Palm Spring 2010 : Page 2

ato palm GOOD OF THE ORDER SPRING 2010 VOLUME CXXX, NUMBER 2 Editor: Wynn R. Smiley Managing Editor: Matthew S. DeWolf Magazine Design: Todd Shelton Contributors Bradley Carter Eugene Bichlmeier Publishing continuously since 1880. The ATO Palm is the official publication of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity. ATOs in attendance at the Alabama session of Chapter-Based LeaderShape®®® gather for a group photo on the final day of the leadership event. THE AGENDA for the Board of Directors spring meeting in Tuscaloosa was packed. The meeting co- incided with Beta Delta’s 125th anniversary celebra- tion as an ATO chapter at the University of Alabama. Despite the wide array of highlights and interesting events throughout the weekend, an almost passing reference in one presentation during the Board meet- ing caught our attention. Gentry McCreary, Alabama’s director of greek life, cited research that suggested an erosion of ethical standards among men who join fraternities. Perhaps, but I’m skeptical. Without seeing the actual study, knowing what the researchers defined as ethical standards and how they actually mea- sured change, it is impossible to assess the study’s credibility. Regardless, research standing or not, the issue highlights the fact that it never hurts to beef up ethics education and the difference between right and wrong. It certainly is clear in our society that the line of what is acceptable in polite company is changing, fraternity or not. 2 A few weeks ago the Alabama and Indiana ses- sions of the Chapter-Based LeaderShape Institute wrapped up. As part of its six-day curriculum, ethics and values play a substantive role. In one exercise, it is interesting to see what students, our newest broth- ers, would agree is perfectly acceptable in their eyes and what is not. For example, the amount of hazing that exists is significantly less than in the past and in instances where there may be hazing, the type of hazing is dramatically less intense than it was thirty ATO PALM SPRING 2010 or forty years ago. Most undergraduates ATOs would agree that intense physical or mental hazing is wrong all of the time and they would not participate in it. On the other hand, no one is surprised to read that the vast majority of students believe that it is okay to break the law by drinking underage. Preliminary work is underway to develop ad- ditional values-based education for ATO. The model is the Creed and ATO’s reason for being defined by Glazebrook based on traditional Judeo-Christian precepts such as unconditional love. Interestingly, as you will read in the following pages, many ATO values defined in the Creed are alive, well and being played out by our brothers in their community outreach, their desire for a more meaningful fraternity experience or their impact on their businesses. If you want to see firsthand what today’s ATO experience encourages and produces, I urge you to attend the Awards Banquet of 79th ATO Congress this August in Orlando. You will not be disappointed. Membership: The Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity is a participating member in the North- American Interfraternity Conference, the Fraternity Executives Association and the Fraternity Communications Association. Wynn R. Smiley Chief Executive Officer On the Cover: Taus at the University of Belmont brought together brothers from three chapters in Tennessee for the Tennessee Tau event to help build a Habitat for Humanity house - epitomizing the ATO Creed.

Good Of The Order

THE AGENDA for the Board of Directors spring meeting in Tuscaloosa was packed. The meeting coincided with Beta Delta’s 125th anniversary celebration as an ATO chapter at the University of Alabama. Despite the wide array of highlights and interesting events throughout the weekend, an almost passing reference in one presentation during the Board meeting caught our attention. Gentry McCreary, Alabama’s director of greek life, cited research that suggested an erosion of ethical standards among men who join fraternities. Perhaps, but I’m skeptical. Without seeing the actual study, knowing what the researchers defined as ethical standards and how they actually measured change, it is impossible to assess the study’s credibility. Regardless, research standing or not, the issue highlights the fact that it never hurts to beef up ethics education and the difference between right and wrong. It certainly is clear in our society that the line of what is acceptable in polite company is changing, fraternity or not. A few weeks ago the Alabama and Indiana sessions of the Chapter-Based LeaderShape Institute wrapped up. As part of its six-day curriculum, ethics and values play a substantive role. In one exercise, it is interesting to see what students, our newest brothers, would agree is perfectly acceptable in their eyes and what is not. For example, the amount of hazing that exists is significantly less than in the past and in instances where there may be hazing, the type of hazing is dramatically less intense than it was thirty or forty years ago. Most undergraduates ATOs would agree that intense physical or mental hazing is wrong all of the time and they would not participate in it. On the other hand, no one is surprised to read that the vast majority of students believe that it is okay to break the law by drinking underage. Preliminary work is underway to develop additional values-based education for ATO. The model is the Creed and ATO’s reason for being defined by Glazebrook based on traditional Judeo-Christian precepts such as unconditional love. Interestingly, as you will read in the following pages, many ATO values defined in the Creed are alive, well and being played out by our brothers in their community outreach, their desire for a more meaningful fraternity experience or their impact on their businesses. If you want to see firsthand what today’s ATO experience encourages and produces, I urge you to attend the Awards Banquet of 79th ATO Congress this August in Orlando. You will not be disappointed.

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