chance for leadership, excellence in academics, service to the community, and the great social events, and though diminished, we could still exist and be Lambda Chi. But take away the brotherhood and, even if you keep all the other things, we are just another club. We wanted to put a spotlight on the aspect of who we are that we consider the most important and are the most proud of. No one is saying that changing the name is supposed to change who we are. It's a purely symbolic gesture to exhalt this quality. I realized the other day that with all the awards given by HQ for service and outstanding chapters, there isnt one that rewards brotherhood. I agree that brotherhood is something that is hard to measure, but I think we should reward those chapters that have achieved what sadly, many of our chapters don't have. We have put a huge focus on our AM program, but I think we forgot why that was changed in the first place. It was done because we realized that you dont have to beat each other up to build brotherhood. It was all based on brotherhood. Perhaps this name change is more like the step they forgot when they started the AM program. And as for other fraternities, if they want to follow suit and change their names as well, I say more power to them. Maybe if we do it the others will look closely at their own brotherhood and want to put more emphasis on it as well. They say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Now as for the alumni aspect. After going back and reading the legislation I realized that we didnt say why. We just said they would, which sounds pretty stupid. The reasoning behind that was that with a greater focus on brotherhood, along with some of the programs envisioned by Tom Helmbock(Ex VP), that more brothers would see the brotherhood as more than just four years. It wasn't intended to impact the current alumni as much as those to come. The senior ritual that is being tested this semester is all part of that plan. I honestly havent seen the ritual so I dont know what it is in it, but it sounds pretty cool. That was my main reason for wanting this name change. It wasnt because Im ashamed of the word fraternity or of who we are, but the opposite, that I'm proud of who we are and want to share it with everyone.
Now as for the comments on the Student Advisory Committee. Since Regionals we have been attacked by brothers as being biased, unrepresentative, and even unbrotherly. I take all of these as personal attacks. I am a brother just like every one of you and deserve to be treated as such. I have a deep love for this fraternity, and would gladly give all I have to save it. Everyone on the Student Advisory Committee is the same. We wouldn't have applied for this position and given up our time and money if we didn't care about the fraternity. We are one of a handful of fraternities that actually has undergraduate representation on the Board of Directors, and if you remember from the other legislation, we are trying to add a 2nd member. If you want to talk individually about SAC feel free to e-mail me. I hope all the undergraduates who were at Regionals apply, it is an awsome opportunity.
I guess that's it. I doubt I changed anyone's mine about the name change proposal, but I wanted you to know why I support it. Just a side note, just because SAC says we support something, doesnt mean we had a unanimous vote. We go by concensus. The name change however was one thing we were all dedicated to.

In ZAX,
Brian Stevens
DM 191

P.S. Sorry for any spelling or grammar stuff, I'm not an English major.

[Tom Earp]

Brian, know one is finding Fault, It is just that some of us would like to know what is going on! I think there have been some strong thoughts on this as there should be! WE NEED To Be Kept informed! While the Active Zeta Runs the day to day, it is the Alums that make things help grow!

I have been one of the first and most vocal on the Digital Thread of International Site!

I am still and will always be a member of LXA. I keep in contact with Both on a Regular basis! I beleive in the Principals of LXA and firmally beleive in Both. I can Tell you some storys!

Just to show you, I got E-M from A Brother FROM W. Onterio who is living in Aussie Land! Is that Brotherhood or what?

Send Me an PM or E-M and will call you!

hoyotomas@aol.com

[chopper816]

Brianaggie, youre totally right that you and the rest of sac should be treated as brothers and with respect. However, I think that most of the membership has a justafiable belief that sac is being uprepresentative of the membership on this issue. I say that because at regionals, sac members were for this, and out of all the members attending, only 3 or 4 supported this with sac. So when the membership sees this, in their mind that is being unrepresentative of the general membership. Now, I agree that we have the best brotherhood out of all fraternities, however, we are a fraternity with a great brotherhood. now, I was told that the consitution would be changed from fraternity to brotherhood, therefore not being simply symbolic, but an actual name change. If you want something symbolic, why wouldnt you pass a statement putting an emphisis on our brotherhood but still keep the name fraternity? Now, I can guarantee you hardly any chapters will go by brotherhood, they will keep using a fraternity as the name, and for a good reason, rush. High school guys want to join a fraternity, not a brotherhood. if a guy comes up and asks if were a fraternity, are we supposed to say no, were a brotherhood? to the average rushee, theyre going to think were not a fraternity, members at the local chapter level will still use fraternity no matter what is proposed, so will everyone else. Now, my question hasnt been, and probably cant be answered. You even said that the name change was for us, not outsiders. we know what were about, and since we know that, i dont think we need to change our name. In my opinion, deep down this is either for the approval of outsiders, or to hide some guilt for some. as a member, i know who we are and what we stand for, a name change wont do anything but cause problems. but we'll see how it does at general assembly.

[lifesaver]

Originally posted by BrianAggieLCA
The one thing that makes us different from the other clubs and organizations on our campuses isn't our mixers and crush parties or our focus on scholastics or even our service activities. You can get all these things elsewhere. But the one thing that no one else has is Brotherhood. It's the force that ties all the other aspects of who we are together.

I am sorry. I thougt it was our ritual.

Listen. I appreciate what you do for the rest of the undergraduates. I appreciate the idea. i really do. I just disagree with the name change. I think there have to be other ways to increase the sense of brotherhood both within and between the zetas. I am not sure what they are, but lets continue to research ideas. For that, I applaud your ideas and energys.

IN ZAX,
lifesaver