Cincinatti Conclave Reflections

Well, just finished my first conclave ever. First of all, kudos to the brothers at UC for an awesome conclave. The whole thing ran smoothly, the brothers were all friendly and helpful, and the party was very fun (shout-out to DJ Milkshake on the 1s and 2s). So set’s recap some highlights (and not-so-highlights).

Indiana: Wow, what a chapter. Beta Iota was just re-founded this year after being shut down three years ago. They initiated 87 founding fathers, and it seemed like all of them were at convention. PSM Gary Anderson had the honor of announcing this chapter’s most deserved “co-Outstanding Delegation” award.

“I’ve been waiting for this for three years,” Anderson said. “It’s an honor to see a chapter that I closed down come back so strong.”

Throughout the weekend, Beta Iota brothers were active in various sessions, displayed great chapter pride, and showed a keen awareness of what it means to be in AEPi. I look forward to seeing where these guys go in years to come, they have a bright future ahead of them as a chapter.

Brother involvement: While most brothers were engaged in the conclave, this was a prime example of what Andy Borans likes to refer to as “20% ruining the experience for 80%.” It was clear that there were certain brothers, and in some cases entire delegations who simply came for the road trip and not for the conclave itself. I hope that in future conclaves I go to, brothers will not be sharing funny stories in the back during the keynote speaker, and that large delegations will show up to important sessions.

Keynote Address (Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric Fingerhut): Despite the disrespect by some brothers, the keynote speaker was fantastic. He was incredibly engaging and had a terrific message. He focused on our duty as Jews, and especially as the future Jewish leadership of America to go above and beyond the call of duty and “do more.”

“It is required of you to do your homework,” Fingerhut said. “Doing more would be then helping your brother, or a disadvantaged student with his homework.”

He compared the Hebrew words for present “matana” and “trumah” to illustrate his point. A normal present is a matana, but a gift made to G-d is a truma from the Hebrew root that means “to lift up.” Gifts that we give for a higher purpose lift us up, just as work that we do for a higher purpose lifts us up as well.

­Chancellor Fingerhunt pointed out that while fraternities can scrape by doing what is required of them, what sets us apart as the Jewish fraternity is that we take a responsibility upon ourselves to do more. By doing more, by giving of ourselves, we lift up not only those we help, but also ourselves.

Overall impressions: Every time I’ve been to a convention or conclave I come out more and more sure that I made the right choice in joining AEPi. College is a crazy time in life. The same guys who you are drinking (if they’re over 21) and going to White Castle with in the wee hours of Saturday morning, are the same people discussing important topics about the future of the fraternity the next day. The culture in AEPi, and the one continuously being built in chapters across the country is one that strives to straddle our identity as a social fraternity with a Jewish organization striving to “do more.” I have to say, I think we’re doing a pretty damn good job.

BTW: Did I mention AEPi provides grants for Jewish/Israel programming

Fraternally,

Kitty Kat

Intro: COURAGE

COURAGE: Bringing values back to America’s fraternities

The founders of fraternities and sororities based them on values. Those values differed between different organizations. Some were religious, some were social, some were racial, some were academic, some were ethical, but most were a mixture of two or more of the above. Some wanted to promote a certain political agenda, a way of thought, or simply networking opportunities for pre-professional students. Today, these values have been forgotten by most in the Greek community, and have been traded in for the vague value of “brotherhood” or “sisterhood.”

This is not to cheapen in any way real brother and sisterhood. However, they are not values in and of themselves. Just as in a real family, they are the expression of shared values, beliefs, and experiences. In a sense, brother or sisterhood are an ends that people have attempted to reach, while forgetting what the means to them are.

Is a person your brother simply because you signed the same bid card and were both paddled by the same pledge trainer? No. That’s why fraternity rituals are so rich in symbolism and meaning. These rituals have not changed since their inceptions, and most purely reflect the ideology of the founders. While I only have experienced the ritual of my own fraternity, I can only assume that others reflect the values and ideals of their particular fraternity.

As the international Jewish fraternity, we at AEPi have a responsibility to not only uphold the values of our founders (as all fraternities should have) but to be proud of our shared heritage in doing show. As Jews, we are instructed to be an “or la’goyim” (a light unto the nations), and as such we must be pioneers in values-based fraternity programming. This goes for programming during pledgeship, as well as for active brothers.

AEPi has committed to this type of programming by making plentiful grants available. You can go here to check them out.

Fraternally,

Kitty Kat

Next time… Midwest Conclave: Cincinatti