Where's Your Crown?

I have recently had the good fortune to work with the undergraduate Brothers of a new and thriving local Chapter of my Fraternity, Phi Delta Theta.  This is an excellent and enthusiastic group of men who are proud to serve in whatever capacity fits them and the Chapter the best.  They are not concerned about whether they get a position on a committee or get to be the officer who leads the committee.  They are not concerned about whether their office position is on the executive committee or not.  They are not concerned about the status or prestige associated with certain office or committee positions.  The position of Fund Raising Chair, for example, is taken quite seriously.  In other words, one need not be the President for the position one serves in to be highly regarded and honorable.

During my undergraduate days in my now-inactive home Chapter, people clamored for certain positions, primarily office positions.  Being "just" a committee member was very lightly regarded and that lack of respect was true even for certain office positions.  There seemed to be a certain mentality that involved being driven to serve on the Executive Committee for as long as possible and to hold certain positions at the right time (e.g. Spring Semester) so as to stay on the top row of the Chapter's composite photograph as many times as possible even if not on the Executive Committee.  Being on the top row of the composite multiple times was an effective way of getting attention, as well as for posterity through the years and generations of active Brothers who may view the composite in the future.  Having a dreadful hairstyle for one of those top row photos would be all the more effective in getting attention at the present time and through the years.  Holding certain positions at the right times to stay on the top row for multiple years was definitely status related.

The obvious irony is the fact that my home Chapter is now inactive while the new local Chapter is thriving.  Another thing I find rather ironic is that certain people in my home Chapter were not actually that well qualified for the positions they held.  They were just driven, persuasive, and headstrong.  Unfortunately they were neither particularly thoughtful nor bright.  On the other hand, the men in the new local Chapter are very well qualified for the positions they serve in and sometimes even for some positions they did not get to serve in.  When it comes down to it, serving in the Fraternity means exactly that - serving.  The cutthroat mentality is more appropriate for being a ruler, not a servant.  One can not serve the Fraternity effectively when trying to rule their Chapter.  A Chapter is not meant to be ruled.

Mark 10: 35-45