Declared inactive (Feb 2009)

[AndrewPiChi]

Frank Reed Horton wanted to find a fraternity to help keep young men out of trouble by placing before them a standard of manhood that would withstand the test of time. How do we know this? He wrote it down.

Unfortunatly, over the decades since 1976 the majority of Alpha Phi Omega Nationally is female. Does this have an impact on what the fraternity was intended to be? Yes. Do coed chapters and all male chapters operate differently? Yes.

The Nature of the fraternity has changed with this occuring and the reasons for why it was founded have been ignored to higlight the interpretation of what it is now, some say this is for the best, others say for the worst.

Now, a peaceful coexistance was preferable. Let each man rep his fraternity his own way, let chapters determine their own members, let the gentlemans agreement exist and let people stop complaining about it, let us all get along and stop wasting so much time and energy fighting on the issue and lets be about service and allow the fraternity to thrive and grow. However, due to the events of the 2006 National Convention, a few hard working and committed chapters were forced one way or the other. "Our way or the highway". Many did not ask how all male chapters felt on the subject.

Many forget and fail to understand that it wasn't that All Male Chapters were simply All Male by practice over the years. Many of us could have gone to go coed at any time. It was that we activly CHOOSE to be all male and fought for the right to do so constantly. The local option was in place so chapters would have the authority to decide what was best for them and keep chapters from leaving, by way allowing chapters the right to determine their own members. There is nothing wrong with that! With the national fraternity forcing its hand on this, it broke a long standing promiss to them.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by AndrewPiChi

Now, a peaceful coexistance was preferable. Let each man rep his fraternity his own way, let chapters determine their own members, let the gentlemans agreement exist and let people stop complaining about it, let us all get along and stop wasting so much time and energy fighting on the issue and lets be about service and allow the fraternity to thrive and grow.

This is what I've never understood - why this all wasn't resolved 30 years ago when the fraternity went co-ed nationally instead instead of now. I can understand why the all male chapters feel jerked around at this juncture, but you have to look at the other point of view.

It's one thing to say "every chapter is different" and understandably, every brother will not feel comfy in every chapter. But when you are a female at school A, join what you're told is a nationally co-ed fraternity, and then transfer to school B and feel put out before you even meet any of the brothers simply because of your sex - that's just not right.

[AndrewPiChi]

Originally Posted by 33girl

It's one thing to say "every chapter is different" and understandably, every brother will not feel comfy in every chapter. But when you are a female at school A, join what you're told is a nationally co-ed fraternity, and then transfer to school B and feel put out before you even meet any of the brothers simply because of your sex - that's just not right.

We didn't accept transfer brothers period. It did not matter if your female or male.

[KAPital PHINUst]

Originally Posted by AndrewPiChi

We didn't accept transfer brothers period. It did not matter if your female or male.

For the record, Delta Chapter didn't accept transfer brothers either, regardless of gender.

[KAPital PHINUst]

Originally Posted by 33girl

This is what I've never understood - why this all wasn't resolved 30 years ago when the fraternity went co-ed nationally instead instead of now.

Because it was never anticipated that the vote to go co-ed would steamroll into the contentious issue that it would became over years subsequent to 1976 into today.

Based on firsthand accounts of the '76 Convention attendees, contrary to popular opinion, the vote to go co-ed was motivated by one primary driving factor: SURVIVAL AND CONTINUED EXISTENCE OF ALPHA PHI OMEGA, period! Not political correctness, not equality of women/women's lib, not because the male members finally "saw the light" (though these are factors which the fraternity at large would like for people to believe). Yes, these matters played into the ultimate vote to go co-ed, but it wasn't THE deciding factor overall.

So in short, why wasn't this issue resolved at the '76 Convention? Because the law of unintended consequences was in full effect.

'Nuff said.

[naraht]

I had about a 3page document I was writing on history of gender in APO going all the way back to the beginning when I accidently hit the left arrow key while not inside the edit window causing it to return to the previous page. I'll attempt to rewrite it tonight but interesting points from after 1970 (There is a lot prior to 1970 in what I wrote as well)

There were both *internal* and *external* reasons that the fraternity went co-ed. At the 1974 convention, before the ruling on Alpha Phi Omega and Title IX at the HEW, the vote to allow women as full brothers got a majority, just not the 2/3 needed.

The National Fraternity was still working to get an exemption from the HEW ruling on Title IX as of 1981.

The National Fraternity did not allow all male extension efforts after 1986.

Randy

[KAPital PHINUst]

Originally Posted by naraht

There were both *internal* and *external* reasons that the fraternity went co-ed. At the 1974 convention, before the ruling on Alpha Phi Omega and Title IX at the HEW, the vote to allow women as full brothers got a majority, just not the 2/3 needed.

Personally, I'm not disputing that there were other reasons behind APO going co-ed, I'm just saying what appeared to be the primary catalyst for APO being co-ed (the 1976 HEW Title IX ruling). Based on the wording of the decision to go co-ed from an original APO document, it said something to the effect of (I'm paraphrasing based on memory): "If an APO chapter needs to go co-ed, it may do so."

The National Fraternity did not allow all male extension efforts after 1986.

As I said earlier, this was one of the unintended consequences that the '76 Convention could not anticipate occuring.

[AndrewPiChi]

The survival to, wasn't due because the national fraternity was having major membership problems or suffering from poor extension efforts by the way. A large number of very liberal colleges were telling single gendered organizations to either go coeducational or be kicked off campus.

[KAPital PHINUst]

Originally Posted by AndrewPiChi

The survival to, wasn't due because the national fraternity was having major membership problems or suffering from poor extension efforts by the way. A large number of very liberal colleges were telling single gendered organizations to either go coeducational or be kicked off campus.

My point precisely, Andrew. Well said!