Fraternally Speaking

Fraternally Speaking

Some describe life as a series of moments, including many that define and shape who we are. Those defining moments are true for both individuals and organizations. For Phi Gams, who seek to Build (and be) Courageous Leaders, we call those defining moments testing points.

Being a courageous leader doesn’t mean that you have every answer, or that you are perfect. It means that you consciously make decisions that reflect who you are and strive to be – staying true to your values – particularly at the testing point. It is not about making snap judgments (though sometimes quick decisions are necessary). It is about being informed, understanding who you are and who you want to be.

As has been widely broadcast in the media, Phi Gamma Delta has faced several testing points in recent history. The most notable and public of those involved instances of poor decision-making, disregard for our laws and values, and the myth that hazing creates better brothers. Many proud graduate brothers have let us know how upset they are at the way coverage of these incidents have portrayed their fraternity.

The focus of this edition of The Phi Gamma Delta is on the important, monumental decisions made by the 174th Ekklesia to look to our future and amend our laws to implement a new model for building courageous leaders.

This model is a catalyst to a better way to recruit and develop our members. It sheds the notion that the men we really want and need will come to us in rush and forces us to embrace true values-based recruitment. It does not let us weed men out later, but instead makes us better understand who a man is and why he wants to join before we invite him to be one of us. It takes the pressure off those first several weeks of affiliation and purposely focuses on the continuous education, development, and engagement of our members.

Many brothers reading this edition, seeing these changes for the first time, may be taken aback. I get it. The pledge status was adopted nearly a century ago and is the joining model our brothers are most familiar with. As you contemplate what the new model means for Phi Gamma Delta, consider the many more doors it opens than closes. Ask what it changes, and what it does not.

This new model was not conceived overnight or embraced as a knee-jerk reaction. I give tremendous credit to the recent and current Archons, staff, and graduate brothers who have in given years of serious study and insight to the programs and approaches used for the first time by our Early Adopter chapters this fall.

I also need to be transparent. We don’t have all the answers, and we are far from perfect. Eliminating pledging is not a panacea for hazing; we will remain diligent in our educational and accountability efforts. The Growth System does not guarantee that every chapter will only recruit the best and brightest or eliminate bad behavior, but it shapes the path towards those better opportunities. Implementation may be bumpy; innovation brings with it peaks and valleys.

Every challenge is not solved, and we are sure to face testing points in the future. But, as Phi Gamma Delta has done for nearly 175 years, we will continue to adapt and confront even our most difficult moments with conviction and courage.t

Rob Caudill, Executive Director