The Lifestyle: Rr

• Animal House
• Rowan fraternity raid: More than 100 arrests and 998 cans of beer seized
• Fraternity Ordered to cease Operation after Rape Allegations
• UCF sorority, fraternity face new ban following death
• Six fraternities suspended after drug raid at San Diego State

Get the picture???

• Dartmouth Fraternity House Is Searched, Student Arrested
• CHICO / Pledge dies in hazing at Chico fraternity / House was kicked off CSU campus in 2002 for infraction
• Dartmouth Expels Fraternity Over Articles

How about now????

• Humiliated S.C. Frat Boys Sue “Borat”
• Fraternity Suspended Indefinitely Over Alleged Hazing at Miami U.
• PENN STUDENT SUES OVER ALLEGED HAZING INCIDENT
• Fraternity suspended for alleged hazing incident
• IU closes fraternity for hazing

Shall I keep going????

• USC Frat Suspended Amid Sexual Assault Probe
• Sexual assault investigation involving University of Michigan football player continues
• Substance Abuse Higher in Fraternities and Sororities

If you’re not furious at this point then we have some serious problems.

The above list is comprised of the very reasons why greek organizations are surrounded by negative sterotypes. However, the truly sad thing is that I could continue adding to this list evey day and never be able to include them all. We as Greeks are literally messing up faster than I can type.

“But Derek, we raised $3,000 for so and so and blah blah blah blah blah.” Good for you! No seriously, good job, but in life you can’t expect things to cancel each other out…this isn’t algebra. We have to “man up” and start living what we say we stand for, accept responsibility and start living our values.

The Concept of Big “R” vs. little “r”

Initiation is what we call our Big “R” Ritual. But we have other rituals, little “r” rituals. The little “r” rituals are the things we do during our day-to-day lives. For instance, you probably get out of bed on the same side every day, you probably brush your teeth…I hope, you may put your pants on left leg first…maybe right leg first, grab a morning cup of coffee at Crema, etc. Much like yourself the Alpha, as an organization, also has little “r” rituals. Philanthropies, parties, mixers, brotherhood events, dinners, Greek Week, you get the idea.

You remember the day you were initiated. You made some commitments, a few promises that day during our Big “R” Ritual. If you can’t remember them word for word, go do that now.

WE NEED TO START LIVING OUR RITUAL!

We need to make our big “R” our little “r”. In other words, the things we do as individuals and an Alpha on a day-to-day basis (our little “r”) should reflect what we stand for as an organization (Big “R”). Be it a party, a philanthropy, a mixer, a Greek wide competition, or a stroll to class; we need to make our Big “R” Ritual (Initiation) a part of our little “r” rituals.

People should know what we commit to during Initiation not because anyone has told them but because they can see it every day, reflected through our actions and interactions.

I guarantee you that the moment we start living our Ritual as Greeks is the very moment we break the stereotypes perpetuated by the above incidents. If you think this is an outlandish idea than I urge you to look at any time tested religion. Chirstianity, Islam, Buddhism, they all teach values and strive to uphold their paticular religons values, beliefs and ideals. Those who don’t, we call hypocrits.

Don’t be a hypocrit in your fraternity. Live our values.

Last week Justin Froeber presented this idea to you in The Lifestyle: There Are No Excuses, well this is how to do it. Unlike the choice of living healthy you don’t have to sign up for a half marathon or exercise twice a day. Actually it is extremely simple, easy, and yields amazing results. It is literally the principle upon which Chi Psi and every other Greek Organization was founded.

Make your Big “R” your little “r”. Live the Ritual – LTR.

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