True Brother Initiative

[Ottor 246]

Originally Posted by GammaZeta

Warren A. Cole Recruitment Institute??????????

Oh my God. That is about as appropriate as having O.J. Simpson sell knives on late night infocommercials. Just a suggestion, but given Cole's recruitment history, and the fact that during his initial recruitment he was, let's just say less than honest, do you think his name should be highlighting the program?

Point taken. I wonder if they thought of that?

By workbook do you mean a quick reference book of helpful suggestions, etc., or do you mean an actual book where you fill in the blanks, etc.?

Not sure. I got copies of all the manuals, etc., but I haven't had time to read all of them yet. I do know that it will be in addition to the Paedagogus, and that the Paed. will eventually be re-designed and shortened to go along with TBI.

[JConleyWCU]

Originally Posted by GammaZeta

Sounds good. I will naturally be skeptical at first. There just have been to many "new" programs in the last couple decades. Thank GOD we are getting away from risk management, glad to hear that this is replacing it at least. That makes me a little more hopeful.

Warren A. Cole Recruitment Institute??????????

Oh my God. That is about as appropriate as having O.J. Simpson sell knives on late night infocommercials. Just a suggestion, but given Cole's recruitment history, and the fact that during his initial recruitment he was, let's just say less than honest, do you think his name should be highlighting the program?

By workbook do you mean a quick reference book of helpful suggestions, etc., or do you mean an actual book where you fill in the blanks, etc.?

Before we began our session on recruitment the High Pi training us gave us this explanation on why it is what it is. Warren A. Cole traveled the United States and where ever he went new Zeta's followed. Cole solicited around 117 colleges and universities throughout the Northeast United States to begin Lambda Chi Alpha. Cole was viewed as a congenial man, whose dogged persistence was, no doubt, the reason Lambda Chi succeeded. If it was not for Cole there wouldn't be a Lambda Chi.

[Tom Earp]

From of the posts I have read, I wonder how wide speread this really is?

How soon do We as Alums and Members of the Zetas get the information?

I agree, how many are going to get preview and knowledge?

While it has peeked my interst, there are thoughts if it is another thought that may look good? But not fully acceptied

[GammaZeta]

Congenial, dogged persistence or portraying false numbers and fake information, same difference I guess.

Of course High Pi training gave you the politically correct version. They aren't going to tell you he was kicked out of the fraternity he started, or that one of the primary reasons he started a fraternity was for business and economic reasons.

I also believe Jack Mason's vision more accurately represents what Lambda Chi Alpha is today than Warren Cole's vision.

So I guess by using Cole's name on recruitment material, it is an endorsement by Lambda Chi Alpha to tell prospective members we have 44 brothers in a chapter when we only have 4?

[dever860]

Originally Posted by GammaZeta

Congenial, dogged persistence or portraying false numbers and fake information, same difference I guess.

Of course High Pi training gave you the politically correct version. They aren't going to tell you he was kicked out of the fraternity he started, or that one of the primary reasons he started a fraternity was for business and economic reasons.

I also believe Jack Mason's vision more accurately represents what Lambda Chi Alpha is today than Warren Cole's vision.

So I guess by using Cole's name on recruitment material, it is an endorsement by Lambda Chi Alpha to tell prospective members we have 44 brothers in a chapter when we only have 4?

He said he was sorry...

[JonoBN41]

Ottor, thanks for an excellent run down of the basics of the program. I want to be enthusiastic about it, but I still don't understand how it works in practice.

Boz said it's for everybody, but I have to see how it applies to those who have already graduated. Will it come to a point when there are "true" brothers, and the rest of us are just "regular" brothers?

I can see this working if one starts as an AM, but how do alumni participate, integrate, and support it? I'm still unclear on that. Or is the saying true - you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

[dever860]

Originally Posted by JonoBN41

Ottor, thanks for an excellent run down of the basics of the program. I want to be enthusiastic about it, but I still don't understand how it works in practice.

Boz said it's for everybody, but I have to see how it applies to those who have already graduated. Will it come to a point when there are "true" brothers, and the rest of us are just "regular" brothers?

I can see this working if one starts as an AM, but how do alumni participate, integrate, and support it? I'm still unclear on that. Or is the saying true - you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

I am waiting for the new C&C, hopefully there is more of a narrative. I keep checking fraternity manuals for the new manuals, no luck.

[GammaZeta]

Good point Jono. If we are supposed to recruit "true brothers" of the same values, etc., where does that leave the rest of us? Also, shouldn't the values of the fraternity be determined by membership and alumni, and not some guidelines set forth by an exclusive group of brothers? Will we be "false" brothers?

[dever860]

Originally Posted by GammaZeta

Good point Jono. If we are supposed to recruit "true brothers" of the same values, etc., where does that leave the rest of us? Also, shouldn't the values of the fraternity be determined by membership and alumni, and not some guidelines set forth by an exclusive group of brothers? Will we be "false" brothers?

Ive seen few who have lost their way a bit too easy...

It is a lot like a check list. I doubt Nationals is going to come knocking on our door to make sure that every AM is a True Brother.

[JonoBN41]

Or to paraphrase George Orwell, "All brothers are true brothers, some are just truer than others." Just kidding.

[GammaZeta]

I've been thinking about this. I'm not so sure I like the idea that there is a specific "type" that we should pursue or strive to become. I've always liked the diversity of Gamma Zeta; rich, poor, young, old, white, black, asian, jewish, christian, political, scientific, lazy, ambitious, studious, party-animal...

If we were encouraged to go after any type of standard, other than being a good guy, I think we would have missed out on a lot of good brothers.

In fact, the more I think about it the less I like it. I also think it is very insulting to those that are alumni, the one's that made LXA what it is today.

It's almost like saying "Hey good job alumni on all your hard work and donations which helped form Lambda Chi Alpha, but you don't really fit in anymore. Oh by the way, we will now encourage your chapter to recruit a specific type of person, who will most likely be completely different from the type of people you and your fellow alumni are. Your "type" isn't welcome in the future of the fraternity, but you are more than welcome to stick around and donate your time and money to this practice of elitism."

[john1082]

I don't know if I am cynical or experienced . . .

Having seen Great Passage, LEAP, IMPACT, and some others that I don't recall come and go over the past 30 years I look at True Brother with some skepticism. Not criticism, but skepticism. It tested in the midwest and east, save for one chapter in San Diego. Until now all I have seen is smoke an mirrors. The roll out last week dealt with the Outer Circle but not the Inner Circle program. Apparently that will be released to chapters (a) when it is ready, and (b) when the staff decides that a chapter is "ready" (worthy?) of the Inner Circle program.

Will the Inner Circle program readiness be predicated on a series of hoops which must be jumped through? Membership numbers or scholarship or finances? If the program remains voluntary for chapter adoption, what will be the fall-out for chapters that do not adopt the program? Non-consideration from award consideration like the Grand High Alpha award? If that is the cease then it really isn't voluntary adoption because there would be sanctions for non-adoption of the program.

I had lunch on Saturday with the undergrads, passing up the alumni college lunch. One of the guys that I sat with came from a test chapter. When I asked him about TBI he replied that when folks came to evaluate the program he was asked "What is good about the program?" and then, after he offered his thoughts, he added "Now do you want to know what didn't work?" He told me that the reply from staff was "We've already got that." If that is how it was really evaluated at the chapter level then we're not getting, as Brother Paul Harvey says "The rest of the story."

[dever860]

Just read the new C&C, as of this second it hasn't been posted on the website, and I was a bit disappointed. Yea I don't get it. It didn't go into any details, basically went on for 2 pages about what I already knew.

Regardless of which, I am still going to try to implement whatever it is.

Speaking of IMPACT, I am aware of quite a few angry people who tried for years to get up to IMPACT 4 and then found it they just canceled it. Very disappointed they were.

[GammaZeta]

Oh man, I forgot Paul Harvey was a LXA! I LOVE his stories.

Why do we always need fancy national programs in our chapters? When will HQ learn that 300 chapters nationwide are not the same, and do not have the same ideals, brotherhood, goals or concerns and problems.

I guess I am taking a more libertarian view of our organization; less is better. I find it hard to continue to move on to new programs when we haven't mastered the basic, bread and butter fundamentals of a fraternity.

More and more this seems to be more buzzwords so that HQ can pat themselves on the back for being "proactive" (God I hate that word).

Outside of risk management, I think the primary focus should be aggressive recruitment and aggressive fundraising. Recruitment and fundraising is like garlic, too much is never enough. All of our resources should be put into those two issues. Don't waste money on fancy programs. Get a LXA recruiter on as many college campuses with that money. Don't waste time thinking of slogans. Get our HQ staff on the phone calling up alumni asking for donations with that time.

We need to go back to basics and realize we are an organization that needs two things: new brothers and money. Period.

[EM1843]

Having heard about TBI last year and after reading the C&C article today I am both excited and disappointed. I always thought that the "fraternity education" concept was a failure because AMs and older brothers had different needs. AMs needed to learn the basics about the fraterntiy and what brotherhood was and we were the only fraternity that did not have a 'pledge' education program. I am excited to see that we will have a new program for AM education. Additionally anything that works to keep older brothers involved is good, so the brotherhood education seems like a good idea to me.
I am dissappointed by the focus on recuitment. Almost all of the recruitment plans from IHQ have been failures because what works for one chapter or in one region will not work for every one. Also the three tiered program to which IHQ controls access seems to be just too much BS to me. If I paid my dues then I should have access to everything IHQ offers, even if I choose not to exploit it.

I hope that TBI can become succesful and at least it will give us something to use.