PKT25: Commentary on Chapter & Elections
I got some entertaining comments on Facebook from my post about Chapter & Elections, which I'll summarize here for ease of reading. Our contributors include some returning commenters and some new folks:
- Ducar, Eli, Jackal & Susan return for more.
- Josh was a few years behind me in college and a fellow radio station member to boot. He lived in various places across America before turning up near his hometown outside Columbus, OH last year.
- Steve was also a few years behind me. He and I actually roomed together in The Bakery my last summer in the house and ended up working together for a few years as well.
I should warn you that there are some stories about Sergeant-At-Arms "campaigns" here.
Ducar
Bevis was a combination of several older weekly “awards”. The only one I can recall being lumped in was “religious “ for praying to the porcelain goddess. In part the “new house” wanted to remove the focus on drinking.
I remember drinking a live goldfish to “win” Sargent at Arms one semester. That role was technically a fifth “officer” of the chapter.
Whenever we had guests from National, there was always the obligatory vote to succeed from the national fraternity. Later in the meeting we’d vote to rejoin.
Can’t forget doing table bowling when you were sent out of the room!
Susan
I seem to remember another Sgt-at-Arms candidate eating a Snickers bar after warming it up in the rear of his underwear. I don't recall the details surrounding when the wrapper came off -- before or after warming.
Jackal
I always really liked chapter meetings, though I think many did not feel the same way. I couple of the elections I both won and lost were definitely contentious, and I remember being out of the room for a very long time on more than one occasion. As someone who did a very good job in certain positions and a piss poor job in others, I can attest to the fact that poor performance followed you right up to the end.
I'm in a situation now where I attend a meeting once a month that sort of uses Robert's Rules of Order, and I can soundly agree that we did a much more formal job of following them.
Eli
Maybe they did away with it after I left, but we also did the “brother of the week” award before Beavis. A brother who won both had maybe did the “Triple Crown” - although there may have been more to it than that.
My Sgt at arms stunt was chugging a blender full of “the ultimate study aid drink” - I remember milk, instant coffee, eggs and manischevitz…
Chapters were my least favorite parts of being in the house - brothers interpersonal conflicts played out in passive-aggressive political bullshit. But then again, it did keep us from killing each other and keep the place going.
I asked if "Brother of the Week" was a positive award as I have no memory of it, to which Eli added:
Yes it was. I remember getting it once (although for BS reasons somewhat). I don’t recall any vote to do away with it, but maybe during my co-op…, but then maybe it was called the “spirit” award.
Josh
I totally forgot about Beavis! think I only got it once or twice, but I definitely also got religious once or twice. I also remember elections were the only chapter meeting where you were expected to be in formal attire.
I said that we definitely didn't dress up for chapter, but occasionally candidates for office did. Josh replied:
Perhaps it was another chapter meeting, then -- I definitely remember regretting getting religious one night then having to get up 20 min before chapter the next day and putting on a suit, but I wasn't running for anything. Hell that day I was barely sitting for anything.
I remember one detail of that weekend -- laying facedown in the tv room -- literally, with my nose on that nasty carpet, laughing hysterically, and coop(?) waking me up to get dressed and go downstairs like 25 minutes before the meeting. it must have been my nib semester
I was an active during Josh's NIB semester, and certainly we weren't normally dressing up then, so I suspect Josh has confused some dates there, understandably.
Steve
Looking back, chapter probably prepared me for a corporate career better than any class I took!
There’s a quote for the rush pamphlet 😁 or an argument against college in general!
The Ohio Alpha Beta Chapter of Phi Kappa Theta
The House Tour
Outside,
Main Floor Bedrooms,
Main Floor Public Rooms,
Basement Public Areas,
Basement Private Areas,
2nd Floor Big Bedrooms,
2nd Floor Small Bedrooms,
3rd Floor First Hallway,
3rd Floor Second Hallway,
Attic & Errata,
House Tour Commentary: Joe & Laura & Astrid,
House Tour Commentary: Jackal,
House Tour Commentary: Susan,
House Tour Commentary: Assorted
The Pledge Program
Bid Night, Schedule, Curriculum & Black Books, Big Brothers & Pledge Pins, Paddling, Initiation
Semesters
Fall 1996, Spring 1997, Fall 1997
Events
Detour, Blackout, Boo at the Zoo, Chapter Meetings, Serenading
Other
Full Series, My Rush Experience, Chapter History, Family Trees, National, Greek Life at CWRU, Fraternity Offices, Part 1, Fraternity Offices, Part 2, Fraternity Offices, Part 3, Demographics, Seniority
Additional Commentary
Black Books, Boo at the Zoo & Blackout, More Boo at the Zoo & Blackout, Chapter Meetings
- Ducar, Eli, Jackal & Susan return for more.
- Josh was a few years behind me in college and a fellow radio station member to boot. He lived in various places across America before turning up near his hometown outside Columbus, OH last year.
- Steve was also a few years behind me. He and I actually roomed together in The Bakery my last summer in the house and ended up working together for a few years as well.
I should warn you that there are some stories about Sergeant-At-Arms "campaigns" here.
Ducar
Bevis was a combination of several older weekly “awards”. The only one I can recall being lumped in was “religious “ for praying to the porcelain goddess. In part the “new house” wanted to remove the focus on drinking.
I remember drinking a live goldfish to “win” Sargent at Arms one semester. That role was technically a fifth “officer” of the chapter.
Whenever we had guests from National, there was always the obligatory vote to succeed from the national fraternity. Later in the meeting we’d vote to rejoin.
Can’t forget doing table bowling when you were sent out of the room!
Susan
I seem to remember another Sgt-at-Arms candidate eating a Snickers bar after warming it up in the rear of his underwear. I don't recall the details surrounding when the wrapper came off -- before or after warming.
Jackal
I always really liked chapter meetings, though I think many did not feel the same way. I couple of the elections I both won and lost were definitely contentious, and I remember being out of the room for a very long time on more than one occasion. As someone who did a very good job in certain positions and a piss poor job in others, I can attest to the fact that poor performance followed you right up to the end.
I'm in a situation now where I attend a meeting once a month that sort of uses Robert's Rules of Order, and I can soundly agree that we did a much more formal job of following them.
Eli
Maybe they did away with it after I left, but we also did the “brother of the week” award before Beavis. A brother who won both had maybe did the “Triple Crown” - although there may have been more to it than that.
My Sgt at arms stunt was chugging a blender full of “the ultimate study aid drink” - I remember milk, instant coffee, eggs and manischevitz…
Chapters were my least favorite parts of being in the house - brothers interpersonal conflicts played out in passive-aggressive political bullshit. But then again, it did keep us from killing each other and keep the place going.
I asked if "Brother of the Week" was a positive award as I have no memory of it, to which Eli added:
Yes it was. I remember getting it once (although for BS reasons somewhat). I don’t recall any vote to do away with it, but maybe during my co-op…, but then maybe it was called the “spirit” award.
Josh
I totally forgot about Beavis! think I only got it once or twice, but I definitely also got religious once or twice. I also remember elections were the only chapter meeting where you were expected to be in formal attire.
I said that we definitely didn't dress up for chapter, but occasionally candidates for office did. Josh replied:
Perhaps it was another chapter meeting, then -- I definitely remember regretting getting religious one night then having to get up 20 min before chapter the next day and putting on a suit, but I wasn't running for anything. Hell that day I was barely sitting for anything.
I remember one detail of that weekend -- laying facedown in the tv room -- literally, with my nose on that nasty carpet, laughing hysterically, and coop(?) waking me up to get dressed and go downstairs like 25 minutes before the meeting. it must have been my nib semester
I was an active during Josh's NIB semester, and certainly we weren't normally dressing up then, so I suspect Josh has confused some dates there, understandably.
Steve
Looking back, chapter probably prepared me for a corporate career better than any class I took!
There’s a quote for the rush pamphlet 😁 or an argument against college in general!
The Ohio Alpha Beta Chapter of Phi Kappa Theta
The House Tour
Outside,
Main Floor Bedrooms,
Main Floor Public Rooms,
Basement Public Areas,
Basement Private Areas,
2nd Floor Big Bedrooms,
2nd Floor Small Bedrooms,
3rd Floor First Hallway,
3rd Floor Second Hallway,
Attic & Errata,
House Tour Commentary: Joe & Laura & Astrid,
House Tour Commentary: Jackal,
House Tour Commentary: Susan,
House Tour Commentary: Assorted
The Pledge Program
Bid Night, Schedule, Curriculum & Black Books, Big Brothers & Pledge Pins, Paddling, Initiation
Semesters
Fall 1996, Spring 1997, Fall 1997
Events
Detour, Blackout, Boo at the Zoo, Chapter Meetings, Serenading
Other
Full Series, My Rush Experience, Chapter History, Family Trees, National, Greek Life at CWRU, Fraternity Offices, Part 1, Fraternity Offices, Part 2, Fraternity Offices, Part 3, Demographics, Seniority
Additional Commentary
Black Books, Boo at the Zoo & Blackout, More Boo at the Zoo & Blackout, Chapter Meetings