HQ Destroying tradition and brotherhood

[SigepSoulja]

Last week our loving naitonal HQ flew in our RD, director of expansion, and our old RD (Czar, good guy but not today) along with a board of our local alumni. The took our charter away and put my house under a "membership review". This entailed a one on one interview with the national reps and our own alumni where we were told that they are eliminating our pledgeship and implementing the BMP WITHOUT our vote. They can do this because when they took our charter we no longer had a say. This was ALL a result from a parent of a pussy PLEDGE (thats freshman or sigma challenge now I guess) whom called the University about our late night workoffs. The result of these interviews was expulsion of 35 members and 2 freshman, leaving 21 guys in the house who pleased the alumni. WE WERE TOLD THAT OUR LOCAL TRADITIONS AND PARTS OF RITUALS WILL NO LONGER CONTINUE BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN SOME FORM OF HAZEING. We are the 2nd oldest and one of the last tradional chapters on the westcoast, and in this past week Ive seen everything Ive loved and thought my house stood for crumble. Traditions that have gone down here for 90 years and that have made me a much better person has stopped and will no longer continue. I am no longer allowed on our property, cannot wear letters, cannot identify myself as a sigep, and am definatly not supposed to take part in house functions anymore. ALL because my boys and I were keeping shit alive that we loved and respected and all went through ourselves. Apperently once we graduate we get alumni status, I suppose thats so nationals can hit me up for cash one im a wealthy alumn. whatever. They destroyed the strogest and most respected brotherhood at WSU. They cut my pledge class in half and only allowed half to stay. "Stick with your boys..no matter what" was beat into my head for an entire year. The times I went through during my pledgeship was some of the best of my life. The last day of my initiation was probally the greatest.They have taken a tried and proven method of developing strong brotherhood makeing truly better men and abolished it. I was tought to love the house with all I had. I can tell you how many tiles are on our chapter room floor, planks on the wall, steps in the house and the initiation number of every one of my seniors. This all stopped. I feel worst for the sophmores who signed at semester last spring and are due up for thier "I" week. They will never be a true member. They will not do the same thing that the 1647 before them had. They wont have the experience, the growth, and the understanding. I learned the true meanings of virtue, diligence, brotherly love and most importantly HFF. Where is any of that now? I had so much pride and faith in this brotherhood and I feel like Ive been stabbed in the back. Its a dark day for WA Alpaha, and if this is the way our fraternity is headed on a national scale then I am sorry for us all.
-ALI, 1650 (did I mention they eliminated #s, one of the most respected things in my house?)

[SigEpRaider]

I understand where you are coming from, and what happened to you and several of your members was and is unfortunate. Something similar is happening to the chapter from which I graduated. Nationals has put us on probation for one year becasue we are currently under 40 members. Considering what happened to you and the other members, it sounds like the actions that Nationals has taken seem to be appropriate. Face it, you were hazing pledges, and you got caught. SigEp as well as every other fraternity has a zero tolerance policy on hazing. There is no place for that in SigEp, nor any other GLO. It only makes us all look bad and further endangers a system that is already in jeopardy.

First of all, let me say that this former pledge that launched this allegation is by no means a "pussy." He did the hard thing, fingered his friends, and took the moral high ground. Second, you need to do a little brushing up on your GLO history. I'm sure your current traditions which led to the allegations haven't been going on for 90 years, because hazing did not become prevalent until after World War 2 when former soldiers attended college under the GI Bill. Chapter traditions are only as old as your oldest member. Third, there is nothing wrong with the Balanced Man Program. I know of several chapters that were on the brink of ruin, went Balanced Man, and became the strongest chapters on campus. In fact, many other fraternities and sororities are looking at the Balanced Man Program as a blueprint to redesign their own new member programs. This "late night work off" does not sound like something nationals would approve of. This pledge recognized that, as well as the fact that our fraternity is supposed to be based on brotherhood. It sounds like he has a better concept of it than you do.

Why do you feel the only way to teach the concepts of virtue, diligence, brotherly love, and HFF is to haze pledges? There are other, more constructive ways to teach these concepts. Keep in mind, our founding fathers were seminary students. Their purpose for founding SigEp was to have a special bond relating to each other as brothers and study their religion together, not beat the crap out of each other and impose "late night work offs". The next time your are doing something questionable, ask yourself, "Would our founding fathers approve of this?" It sounds to me from your original posting the answer to that question is a resounding "no."

Finally, regarding your remark about "if this is the direction our fraternity is headed nationally, I feel sorry for all of us", you've got that all wrong too. SigEp has a strict policy regarding hazing, and this is it: if you haze, you lose your charter....period. I think if they let your chapter slide on this, then SigEp doesn't stand by its own regulations. That is a sign of weakness, and the first sign of an organization that is falling apart. I for one am proud that SigEp is sticking to it's guns on this one. We are all brothers, but we must have some amount of accountability. Nationals is only holding your chapter accountable, which is the right thing to do. And while I am sorry for what happened to you and some of your other brothers, there is a saying: you made your bed, and now you have to lie in it.

[Leiser]

Raider, I am assuming that you were in a BMP chapter and that is fine by me, but this guy lost th most important in his life and all you can do is praise the kid who ruined a 90 year old brotherhood. Also hazing has been recognized in fraternities since 1890 according many documents and it has been in universities (such as Harvard) since 1850. Granted that rigorous hazing can and is dangerous for pledges, but what is the problem with having pledges clean the house or give me a ride when I am drunk. Our chapter has eliminated all of our hazing and it kind of sucks. Now, when I am at work and my boss tells me to clean up the store, I am not going to run and cry to my mommy because I dont want to. I am going to clean the store and I am going to clean it as best I can. Everything is so politically correct these days and it sucks. Hazing sucks, but the pledge bonding involved is greater than anything I have ever seen.

[SigEpRaider]

Actually Leiser, I'm from a traditional chapter. And I had some mild hazing when I was a pledge. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having the pledges clean the house, the purpose of a fraternity is not to gain the ability to haze the hell out of the pledges once you get initiated. If that's what you think it's about, then you shouldn't be a part of it. Sigep always has and always will have a zero tolerance policy on hazing. The reason fraternity dues are so high is to pay for insurance for the fraternity, becasue our carrier, Lloyds of London, sees us and all other fraternities and sorrorities as a huge liability. Why add fuel to that fire.
I did come from a traditional chapter, but seeing that system work along with getting a little older and wiser has made me see the inequities of that system. It is antiquated and quite often counterproductive.
Finally, about your comment that hazing is a long standing tradition, there is partial truth to that. There are some documented incidents of hazing dating back to the 1890's. However, those are very few and far between. So few that you really have to look hard to find them. Hazing didn't become prominent until after WWII, even though it did have rare occurances before that time. I will agree with you on one thing though. Things have gotten completly too pc. I don't think having madatory clean up hours, and study hours is a bad thing at all. But there has to be a line. There are many other ways of boding a pledge class that don't involve hazing. They just require a little more creativity.

[ilovemyglo]

I cannot believe what I am reading? Some of my friends, my VERY CLOSE friends are Sig Eps, and they had to implement the BMP program my sophomore year- it was different, but they went from being one of the chapters people laughed at on campus to having one of the strongest chapters, closest brotherhood and all around great house!!!
The have brought some of their old traditions with them (pledges have house duties) but have taken away some of the old traditions.
You know at one time slavery was okay, just as hazing was, but they have both been abolished! Get over it! If you want to haze you friends, your "brothers' then what kind of brother are you? SOmeone that wants to tear someone down only to build them up "the traditional" way? PLEASE!! Just because you went through it does not mean it is right or better! Just because it is what you are used to doesn't mean that bringing in the BMP won't IMPROVE your chapter and help the men that come throguh to be stronger, better men.
Sounds to me like your headquarters had a reason for not allowing you to stay with attitudes like that towards your org you wouldn't be able to help the chapter after something so difficult.

[sigep533]

Yeah well, BMP will turn out better for you I can almost promise IF you give it the chance to work. However, I am quite sick of this traditional is better than bmp shit. Our chapter was in ruins, went bmp, and is now one of the top chapters...3 buc cups in a row..missed one cuz of the state our chapter was in..and we just received our 4th this year. If you give it the chance to work, it will.

[moe.ron]

I think the problem many of us have with BMP is the way HQ is pushing it down our throat. But that's just me. I actually like a lot of BMPs program, but not the method that is being sold.

[sigep533]

Understandable..traditional chapters are a dieing breed i suppose..not just a whole lot left. Kudos if those that are around are still alive and kickin!

[SteveHofstetter]

My favorite line in the first post was "I learned the true meanings of virtue, diligence, brotherly love" - I don't know what a late night work off is, and argue all you want about the dillegence it takes to survive hazing or the brotherly love it may create. But there is nothing virtuous about forcing someone to do something against their will.

Principles are worthless until you stick by em.

[Sack Lodge]

BMP is a complete joke. Nationals has turned SigEp from the best national fraternity into a glo corporation, trading tradition for a bottom line and subjugating its chapters with its pc social progressive propaganda all to save a few bucks. They don't care what happens to local chapters as long as they keep getting that $275 for national dues. The sad part is how many people embrace that ideology. What's even sadder is how prominent local chapters have been destroyed and what emerges from the rubble becomes the laughing stock of greek row. This couldn't be more true than in the South (Texas to Georgia to Virginia - where you find the best fraternity life in the country).

From a business standpoint BMP was a genius move, decreasing insurance liability, reducing the likelihood of lawsuits and cornering the part of the market of college kids who can't handle a pledgeship or think earning your way is a waste of time or are scared of a little hazing.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

I am obviously not a SigEp, but I think of SigEp as being one of the "new biggies" like LCA who have just come into their own in the last 20 years to challenge the old big guys, and I always attributed that largely to BMP.

[yangstar]

I think the BMP program is legit, coming from a traditional program. I think if there are traditions, there has to be something to be learned from the process, to create better men, not to embarrass and degrade their ethics or morality in the process. I just think it's important that the pledges EARN their letters, not just pay dues and get handed a big bro, a big sis, and a brotherhood. There's gotta be some work for it. I'm sure the BMP program still implements some work to earn those letters, but it's just a different process. If nationals are destroying important traditions, that really starts to erode at something that was established a long time ago that made each SigEp brother there better because of the process. I'm not advocating anything that pressures a brother into compromising his integrity ie. forcing him to strip naked and do stupid crap [we def. don't do that useless crap] but the bottom line is making sure that as brothers, we introduce them into the brotherhood, and they show their commitment to stay a true brother. That's the point of a fraternity, commitment, and both the traditional and BMP programs attempt to accomplish that. Pride and commitment, that's all it takes.