My Opinion on Alpha Phi Omega

[33girl]

Here's the thing. I am a member of Alpha Phi Omega and also a member of an NPC sorority. If APO was permitted to participate in Greek Week, what do I do? Where do I go? Not only that, many Greek Weeks have physical events that are fraternity vs fraternity and sorority vs sorority. Which side does APO fall on? Sure, it's a fraternity, but the fact of the matter is, many chapters have a majority of women.

When an APO chapter starts doing things like:
-being a participant (rather than a referee) in Greek Week
-having mixers with either a fraternity or sorority (depending on the gender makeup of the chapter)
-getting a house with letters on it
-joining either the campus IFC or Panhel (if not under duress of an administration that's too stupid to understand what APO is)

Then that to me is like that chapter is putting up an invisible sign saying "no IFC/Panhel/NPHC/NALFO Greeks allowed." Any chapter that does that is directly going against the founders (who as naraht pointed out, were mostly IFC Greeks).

If "Greek" means having a deeper bond than just being in a club and having to do more than just sign up to be a member...then yes, of course we are Greek. If "Greek" means doing those things I listed above...then NO, we are not Greek, and should not strive to be so. If you want to do those things above, join an IFC, NPC, NALFO or NPHC group.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by 33girl

If "Greek" means having a deeper bond than just being in a club and having to do more than just sign up to be a member...then yes, of course we are Greek.

At some schools.

Originally Posted by 33girl

Also there are chapters out there who THEMSELVES loudly proclaim "We may have Greek letters, but we're not Greek!" What they are trying to say is, "We aren't bad stereotypical Greeks!"

I know you are speaking generally but I want to clarify that some APO chapters at some schools literally mean they aren't Greek. At some schools APO puts themselves in the same category as other organizations with Greek letters that allow dual membership such as honorary societies and academic sororities/fraternities.

/end lane swerve for topic that has been discussed on GC over and over

[33girl]

Oh, feel free to swerve. The whole "Is APO Greek" is kind of along the same lines as...

[naraht]

While it is a question that comes up repeatedly, I definitely don't think it is unreasonable to ask.

Some of us have been dealing with the issue for 20 years and some of us haven't, but asking the question doesn't indicate unreasonableness because they certainly have their right to give their opinion. As long as someone understands the facts such as FRH's membership in a Social Fraternity and the facts like we are banned from maintaining houses and admit those in Social Fraternities, I think we are fine...

In regards to the picture, if we can get to the point where "Is APO Greek" becomes a central question in the impeachment of a President, I think we've gotten somewhere...

Randy