ssue 1: Doesn’t the Fraternity currently admit men
and women students to membership?
Yes, the National Bylaws and Membership Policies state that
membership in Alpha Phi Omega National Fraternity is open to all
students. 344 of the 361 active Chapters are co-ed by practice.
However, our practice leading from a 1976 action has allowed
Chapters to dictate who can and can not pledge the Fraternity with
regard to gender. This practice, sometimes referred to as the
“gentlemen’s agreement,” was set in place so as not to lose
Chapters when the Fraternity admitted women. Further the practice
allowed Chapters to remain all-male unless the Chapter either
decided to admit women or went inactive and was reactivated, at
which time the Chapter was required to admit women in its
reactivation process. All Chapters currently being chartered must
provide opportunities for all students to pledge.
Issue 2: Don’t Chapters have the right to “choose”
their own members?
This is correct. However the full section of the Bylaws and
Membership Policies has to be read to fully understand the meaning.
Article III – Membership: “Open Membership. Membership in Alpha Phi
Omega shall be open to all students, upon the approval of the
respective collegiate Chapter and after fulfilling the Membership
requirements prescribed by the National Fraternity and the
Chapter.” Consistently our Bylaws and Membership Policies refer to
all students and do not indicate that females on some campuses may,
shall, or can be excluded.
Issue 3: Why was this issue and decision not
brought to brotherhood at next National
Convention?
It is the responsibility of the National Board of Directors,
legally, ethically, and through the stated role of the Board as
described in the Fraternity’s Bylaws, to ensure the Fraternity
operates in full compliance with its Bylaws. Currently by practice
the Fraternity denies membership to women on 17 campuses that are
co-ed. It has been determined that this practice is inconsistent
with our National Bylaws and Membership Policies as approved by
past National Conventions.
Issue 4: Why the change in interpretation and
precedent/tradition?
The issue of being fully representative of the campus population on
each of the campuses where the Fraternity has Chapters was
identified by the Board of Directors in February 2005 at a
strategic planning meeting as a potential roadblock in long-term
success of the Fraternity. This observation and subsequent
conversation led to investigating how to transition to be fully
inclusive and truly open to all students. The first step was to
open our membership to women on the 17 all-male Chapters. The
National Vice President began this process by discussing this issue
with various alumni across the nation to gain their insight. During
this process the National President asked for advice from Legal
Counsel. Legal Counsel provided his opinion that the current
membership practices are inconsistent with the National Bylaws. At
the July 2005 meeting of theBoard of Directors the report of the
National Vice President and the opinion of the National Legal
Counsel were reviewed. The Board considered this issue for more
than five hours, three hours in informal discussion (not an
executive session) followed by a two-hour discussion in open
session during the Board meeting. The result was a resolution,
unanimously passed by the Board of Directors, calling for action to
be taken. It was clear from discussion and from Legal Counsel’s
opinion that inconsistencies should not be sanctioned and that
corrective action was necessary.
Issue 5: Women have a place to serve on campus so
it’s not like we are taking an opportunity away from
them.
(Gamma Sigma Sigma, Circle K) While it is true that there are
numerous opportunities for service on college campuses today, this
issue and action are not about other organizations. Alpha Phi Omega
must be true to its own Bylaws and Policies. Though other service
organizations exist on many – if not all – of the campuses where we
have Chapters, Alpha Phi Omega offers a unique blend of Leadership,
Friendship, and Service that makes the Fraternity different and
distinctive from other community service organizations.
Issue 6: The Board is going against the wishes of
the Fraternity not to eliminate all-male Chapters and as affirmed
during past conventions.
The Convention is the Supreme Authority of the Fraternity. However,
it cannot adopt something that is inconsistent with the Bylaws or
against the law. Such an action, even if adopted, may be deemed
null and void if it is found to violate those documents (that is a
standard tenet of Roberts Rules of Order, Newly Revised, which our
Bylaws designate as the parliamentary authority for the National
Convention). Thus is the case with this issue and decision.
Issue 7: There have been multiple interpretations
and legal opinions regarding this issue; why make a hasty decision
based solely on the National Legal Counsel’s
opinion?
This was not a hasty decision on the part of the members of the
Board of Directors. Further, the Legal Counsel’s opinion was
provided AFTER the Board had already decided to investigate the
question of Open Membership to determine how best to go about
making Alpha Phi Omega more inclusive and truly open to all
students. Our Legal Counsel is appointed by the National President
and approved by the National Board of Directors to provide legal
advice. He is designated as the official on the Board for these
types of opinions, and therefore our Board has a responsibility to
listen carefully to his opinions and to act as appropriate on those
opinions. The Fraternity’s Legal Counsel is a respected and
accomplished attorney in the State of Missouri who generously
donates his time and professional resources to provide the
Fraternity with sound and thoughtful legal advice. All Brothers can
have full confidence that the opinions he gives the Fraternity are
appropriately researched and well-grounded.
Issue 8: There will be a loss of the sense of
brotherhood and the special bond that currently exists within the
all-male Chapters.
There is no denying that the sense of brotherhood will change
within the 17 all-male Chapters. However, to say brotherhood will
be lost is to say the vast majority of the Fraternity’s remaining
344 Chapters that are co-ed do not have a sense of brotherhood or
maintain a special bond.
Issue 9: What did the all-male Chapters do to
deserve this? How is their commitment to our service program not a
shining example of LF&S?
The active and alumni Brothers of the Fraternity from all-male
Chapters have done nothing wrong. They followed an accepted
practice. It is that practice that is now in question. The 17
Chapters that are currently all-male have provided a program of
Leadership, Friendship and Service on their respective campuses for
many years. For this commitment and dedication, all Brothers of
Alpha Phi Omega should be proud and should recognize these
achievements. Building on that foundation, Open Membership can make
these Chapters even stronger by increasing their potential
membership, by giving all students on those campuses the
opportunity to experience what the Fraternity has to offer, and by
increasing the types and amount of service provided to the campus,
community, Nation, and Fraternity.
Issue 10: Why has the Board made this decision to
change decades of precedent and interpretation without student
input?
It is the responsibility of the duly elected Board of Directors to
work for the best interests of the Fraternity. This responsibility
is both a legal and an ethical obligation. The members of the Board
were faced with 1) concern for the long-term future of the
Fraternity, 2) a prevailing sense that not fully opening our
membership to all students is wrong, and 3) correcting the
inconsistencies between our practice and our Bylaws. Thus action
was taken with consideration of the entire Brotherhood of the
Fraternity, with knowledge of the arguments surrounding this issue,
and with the commitment that student input would be part of the
transition process.
Issue 11: Our Chapter is co-educational currently;
why should we care about this issue?
There are many reasons for interest in or concern about this issue.
One, currently there are all-male Chapters within our Brotherhood
that do not recognize, either fully or in part, female Brothers who
wish to transfer into the Chapter. Two, the Fraternity’s Membership
Policy should be applied consistently to and by all Brothers and
Chapters of the Fraternity. Three, this issue has been raised in
one way or another at every National Convention for the past 30
years. For any issue to be raised again and again over such a long
period of time suggests it is a problem for the organization. Four,
over the years college administrators and potential members have
questioned this practice, and as a result, the Fraternity’s ability
to grow has been negatively affected. |
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