Quote:
Originally Posted by Senusret I
I think I would be better at giving a hypothetical example than trying to explain it....it's based on some of the NIC/NPC programs such as The Blanced Man Program.
So imagine that there are four phases of membership:
Pledge
Neophyte
Prophyte
Alumni
And four ways/methods/approaches to learning:
Pledge: Learning (the essentials) by studying
Neophyte: Learning by doing (service, conducting meetings)
Prophyte: Learning by teaching
Alumni: Learning by living
The path to the next phase is accomplished through a combination of age and knowledge assessment:
Pledge to Neo: Initiation
Neo to Pro: Prophyte Ceremony (most orgs don't have this or it's informal)
Pro to Alum: Alumni Induction/Senior Sendoff
What I'd like to see is membership itself as a personal odyssey (unfortunately "A Personal Odyssey" is already an APO phrase lol).
Why is it called "values based?" Basically because it extrapolates ritualistic values (or values found in a public creed) and translates them to meaningful exercises and activities. Also, it ritualizes the transitions from one phase to another and allows the member to "earn" their way through the fraternity.
(I am a believer that the more something is made into a ritual or ceremony, the more seriously people will take the experience.)
Continuous because it doesn't stop after crossing
Values-based because it injects the core values of the org
Member development because it's not just about the process to get in, but the process to get in, stay in, and excel.
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Thanks!!!! You know you gonna make me play the devil's advocate. Yeah, when you mentioned this programs like the Sig Ep's Balanced Man came to mind. In reality this program has had some of the same unintended consequences. I've read a Sig Ep blog and they were saying the same thing that NPHC members are saying about the intake program:"paper"
members, lack of a strong sense of esprit de corps and cohesion of those initiated in these programs, etc.
And to have segmented levels of initiation, like the Masonic and other fraternal groups, you may end up having to deal with hazing and "underground" activities at every level.
Unlike other fraternal groups, college fraternities (I'm definitely speaking about the culture of Omega Psi Phi here) are more like the military, where the foundation is interpersonal trust based on a shared experience in which there are transformative events, usually based on working through some ritualized ordeals. This is the strength and weakness of fraternities. This process can be abused. But in attempting to circumvent this by isolating aspirants from members in the incorporation process, you undermine the legitimacy of the fraternal enterprise as a social dynamic. And you get the emphasis on the "paper" vs. "real" brother, etc.
I'm in agreement with some sort of values-based approach but it has to be done in line with the culture and traditions of the organization. You can't apply the standards and culture of the Boule (Sigma Pi Phi) to the French Foreign Legion.
