From: hannegan@chapman.gsfc.nasa.gov (Bryan Hannegan)
Subject: Re: Fraternities (was: Re: E.W.- Average age of subscribers)
Organization: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 18:57:05 GMT

In article <1992Jul30.170724.12010@cbnewsi.cb.att.com> gadfly@cbnewsi.cb.att.com (Gadfly) writes:
>The idea was to create a new society--to live differently from the
>traditional, rigidly hierarchical models provided for us.  We all
>spent quite a lot of time at community offices, rape and drug crisis
>lines, etc, and did our jobs (running the stores and houses) essentially
>for nothing (except free rent or free food).  Building a better world
>was our *whole lives*, not just an occasional benefit for a charity group.
>We may have been hopelessly naive, and failures to boot, but at least
>we tried another approach.
>
>(conversation with a frat traditionalist deleted)...
>
>Hey, some of us at least tried some new tricks.  Frats are as
>conventional as you can get.  If that's what floats your boat, hey,
>whatever--but it's absurd to think that you will have any creativity
>in the social and political arena if all you try are the same, safe,
>mainstream approaches.  Dare to be different.  I dare you.
>

Gee.. this sounds a lot like a fraternity that I used to belong to (and later
in its second year, became president of...). We got a group of guys together
and formed a colony of a national fraternity (don't believe in name dropping)
at the University of Oklahoma (a medium sized system with 27 other houses).
We tried to be different... we volunteered for campus rape hotlines, escort
(walking people home at night!) services, many of us were active and vocal 
in student government and residence hall politics, leaders in our respective
academic areas, and became recognized on campus within a matter of two years.

The problem was, while we were doing all this, young men came through rush
looking for the party houses, and when they took a look at us, and all the
things that we were doing (helping the elderly, giving seminars, etc...)
THEY SIMPLY LAUGHED IN OUR FACES!!! They then went to join the houses that
had been doing the same damn thing for 80+ years.... drinking for a worthy
cause. (Having parties to raise money for good causes never counted as a 
philanthropy event in my book!)

Eventually, the few guys we did get adopted the aforementioned policy of 
party-philanthropy as a matter of survival, and when I objected as a senior
member (two years after my term in office)... I WAS THROWN OUT!
Not only of the colony but of the national fraternity as well (my appeal IS
pending, however...)

So am I sorry I did this? NOT AT ALL! We caught a glimpse of what a good
intentioned, well-motivated group of individuals can do, but I tend to 
agree that it is too bad that the majority of the fraternal world doesn't 
use their unique advantage in time and geography to do something constructive
other than build "props" for parties.

Fraternally yours,

Bryan Hannegan
Former President-Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity
Delta Beta Colony (University of Oklahoma)

*** ok... so I did name-drop... it's habit... I used to be a Rush Chairman***
      
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