Serve in the Light of Truth

By Travis Galloway (Washington)

Something really set me me off the other day. While researching for this article, I made the mistake of entering “fraternity ritual” in the Google search bar. I was expecting to find a convenient Wikipedia page with a general history of fraternity rituals, their inspiration and evolution; how naïve that turned out to be. While a few of the top results pointed to brief histories of specific fraternities’ rituals, those are not what caught my eye. Rather, I was bombarded by headlines like “College Hazing Stories,” “Horrible College Hazing Rituals,” and “Deadly Frat Rituals are Banned Thanks to Technology.” And that’s just on the first page of results.

Is this what we have done to ourselves, our fraternities? Is this the price of maintaining a secret ritual? Are we known only for what we have done to bastardize our rituals? These are just a couple of the questions that surged into my mind. I hope you are as upset as I am.

As fraternity men and sorority women, we have a tendency to think of our rituals as archaic books of secrets. Inspired by men and women who have long since passed, we bring them out of hiding only a few times each semester. And usually, we don’t do it because we want to; we do it because we feel compelled. To many of us have a tendency to dust off The Ritual for the Candidate and Initiation Ceremonies, and perhaps for chapter meetings and the occasional Affirmation of Knighthood Ceremony. But the ceremony ends, The Ritual goes right back into hiding, and we don’t think about it again until the next ceremony. Robes, candles, ribbons, badges, perhaps blindfolds, and a lot of talking by a few officers: this is what most of us remember.

If we expect to be taken seriously as an organization that seeks “to develop ethical leaders,” then we need to do a better job of acting like it. If we are going to keep complaining that Greek-letter organizations get too much bad press, we need to stop simply talking about how we encourage great development opportunities, ethical leadership training, and adherence to a core set of values; we need to start doing it. If you are as frustrated as I am by the headlines I mentioned earlier, then you need to help me reclaim our Ritual.

Toward the end of the Initiation Ceremony, our Ritual challenges each Knight to “strive to live and die in Honor…that in life and death men may truly say of him: ‘He ever bore, without abuse, the grand old name of gentleman.’” That last part is inspired by a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson, written while Tennyson was mourning the loss of a very close friend, Arthur Henry Hallam. To paraphrase, Hallam was an excellent man, above the “churls” and “charlatans” who claimed the “name of gentleman” but did not deserve the distinction of such a title. So, what are you doing to live up to your commitment to live and die in honor? Do you deserve to bear the “grand old name of gentleman”?

I’m not going to try to define “gentleman.” Plenty have tried, but I believe that the word has a certain “it” factor, as in “you know it when you see it.” Here is one way to help you “see it”: over the next few weeks, pay attention to your behavior and the behavior of those around you. Each time that you notice yourself or one of your brothers or candidates do something gentlemanly, take note of it. Each time you hold the door open for somebody; each time you help someone pick up something they’ve dropped; each time you help an elderly lady across the street, add a note in your phone or on a piece of paper. Make a conscious effort to be a better man, and you’ll feel good about it. Challenge your brothers to be more considerate of others, to try to make someone’s day, every day. Keep track of gentlemanly behavior, and recognize brothers who excel at your chapter meetings. During National Ritual Celebration Week, use the hashtag #NRCW to acknowledge excellent brothers who live according to our Ritual.

We are all too accustomed to calling each other out for our shortcomings, but we need to do a better job of encouraging excellent behavior rather than chastising our flaws. By making a conscious effort to acknowledge our brothers who “excel with honor,” we will encourage the development of transformational habits. These habits, in some small way, will help us rise above the tide of mediocrity, selfishness, and conceit that have diminished the credibility of our Ritual, and by proxy, our organization. Brothers, join me in rescuing the reputation of fraternity and sorority rituals everywhere by living up to the aspirations of ours so “that in life and death men may truly say of [us]:

‘[We] ever bore without abuse the grand old name of gentleman.’”

Asking why having a Ritual is important to a fraternity is like asking someone why having a heart is important to his or her livelihood.  What better way to illustrate the relationship between a fraternity and its Ritual than using a pop-culture phenomenon that has once again become very near and dear to our, say, hearts?  I’m talking about zombies, of course.

A fraternity’s Ritual is, in many ways, the heart of the organization.  It is the one commonality that defines all fraternities while, at the same time, makes us individually unique.  Our Ritual lies at our core.  It is our essence that makes us who we are.  Figuratively speaking, much like a person’s heart, no?

Without it, a cold, lifeless fraternity would remain.  Could we still operate without one?  Sure, we could still recruit members, govern according to our fraternity’s constitution, and enforce policy.  No doubt from these, we could maintain some semblance of a fraternity, but to say a fraternity without a Ritual is still a fraternity would be akin to suggesting those zombies we see each week on The Walking Dead are still people.  Needless to say, that would be foolish, not to mention hazardous to our health.  Just as a zombie uses people merely as a means to an end (food, for instance), without a Ritual fraternities would use members merely as a means to revenue and reputation.

We would no longer care about the well being of our members nor their becoming better men or women as a result.  We would no longer hold them to a higher standard of ethical and moral conduct nor expect them to have a positive impact in their communities.  We would not promote pride for our history nor encourage hope for our future.  We simply wouldn’t care about our members anymore than the zombie cares about its food.  And just like the zombie, our only motivation would be a sort of instinctual self-preservation, resulting in a horrifying and insatiable hunger for more victims.  Only our path of destruction wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining.

Obviously, I offer this analogy somewhat in jest.  But there is one parallel within this analogy about which I could not be more serious:  when asked why having a Ritual is important to my fraternity, I submit it is as important as it is for a person to avoid becoming a zombie.  Why, you might ask?  Just like the zombie, a fraternity without a Ritual faces the same inevitable conclusion – eradication.

//Associate Dir. of Leadership Development Alex Combs (Eastern Kentucky)

“Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about.” – G.K. Chesterton

In commemoration of National Ritual Celebration Week, it is important to draw corollaries from the above quote. Sigma Nu is at its core a democracy. This means that chapter members have an equal right to participation in and decision making of the Fraternity. In addition, all are charged with upholding its mission and purpose. This is the foundation of Sigma Nu. As brothers we have committed ourselves to its advancement.

Unfortunately, like in all democracies, Sigma Nu members are prone to drift. Chapter members forget their commitment to the purpose and mission of the Fraternity. When this happens we must look to the tradition of our Fraternity.

For Sigma Nu this tradition is The Ritual. The Ritual centers us. It reminds us of the original intent of the founding of Sigma Nu. When we perform The Ritual, Hopkins’ very words are filling the chapter room. We hear the identity of our beloved Fraternity from the mouth of the men who created it.

This then is why our Ritual is absolutely necessary: we must be reminded of why Sigma Nu was founded from the men who founded it. We must be reminded of our core values of brotherhood, love, honor, truth, and anti-hazing. We have all committed ourselves to uphold and defend these values.

By reciting The Ritual we are being admonished and encouraged by the men who first upheld this fraternity and values. We are giving votes to our founders.

//Leadership Consultant Ben Nye (Arkansas)

“There are no offensive or hazing practices involved in a fraternal Initiation.”

This seems like a given statement. I think everyone person in a fraternity or sorority knows this statement to be true.  So I start wondering why would any think the opposite to be true?

Almost every Google search result for “fraternity initiation process” has a reference to hazing.  This is probably because the only time fraternal initiations are heard about is because a group of misguided boys/girls have decided to go against the morals that are taught in the ritual and have added additional requirements to the initiation process.

The real initiation ceremony has nothing to do with childish activities; rather, it’s about teaching members to be men and women of values and ethics.

Hopefully over this week all Greek members will review their Ritual to make sure their actions are in line with the teachings of their initiation ceremony.

//Leadership Consultant Joseph Ditto (Alabama in Huntsville)

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of what I learned from being initiated into the Legion of Honor is the true meaning of what it means to be a Sigma Nu.  I spent twelve weeks learning about all aspects of Sigma Nu including history, leadership, our purpose, and more. Reading about the purpose of our fraternity over and over again could only mean so much to me.

I had been involved in all sorts of organizations on campus, but this experience was different. For the first time, I felt that I was part of something bigger than myself.

Even though I was listening to a 22-year-old from Clearwater, Florida, talk about the fraternity, I heard a young cadet at the Virginia Military Institute speaking about his love of creating this fraternity.

It gave me a greater understanding of what I had actually joined but in turn made me realize not everyone around me fully grasped what we stand for.

Over 250,000 people have taken the same oath that I had taken that night and I wasn’t sure if they actually took that seriously.

I learned from Initiation that it is my place to hold other brothers accountable for their actions.

It is my place to make sure they are living to a code of honor.

It is my place to make a difference in this world.

There are very few times in your life when a person will commit to an oath. I learned that I needed to do my part and not take my oath to the Legion of Honor for granted.

//Leadership Consultant Spencer Montgomery (South Florida)

What did you do today to live The Ritual?

Rereading The Secret Thoughts of a Ritual prompted me to consider how I live The Ritual each day. It is a thought provoking piece that talks about how The Ritual should not be so secret that it becomes a mystery to us and our members.

The Ritual should be read, studied, and used as a road map to live a good life.

It should be openly discussed between brothers and taught to our new members once they are initiated.

The meanings of The Ritual should be examined closely and argued passionately.

I encourage you to read both The Ritual and The Secret Thoughts of a Ritual, and to reflect on their teachings and meaning.

Or to share a passage from each at an upcoming chapter meeting, discussing its current relevance with the membership.

As I write this, I am reflecting on how I am currently living and doing what The Ritual prescribes.

Am I living up to the Oath I made five years ago when I became an initiated brother in Sigma Nu?

Am I living the values and precepts set forth by my founders?

I challenge you to ask these very same questions of yourself and others.

It is only upon reflection and discussion that we can reach an understanding of The Ritual and how well each of us lives up to our knightly vows.

I challenge you to consider where you stand and to help others do the same.

Once you have learned The Ritual, taught it to others, and lived by it, I challenge you to expect the same from our brothers.

//Leadership Consultant Dan Hallgren (Minnesota State – Mankato)