Dilemmas and Opportunities

Usually I have some idea on what to blog about for our topics each week, but this time I'm at a loss for words. I guess my troubles start with the idea of the Fraternal Movement. What is the Fraternal Movement? How does one define such a diverse community as ours? I believe the Fraternal Movement is the realization that our society is changing in such a way that the antiquated beliefs/practices of fraternities and sororities no longer benefit students and in fact hinder them. More and more research is being done on multiple aspects of fraternity life, bringing to light the positives and negatives of our community. By beginning to hold other accountable, leaders are stepping up to initiate the changes necessary to take our organizations to the next level.


With that little introduction out of the way, here's the dilemma:

How do we, as members of the fraternal community, address the issues plaguing our organizations? How do we go about initiating the change? Maggie and Tyler have said repeatedly that they think fraternal organizations are the most relevant organizations in today's society. The dilemma is proving that to current members who aren't really sure what being fraternity people means and to the outside community that fraternal organizations do much more than what is portrayed by the media. We need to show others that we live out our oath and Ritual every day. Actions speak louder than words... so if we walk the talk, I think we'll have a greater impact on others. As a community, we have become stagnant. What worked 100 years ago doesn't work anymore. It's similar to the little social experiment we did at the beginning of the quarter where not many understood their rituals or their values. That may not be how the majority of the members of this community feel but until everyone is on the same page, it will be difficult to become cohesive and unified.

And the opportunity we face?

It is quite simple: to take the building momentum toward change and run with it! We have the chance to really to roll up our sleeves and get to work restoring our community. Diversity is increasing all over and I think that if we embrace this change, we can really learn something. In my head, it's like we're at a crossroads. To the left the path that hasn't really been created and to the right we have our familiar status-quo. I say we plow through the cliched path less-traveled and establish the fraternal organizations that meet the needs of our ever-changing society. Fraternities and sororities are no longer about catering to an exclusive type/group of people. I was talking to Tyler this week and we talked about how we're at a crucial turning point in regards to MCGC and establishing a solid foundation to help our council grow. We all realize we need to do things differently, and I think that we will be able to initiate that change as long as we don't fall apart as a class come next quarter. Like our class assignment, we have the opportunity to reinvent the fraternity. It is up to us as to how far we take it.