Presidential Address

CULTURE CHANGE SEMINAR

Alpha Delta Gamma National Fraternity

Spring Leadership Conference 2005

 

            In October of 2004 I attended the NIC Small Fraternity Caucus meeting in Indianapolis.  It was attended by Executive Directors and National Presidents of nine different small fraternities.  Our purpose of the meeting was to discuss synergies (that is, ways in which to combine forces to reduce costs to each other’s Fraternities).

            If there was one thing that I recognized from attending the meeting it was that these guys can probably be called a Small Fraternity where I would consider ADG as the “ultra-small Fraternity”.  One big difference was the Alumni.

            The whole time each Fraternity talked about their Foundation and I can only assume it was similar to the Alpha Delta Gamma Education Foundation (ADGEF).  Foundations paid large sums into the Fraternity for education programming, hotel and travel expenses for active members.  These Small Fraternities were upset that the attendance at their National Conventions was only ½ alumni.  One out of two attendees were alumni and that was considered not enough.

The National President of one of the Fraternities even stated that, “Alumni are the first and foremost members responsible for the existence of their chapters.”  I was floored.  I couldn’t believe that was said and it really made me think as to where our Alumni fall in our National Fraternity.  It was clear to me at that point that something needs to change in Alpha Delta Gamma.

            Overall, I thought for sure that this was a humbling experience both good and bad.  It was bad because if the realization that ADG was, indeed, an Ultra-small Fraternity.  That it was tough to find that we don’t have the resources (human and financial) available to us to do all that these other Fraternities do for their Chapters.

            But it was humbling good because only reinforced my thoughts that Alpha Delta Gamma is one of the last remaining True Brotherhoods and True Fraternities in this country.  If the smaller Nationals are coming together and talking about everything wrong with their Fraternity OTHER THAN Brotherhood, then one would think that they’ve lost touch of what it is to be in a true Fraternal organization. 

But when you think about all that they do for their members, what monies that they have to spend on their members, it can honestly tend to sway away from so much of a concentration on their Brotherhood.  I’m sure its important to them, and I certainly hope they are fostering that more locally, but look at what they have to work and deal with that is probably keeping them from just saying that they have a Brotherhood:

a.      An average of 25 Chapters.

b.      A range of $175,000 to $500,000 annual operating budgets with an average of 93% collection!

c.      Hired Chapter service consultants

d.      An average of half of their Chapters have houses.

e.      New Officers attend a National Leadership Academy that is helped financially by their Foundations.

And sure we can say to ourselves, “What about the Brotherhood??”  “We have it and they don’t!”  But how long can we last like this?  Eta Chapter?  Dead.  Xi Chapter?  Zero actives at the end of this academic year.  Our operating account?  I won’t even go there.

And don’t think that your leadership in the National Council hasn’t done enough to try to save every single Chapter out there, or collect the monies we need to survive.  We have done all that we could and more while keeping ourselves employed, going to grad school some of us under-grad still. 

After knowing what National was like before, not to say that it wasn’t needed, but the output of work that your officers do for you today, aside from the e-mails or gifts or whatever, is absolutely amazing.  And, unfortunately, it can sometimes be very draining and disappointing.

So am I blaming the actives?  No.  Am I blaming the actives or alumni for how much work the Council and the Board members do?  No.  I can’t blame you because this just so happens to be the current culture of the Fraternity.

It is clear to me that the reasoning for such strong growth and sustenance of these other small Fraternities was because of the commitment and manpower that they have of their members – Alumni and Actives.

Under our current culture, we have actives who want to have nothing to do with Alumni, and we have Alumni who want nothing to do with Actives - and hence, nothing to do with National (or these alumni just fall off the face of the earth). 

            I, personally, get the feeling of the following thoughts from particular actives and alumni:

Actives:  I'm only in the Fraternity for 4 years.  After I graduate, I won't have to deal with the Fraternity anymore.

Actives:  The Alumni are just old and don't know how to run a Chapter anymore.

Actives:  The Alumni need to stay out of our business.  It’s our Fraternity now.

Alumni:  It is the responsibility of the Actives to keep the Alumni up-to-date.

Alumni:  It is National's job to keep my Chapter afloat, not mine.

Alumni:  The Chapter is not being run like how we ran it, so I think it's a lack of respect and I won't help them.

 

THIS NEEDS TO CHANGE.

 

It is clear that most actives that we have that just don’t care about Fraternity life after graduation that their Chapters suffer because of the help they could have provided as mentors and as financial backers.   And National/ ADGEF suffers because of the help they could have provided as mentors and financial backers.  This is the idea of Change that we need.  We NEED to change that mentality. 

 

National Constitution; Article II – Purpose:

       To unite congenial minded men in a brotherhood of love and high respect;

       To develop the highest Christian ideals of manhood among its members;

       To foster the interest of every institution of learning with which it shall become affiliated;

       To promote scholarship among its members and their fellow students; and

To further promote service of community so as to awaken in ourselves and our fellow man a realization of the Brotherhood of Man.

 

Where does it say that after graduation your responsibility to the Fraternity is no longer needed or welcome?  Where does it say the words Alumni or Active?  It says MEMBERS.  We are MEMBERS of this Fraternity.  An alum is a member as much as an active is a member.  There is no time frame associated with our Fraternity’s Purpose.  Alpha Delta Gamma National Fraternity is a Fraternity for life!

Our Fraternity’s Culture needs to change.  We needed to start down path of Change sometime, probably sooner than later, and this Administration chooses now.  But this is only an introduction.  You can expect Convention will go further into our ideas for this change as we continue to explain a vision for the Future that I think all of us would love to see us get to.  But it starts now.

I’m not saying that every one of you as actives will become a National Officer or a Board member serving in the departments.  Nor am I faulting every active and alum out there.  Because there is a strong genuine spirit that exists in some of you still that want to do more for the Fraternity and stay involved in your Chapters.

But I do want you to think.  I want you to take this back to your Chapters and discuss what it means to be a lifetime member of this Fraternity.  If you do we can indeed start to change this culture.  We will have a banquet hall full of gentlemen as dedicated as your National Officers and there will be nothing that we cannot accomplish.  And we can finally grow into a Small Fraternity rather than the “ultra-small Fraternity” that we are now.

I hope those of you who went to Conference and those reading this now not only learn about what you can do to help your Chapter – but I hope also that you’ve found out at least a little more what it means to be a member of this National Organization.  If there is any one way to tell, it’s shown in the work and commitment of a National Officer.  And I hope it means more coming from me as your President or maybe someone else:

 

Dear Brothers:

 

Each of you must by now know that Alpha Delta Gamma is a special relationship unlike any other on the face of the Earth. We share not only a common bond, but a common pledge to dedicate ourselves to the service of this world of men around us. In the few years that God grants us upon this small planet we must make a difference so as to leave behind a better place for our children and those who follow us.

 

My life has been dedicated to you, to my work, to my family, and to my Church. Whatever small measure of success I have achieved has been in large part due to the inspiration that the ideals of Alpha Delta Gamma imparted to me. Although I will no longer be able to share my love of life with you, I hope you will not grieve my passing, but celebrate my joy in having been with you. In a few short years no one will remember my having lived, but we can all share in what each one of us has done to make of the Earth a good place to live.

 

And, so I ask, my brothers, that you love one another; that you love those about you; that you work each day to improve yourself according to the ideals of the Fraternity; that you visit the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and see the name of the Fraternity carved in stone there; and, that you work and pray each day together, so each individual can come to realize the ideal of Ad Dei Gloriam.

 

Someday the Sunken Gardens at Loyola Marymount will again be covered with flowers of every kind. On that day, know that I too have achieved happiness, and have come to realize the end for which we are all created: to see the face of God. I can never forget you, and will always be with each of you until the end of time.

 

Fraternally,

Benjamin Aranda

[Past National President] Benjamin Aranda Press Release

 

Unfortunately, I witnessed only one of Judge Ben Aranda’s seminars.  At the time, he talked about Convention attendance and why even if you were in bed sick the entire time you were there, that you will…not that you should…but that you will go back to the Chapter and say what an amazing time it was.  I got to meet him personally for only a handful of minutes, but in just that short time, I know I will never forget him.  I’m honored to remember this man as an example of what I’m talking about above. 

This man never stopped loving this Fraternity after graduation.  And even as he has passed, he continues to remind us of his lifetime of commitment and compassion for the Fraternity.  When you get to that time of your life when you author something like his letter above…ask yourself…”Will I remember ADG?”

 

Thank you.