A CODE FOR PLEDGING
Bro. W. Robert Ming Offers Suggestions For Handling a Difficult Problem.
SINCE "pledging" is the first step of the fraternity in its only method of reproduction, and since those men whom we initiate, not only become our "Brothers" but also are men with whom and by whom we shall be identified in the future, it behooves all of us, individuals and chapters, to be especially careful about the men whom we pledge and initiate.
Indiscriminate pledging, even if the men happen to be good ones, can only have the result of lowering our position in the eyes of the public who will relegate us to the category of lodges, which are allright in their places, but which do not have the place which we wish to occupy. There can be and should be no set rules by which a man, candidate for initiation or pledgeship, should be judged.
The standards will vary at different schools, but I should like to suggest to you some of the matters on which a chapter should pass in determining a candidate's qualifications for admission to Kappa Alpha Psi.
At Iota chapter, we have one fundamental test—is (let us call him A) a "man"? Now Webster defines "man" as a "male person with manly qualities," thereby violating the logical rule as to definitions which frowns on the use of the term to be defined in the definition. But we don't need a dictionary to know, as fraternity men, what we mean by a "man".
The term is of course without precise definition, but there are some qualities which a "man" must have.
It would be presumptious of me to attempt to tell you what these qualities are, but rather let me suggest a few elastic yardsticks by which we can and must measure candidates for initiation.
1. Courage—remember, that this virtue cannot be measured by a man's willingness to be "paddled" nor by his reaction to that stimulus.
2. Character—another transcendental—and while nobody ever accused Iota men of being Puritans or prudes, we're not taking in any men who are "rotten". A's ability to pass this test will in a large measure depend on the chapter's own code of morals.
3. Sociability—the word is used for the lack of a better one—but a fraternity is a group, our lives are a series of group activities and any person unable to get along with his fellows may have a niche somewhere, but it's not in a fraternity.
4. Appearance—a man need not be a Beau Brummel, but likewise we don't want any ragamuffins. Somewhere in between is the conventional standard, and while this factor alone may not be important, it should be considered.
5. Finances—Strictly speaking, there are very, very few. Negroes who can afford to belong to a college fraternity. Most of us know that a majority of Kappa's present difficulties are financial ones. With that in mind, is it not foolhardy to "make" a man who will only be an added financial "drag" to the organization?
6. Will the man stay in school?
At Iota we have had only one initiation in the last three years and if a man stays with us long enough to cross the "burning sands" this question is superfluous. But I know of a number of cases where men dropped out of school after being "made" and joined that mass of "forgotten men," no longer affiliated with a chapter and most inactive, with which Kappa Alpha Psi is afflicted.
Does the man offer anything?
By that I mean is he likely to make any contribution to Kappa? Now we can't all be athletic stars, nor honor students, and I doubt if such things are really contributions, but here the question is, "will A put his shoulder to the wheel and push—will he work with us and can he help us?"
8. Will he fit?
Very close to (seven) but even closer to (three). Can this man be made a smooth cog in the great machine, Kappa, of which we are all a part. Remember that there are some men who, if made, will disrupt a smoothly running chapter just as much as a monkey-wrench will if it is thrown into a turbine.
These eight tests may seem an awful lot, but I suspect most of us put pledges over these hurdles without conscious thought as to what we are doing.
However, there are some tests which are applied whici in my opinion are nothing less than vicious. The first o these, "paddling," I have already referred to. I have n intention, now or ever, of arguing the merits of "paddling," but I do know that it is not a conclusive test as to A's "manliness," nor anything else, except his ability and willingness to absorb physical pain.
Perhaps the most vicious test of all is the "color" one. Now without regard as to basis or cause we all know that in our race there is a wide-spread "color" complex, for which, I, among many others, can find no justi'ication. Kappa has not been damned so much for applying this test as some other groups, but this complex is present even in our midst.
To mention this subject is to raise a great deal of discussion, the tenoi' of which usually depends on the color of group and the uniformity of that color. But, in our case drawing of any "color" line will result (1) in disgusting outsiders; (2) driving from our midst many Brothers, both light and dark, who agree with me in the matter; (3) in keeping out excellent fraternity material, since many men not barred by such a line will stay out because of its existence.
Another practice to be condemned is that of "chasing" and "making" star athletes regardless of their other qualifications. In all fairness to that group most of those with whom I have come in contact, have been fine chaps, but some where not. Because a man can run faster or tackle harder than most is not a sign, or should not be, that we want to call him "Brother."
In closing let me say that so long as a number of chapters attempt to solve their financial difficulties by wholesale initiations and so long as we apply the great American standard of "quantity, not quality" to our pledges, we cannot hope even to approach the high plane which our founders had in mind for us. A U G UST, 1933
TheLosAngelesAlumniChapterofKappaAlphaPsiFraternity, Inc.excitedtoinviteyoutobepartoftheupcoming2024Tasteof Soulevent,happeningonSaturdayOctober19,2024rightupthe streetfromtheKastleonCrenshawBlvd.
Yoursupportwillhelpmakethiseventasuccess,andwe’dloveto haveyouonboard!
Volunteersareneededtomanagethetentandtablein3-hours shiftsdayofeventwhichwillconsistofmeetingandgreeting, speakingtoeventguestsaboutthechapterandit'sevents,and justbeinganambassadorforthechapterandfraternity.
Firstshiftstartsat8:00AM,lastshiftendsat8:00PM
Whetheryoucanspareafewhoursorthewholeday,everybitof helpmakesadiference.
Brothers all…
The LA-NPHC last met in June 2024. Even though we did not have any formal meetings in July and August, the Council was still active with continual communications and weekly participation with the Frat Games. By now, hopefully, you know that our Brothers are the Back To Back Frat Games Champions. Our Chapter was represented by Brothers Koach Frank Matthews and Home Run slugging Curtis Hadley. While the Omegas gave our Brothers a respectfully, good game, our Nupes pulled away and secured the win and Championship. The Council also provided a NPHC cookout on Championship Sunday, 9-1-2024. The park was full of Black Excellence.
If you have any upcoming events that you wish to be shared with our LA-NPHC Family, please do not hesitate to contact one of us. Our next Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 24th.
Respectfully Submitted by:
Brother Mel Bailey, II
Brother Lee Smith Chapter Representatives
National pan Hellenic Council
Los
Angeles Chapter
Please consider supporting these upcoming events:
Compton Deltas…Annual Jazz on the Grass
Saturday, September 28th@Compton College
Iotas…Founder’s Cookout
Celebrating 61 years of existence
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Incorporated
Divine 9/HBCUs/PWIs…
Greek and College Sunday
Brister Baptist Church
Sunday, September 22nd
1531 South Long Beach Blvd. Compton, Ca 90221@ 11am
African American Male Wellness Agency…
Black Men’s Wellness Day
Saturday, November 2nd
Michelle and Barack Obama Sports Complex
5001 Obama Blvd. LA, Ca 90016
Free Health Screening@ 7 am
5K Walk and Run@ 9:30 am
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