The Machine at Alabama

[Firehouse]

No one will come on this board and post the names of the houses that comprise the Machine. However, if you were to visit the campus and spend a week, and determine for yourself who's who in the greek system, it would become very clear who the principals are. At Alabama, the Machine goes back to the 1920s. The University of Virginia has similar secret organizations that steer the politics of the campus. One, I believe, is IMP. At Florida is it Blue Key - not secret but approximately the same. At FSU it is Burning Spear.

[g41965]

I used to live in Tuscaloosa and my brother was a Sigma Nu pledge, never initiated due to grade problems. I have a pretty good idea whose in, start with Mother Mu the founding chapter of SAE( there house was a frigging palace) and the DKE's (very old, very strong ,very secret), add all the other old line southern chapters IE KA, PIKE, Sigma Nu( BEAR BRYANT'S CHAPTER), ATO FIJI would also probably make the list, all of these chapters are on old row, least they were in 1983 when I last visited. I doubt Sig Ep, Beta Delta Chi or TKE were in machine as they were smaller when I moved. I don't know abot some of the others like Chi PHi or Lamdda Chi, Theta Chi was pretty good.
I have no clue with regards to Sororities. My brothers girlfriend was an AXO they were good also DG had died 3-4 years earlier.
Remeber all of this is kind of a guess based on what my brother told me.

[Betarulz!]

Couldn't you get a good idea by looking at the supposed Machine candidates and the houses they are a part of? I would think that would, particularly looking at the early years would show you who the major players were/are/continue to be.

[ladybug1116]

My sister is currently at Alabama and I grew up here...the machine is not like TNE. It's not a separate society that anyone can be a member of.

And for the record, I was a member of the Greek System at FSU and I would say that we do not have ANYTHING comparable to the machine at UA, as someone mentioned. Burning Spear does not have pull over anything as far as the entire Greek System goes. The Greeks tend to vote together but there is no controlling/reigning party. In fact, things fluctuate so much there, the parties actually change names and alliances every couple of years

Man,

I can't imagine going to a school where the Greeks basically run the campus.

Is there someone i can talk to about bringing the Machine or TNE or whatever does it to A&M? LOL

We have a similar issue with the Corps of Cadets on our campus and specifically Yell Leader elections. For the non-Aggies out there, A&M doesn't have cheerleaders, we have 5 male Yell Leaders. This tradition started in the old days when A&M was an all male military school and some of the seniors told 5 "fish" or freshman to put on janitors uniforms and entertain their dates on the sidelines.

Anyhow, nowadays Yell Leaders are consider ambassadors of the University and are present at all football games and most other sporting events at home. They are elected by the student body. For years, the Corps would get together and select it's candidates for each year's elections. Then, every member of the Corps would vote for the 5 Corps Candidates, an action that's called the "Corps Bloc". Non-Corps members have been elected, but they are ususally in close races or run-offs.

Every year the non-Corps candidates moan about Corps Bloc, but nothing really can be done.

Now only if we could get a Greek Bloc going.....

Kitso
KS 361

[texas*princess]

It's really sad that at some schools it is basically the Greeks vs. Everyone Else

[JerzeeBoy26]

at my school greeks are pretty apathetic. campus politics here is a joke. with 22 fraternities, 12 sororities (40% of all students wearing greek letters of some sort), we have pull when necessary. for example, ifc sticks together pretty tight and the school has trouble removing chapters because of the tight bloc and the tremendous alumni influence that the older chapters have. there are 3 or 4 secret societies but nobody really knows anything about them. rumor is they are pretty influential with the administration

[ZTAngel]

Greeks here tend to run the SGA and senate. It's not so much "the machine" but more because chapter will vote for a sister or brother who is running. Also, since the greeks on our campus all know each other, we vote for one another in elections.
I was walking to class yesterday when I overheard a girl (obviously an independent) start whining to her friend, "The SGA is all greeks because the people in fraternities and sororities have all the people on Greek Park vote for them although they probably won't do any good in their position." I happen to think that UCF's SGA has done a spectacular job for all the years I've been here.

[MysticCat]

The April 1992 edition of Esquire contained a rather extensive story on The Machine. Unfortunately, I can't find it online, but you might be able to find a copy in a library somewhere.

[Optimist Prime]

I want to start a secret society. Well, not secret. Well, we'd have secrets. More about this later, in a more appropriate enviornment.

[Jhawkalum]

If you can find it, I think the Esquire article about the Machine/Theta Nu Epsilon was published in April, 1992.

[hoosier]

You could start looking for the Machine around the DKE house.

[Tom Earp]

Now, HOOSIER, Will you cut that out!
( In my best Jack Benny Voice)!

JHawkAlum, where are you? KC Area? If so, get a hold of me! PM works!

Heck on most campuses, Greeks do so much and get so little recognition for it! Greeks do not Run Campuses, they in many parts are just part of it and held in reign!

Of course one wonders why, DA!

[Firehouse]

I don't believe any of it. One article was written in England, and the other two sound like anectodal 'testimonies' from agenda-driven Greek-hating leftists. The Machine is powerful, but they don't get involved in racial aspects of any kind, especially regarding Alabama sororities. Sorry. I'm not buying any of it. Seen too many times where the 'anti' crowd deliberately creates an incident and tries to blame it on their adversaries.

[Firehouse]

I don't have any first-hand experience with the Machine, and my last visit to Tuscaloosa was decades ago. The real Machine was nothing at like what was described. I don't know if it still even exists.
No one should be terrorized for running for office, or for any reason. I'm truely sorry that young woman had such an experience.
Unfortunately, I am familiar with lexus/nexus and how agenda-driven radicals use it to promote their own causes. Journalists use lx/nx as a source, and if something ends up in the universe, then it likely will appear in a future story. For instance, just for example let's say that the story about a Machine operative threatening this young woman was not true. Let's say that the threat was made in order to dramatize her candidacy and make her appear to be a victim, or, that it was just some thug who acted on his own and assaulted a woman for his own perverted reasons.
Now, let's say that the Machine turns up again on campus and runs a legitimate candidate and does so honestly. The ln/nx story is still in the computer, and some journalist will dig it out and use it to trash the Machine candidate, whether the original story was true or not.
I'll give you two real examples. The man who started the homeless movement (Mitch someone, don't recall, he's deceased) admitted that he deliberately put forth the false number of 3 million homeless in the US because he felt that number would bring attention to his cause. The real number was and is closer to 10% of that: only 300,000 out of 300 million people in the US. Yet, just the other day I saw the 3 million number in a brand new story. Some lazy journalist churned up lx/nx and didn't see the later stories about the discovery of false numbers.
Second example is the story that NOW released (or if they didn't release it they propmoted it) about how there is a tremendous flood of emergency room patients on Super Bowl Sunday. They wanted to call attention to domestic abuse so they just made up a story about women being abused the day of the Super Bowl and released it to their friends in the media. It was proven to be a complete fabrication, and was reported as such later, but today if you search lx/nx you'll find the original story and some journaist will repeat it based on the original falsehood without checking further.
This may seem like a lot of talk for a little item, but people who hate Greeks use this kind of thing against us all the time. A charge will be made, later refuted, but the charge stays in the system.