This is the second in a series of articles by Bob Kerr, OGH and coordinator of Greek life at Oregon State University. Brother Kerr welcomes comments and discourse that either supports or challenges his point of view. This post is also linked in the sidebar section "Selected Op-Ed Posts."
Recently, there has been dialogue about
the ongoing premise that fraternities no longer play a vital role in
the lives of undergraduate college
men
Pete
Smithhisler, from the North American Interfraternity Conference,
has publically indicated that the question seems to be cyclical. Dan
Bureau suggests that student affairs professionals and those that
work with these organizations (fraternities) must have the guts to
close the ones that hurt us. I have known both men for over a decade
and find it interesting that they continue to talk about episodic
negative behavior, on a national scale, of fraternity men rather than
openly addressing our history of “bad behavior”. This history can
be traced back to the nineteenth century. As evidence, I highly
recommend every fraternity man, undergraduate and alumnus, read the
book “The Company He Keeps a history of the white college
fraternity”, by Nicholas
L. Syrett. As I read the book, it became apparent that the
issues aren’t episodic bad behavior or the lack of control asserted
by colleges, universities and headquarters. I submit, the question is
“What identity of masculinity are fraternities developing today?”
As I have come to understand it,
fraternity membership builds its idea of masculinity on the exchange
of trust between members. By design, the secret ritual is a process
which seals, and ensures, this bond of trust is never surrendered.
Once trust is established, then the various programs and projects of
a fraternity define the boundaries of masculinity for each new
member. The “secrecy” protects each man from the mistakes and
missteps that happen and ensures the reputation of the chapter and
the greater brotherhood. Perhaps it is not our existence that is the
issue but rather our secrecy?
One of the first real threats to
“secret fraternal organizations” in America, came in 1826
following the disappearance
and presumed murder of William Morgan.
It seems Mr. Morgan had threatened to
publicly post the secrets of the Freemasons on a public meeting hall.
Mr. Morgan then disappeared and rumors of his murder, at the hands of
the Freemasons, spread throughout western New York state and New
England. This sparked an Anti-Freemason movement that all but crushed
the Freemasons. Though the Freemasons never revealed their ritual
secrets, It would be years before they regained their membership and
their effectiveness. Ultimately, the Freemasons transformed
themselves to the highly regarded service organization we know today.
Today, our version of posting ritual secrets on a town hall comes to
us in the form of the internet and court proceedings.
Historically, social fraternities were
secret because it was against the rules of the colleges and
universities, at that time, for students to belong to any student
organization without faculty supervision. Violating these rules could
lead to expulsion. So in order to assemble and discuss the relevant
issues of the turbulent year of 1776, the founders of Phi
Beta Kappa organized as a “secret” Greek lettered society.
They had a secret grip, motto and even cast a coin with the motto
inscribed in latin, on one side, and greek on the other side. Thus
was born, the fraternal movement we have now inherited. Clearly these
forefathers had vision and a grasp of high ideals. But, this history
is now common knowledge. It also suggests the evolution of “masculine
identity” that has transpired from 1776 to 2011.
As a mental indulgence, I have
constantly imagined what it would be like for my fraternity to have
its ritual open for public consumption. What would it be like for
parents, university faculty, administrators, community leaders and
educators to partake of this moving and elegant process? Would the
work of the fraternity be diminished in any measure? Would the right
of individuals to enter into private agreements with others be
impinged? Indeed, would the criteria for admission be lowered? All
questions that I submit deserve a thoughtful dialogue . A dialogue
that is important when one considers that Delta Upsilon, an
international non-secret fraternity, has survived and thrived since
1834.
I have had the privilege of attending
half a dozen initiations of Delta Upsilon on two different college
campuses. They are a wonderful and familiar process to me and I am
struck by the similarities to my own ritual oath. The one major
difference is, now everybody knows exactly what the members bind
themselves to uphold. Such transparency may well be a double-edged
sword.
What do fraternities gain by holding on
to their “secrecy”? What do fraternities gain by sharing their
exquisite ritual ceremonies? What other institutions, who advocate
for a life of high ideals, are dependent on ritual? What do they
experience in the way of prosperity and community trust? What level
of public accountability do we experience if we lay down our secrecy?
If we live our lives in absolute accordance to our Oaths, what is our
obligation to the greater humanity?
For those who have known me, and
endured my idealism, I am constantly referring to the modern
fraternal movement as an outgrowth of the Knights Of Chivalry. This
suggests that our duty is to serve those less fortunate than us, to
oppose evil and preserve freedom. If you look at the process that a
young man undertook to become a knight, you will see a very familiar
process. In fact, the evening before being dubbed a knight, a young
squire would hold vigil over his arms and armor and pray to cleanse
his soul. Once knighted, he was a servant of the king in service to
the kingdom. Are we really any different that that lofty version of
leadership?
In the contemporary film,” Skulls”
the protagonist ends the film by saying “Anything secret and elite
cannot be good”. This raises an intriguing point worth examination.
I have chosen to toil in the fields and work with college age
students as they search for their “male identity”. This work
takes me beyond the boundaries of my fraternal membership and allows
me to guide and support young men through their “male
apprenticeship” known as college. The conversations I have shared
explored such topics as “What does integrity require in the daily
experience of life?”, “Who is responsible for upholding the
standards of the fraternity?”, and “Are there limits to my
responsibility to my brother?”.Such conversations operated outside
the “secrecy” of my fraternity, or theirs. Yet, all the
conversations dig deep into the very soul of secret fraternities”.
The field that I toil in is beset by
all kinds of threats. There are those who come to hide behind the
secret veils and continue their brutish behavior. There are those who
expect the brotherhood to grant great reward for little work. Then,
there are those who wear their Oath as a temporary adornment that is
removed with ease. Naturally, these threats make it difficult to
nurture those who come to us for the right reasons, and pursue, with
diligence, the vision and mission of our fraternity. But, with a
generation of students who are uncomfortable with confrontation and
conflict resolution, it is easier to keep the “secrets” of poor
behavior than hold poor behavior accountable.
I do not know if sacrificing our
secrecy is an evolutionary step in the preservation of the North
American Fraternal Movement or not. I do know that criticism about
fraternities, and the tragic loss of human life that we have been
responsible for, is a frightening trend that is over a century old.
Having served on three alumni advisory committees, and accepting the
difficult challenge of cleaning house, I know that those proceedings
were effective because they did not operate in the public eye.
As these questions of the value of
secret social fraternities ebb and flow, as it has for over one
hundred years, perhaps we can step back and ask some very difficult
questions. If we become transparent, then do we hold an even firmer
standard of conduct for behavior? If we remain secret, are we
willing to be more firmly engaged with the undergraduate operations
and openly challenge other fraternities to do the same? Can we craft
a contemporary male identity for our undergraduate brothers without a
secret ritual? If so, how would the Balance Man program be affected?
Does the secrecy hold a “magic bullet” for the development of an
authentic and contemporary male identity? Will things be any better,
in terms of risk management, if we were no longer secret?
These questions are part of an ongoing
evolutionary process for the North American Fraternal Movement.
Throughout my membership, I have heard countless undergraduates and
alumni wish they could openly share the ritual with friends and
family. I have yet to see an open dialogue on the issue.
I have always honored my Oath and
sustained the secrets of my brothers. In fact, when I have faced the
demons in my life, it was with the support and discretion of my
brothers that helped me along the way. Still, I wonder what it might
be if we could openly share our ritual initiation.
Robert J. Kerr
Coordinator of Greek Life
Oregon State University
