I'm on Strike!!!
Reason #36714 that I haven't updated
By Brother Kerry Gilliard, Delta Mu Chapter

I started this article a few weeks ago while at work waiting for my ride to pick me up, but left bits and pieces of it unfinished. Now, reading through an e-mail from my infamous 'other half' (Bro. Mark Cornelius - SPRING 95 BABAAAAYYY!!!!), I've once again got the drive to finish up (combined with listening to my Earth, Wind and Fire CD from Holland).

I've been getting IM bombed, e-mailed to death, e-mailed to resurrection and e mailed back to death again about why the Times hasn't been updated. I'd originally scheduled my 'update' for Dec. 31 - even went out and bought the new Prince CD so I'd have some good working music and everything (every significant update to the Times has been done while listening to Prince....so I figured why break the trend?). However work and school (yes, I'm back in school!) have kicked in to the nth degree, providing a much un-needed pain in the neck as I further my quest toward a Music Education degree. But reading through some of my e-mail at the time, I didn't feel the urge nor the need to update. Honestly. So haze me....er sue me...sue you...whatever

I'm still getting positive feedback over the 'Real Sigmas' article (thanks y'all!) and even encouraged a few bros. To go dig out their Sigma Lights and peep at some old history.

Then around Founders' Day this year, I realized why I wasn't so gung-ho to update the Times right away - I came to the conclusion that I'm officially boycotting all Sigma and Zeta events and just about anything related to Sigma and Zeta until my Regional Conference (which is going on as I update this page, and which I'm too busy to go to anyway).

You heard me.

I'm on strike.

I'm on strike until I see more frat and sorors communicating and cooperating
instead of hating on each other. (looks like I'm going to be on strike for
while then, eh??)

I'm on strike until I see more frat and sorors who know more history about
each other and how deep the bond of Zeta and Sigma truly runs, before
shouting out about being two separate organizations and acting like one
doesn't need the other (are your toes stepped on yet?)

I'm on strike until both of our National Offices (yep, I'm about to be
suspended) decide to be more inclusive of each other in our events. I'm on
strike until I see more cooperation between our organizations and pay more
than lip service and two or three tiny events to each other every year. The bond was created to be much MUCH more and those of you who study even some of your own CHAPTER histories know this to be true.

I'm on strike until we realize that if we took our history and traditions
seriously, then we wouldn't need a 'liaison' from Zeta to Sigma or vice versa
because every frat and soror would be able to communicate with each other.

I'm on strike until I see both frat and sorors in their local chapters, lay down years-old grudges and animosities that have developed between each other. I'm on strike until I stop seeing frat and sorors saying 'I dislike all Zetas' or 'I dislike all Sigmas' because of their experiences with a few triflin' folks who wear the letters.

Speaking of grudges, I'm on strike until I see some folks STOP holding grudges. You know who you are. It's flat out RIDICULOUS that some people are holding decades old grudges against people involved with people who were around when things happened years ago. Further, it's ridiculous that people continue to hold these grudges even after the death of some of the people involved in some of the incidents years ago.

While I'm at it, I'm on strike until people stop running for office to further their own personal agenda for a non-profit organization that you pay to be a member of. Time and time again, with EVERY organization that I'm a member of- from my school's marching band to my church choir (which I direct) - I see EGOS - some big enough to lease out as a new national office - and these egos direct how these folks interact with those who are supposed to be their 'brothers'. As a result, you have an unhealthy division which threatens to rip apart the very fabric of my beloved fraternity. (I know I hit some toes there! Come on!!)

Isn't there a statute of limitation on stupidity? (Have I stepped on your toes yet? If not, I will soon.) With a few of the decisions I've seen made by some folks (ahhhh, the cryptic terms again) with regard to everything from conference planning to interaction with chapters, to suspension/expulsion of members, I think there needs to be a clause put in our National Constitutions regarding term limits on stupidity- both on the leaders for proposing certain things and the membership for going right along with it like a bunch of blind sheep (okay, that one got everyone!).

Speaking of stupidity, I'm on strike until people learn PROTOCOL. I'm on strike till frat puts the still-in-existence (and we all know the official line about them being illegal- stop acting like they don't exist) Doves,Sweethearts, Stars, Silhouettes, Groupies,Whatever - in their place and spend time developing your relationship with your SORORS. Face facts- these days, groupies come a dime-a-dozen and all your chapter needs to do is throw a phat party, hang out, seem cool and sport your letters for a few days and booty will come your way. In my day as the eternal neophyte (how many of you remember that? LOL), I had a fan club on campus without trying. Part of the reason I moved back OFF campus was to keep away from that fan club (I ain't one for the drama - aight? Y'all know a brutha is tryin' to be celibate- just remember- if she gives it up easy for you, who else has been there before you? And what did they leave behind?).

Let me qualify this: I don't have a problem with auxiliary groups- they can be a way for incoming freshmen to see how greek letter orgs operate and make them feel important to be contributing to a portion of the great work our organizations do- what I DO have a problem with is when brothers use auxiliary groups as a vehicle to get more booty (I know there's quite a few frat hating me now, but I gots to speak the truth- aight?). Brothers- think carefully about the way some of you treat some of these girls- would you want your daughter to be one of them? How about your sister? (And don't even use that 'well, it's her life, I don't care' attitude. You know damn well you'd be pissed if it was any woman you respect in your family).

Oh Sorors, you ain't innocent either. I'm on strike until some of you learn how to treat your frat brothers. You wonder why some brothers act 'shady' toward you? It's because you act shady toward your brothers. That gives perfect opportunity for some Pound Puppy, Elephant, Ape or Ivy to pop up and talk trash about something they have no knowledge of (no animals, plants or greeks were harmed in the making of this statement). From the description of the early relations between Sigma and Zeta and the mission statement of both organizations, I expect my sorors to treat me like family.

So why is it that when (for example) my LB's made a roadtrip to NC a year or two ago and stopped by the Zeta regional conference around 4:30am for a place to sleep (they'd been on the road for quite a few hours), when they approached some LOCAL sorors (from the DC area who made the trip down) about sleeping on the floor or in the hotel room bathtub (those of you who pledged know you can sleep ANYWHERE.... aight?) of their hotel room, sorors decided to demonstrate 100% shade toward them like they didn't know them (you know who you are!)? In contrast, the stepteam I was on in 98 visited Hampton and was treated like family by sorors at Rho Alpha (two of whom opened their home to us).

While you're at it, do the same thing with the Knights/Sweethearts/Male Groupies that I mentioned for frat with the Sweethearts.

I would say I'm on strike until people stop using the bond as an opportunity to get some, but it happens both ways (ain't nobody innocent there!) and I'd probably never get off strike then.....*grin*

Speaking of sex.....never mind. There's too many issues to address in this area.

Speaking of MORE stupidity, I'm on strike until some of you stop putting the frat and sorority at risk. Everyone who knows me knows that I am 100% pro-pledging - (as opposed to pro-hazing since there is a difference.....oh yeah, there! Anyone ever wanted a direct statement? There it is! Quote this! Forget political correctness!!), but what I am against is when chapters do things that put their chapters as well as the organization at risk. Of course, we just came out of the decade of the frivolous lawsuit, so in these days, calling someone a CHICKENHEAD could be considered hazing (mental abuse, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere, blah, blah, blah, bs, bs, legal bs, etc....), but that's beside the point. If you don't have enough respect to try to keep yourself out of jail; If you don't have enough respect for potential members to only make things 'difficult' but not 'impossible' for folks to join; if your main joy during the early spring is practicing your stroke or thinking of some new sadistic way to torture someone....... Maybe you DO deserve to be suspended or expelled. And I hope they sue your momma.

While I'm juicing the whole stupidity angle, I'm on strike until most of you start reading and KNOWING your constitutional rights and HOW the organization operates. Oh yes, this will require WORK......(terror fills the computer lab!!). See, if many of you knew what your constitutions said and knew the laws of your organization- knew Robert's Rules of Order- then you wouldn't be busy whining about how 'grad' is running all over you at conferences, folks reversing votes (HELLO) and re-voting on stuff that's already been turned down, folks making up the rules as they go along, folks not getting business sessions started until....never mind, I've said too much already.

Oh yeah, pay your dues and stop whining in the background!

Oh hell, one more comment won't hurt me any worse than the rest of this article already has. I'm on strike until people start realizing that joining Sigma and Zeta implies a lifetime commitment. That means, you don't just pay dues one year, party, party, pledge lines, party, pledge lines (I should've gotten to quite a few folks by now) and ignore the business aspects of the organization. It doesn't mean that only one or two folks in the frat/sorority who are 'business savvy' should go visit and communicate with the grad chapter, go to conferences as delegates or whatever. It means EVERY member should make EVERY effort to find out what the hell is goin' on with the frat/sorority. Everyone in the chapter should know when the regional conference is. Everyone in the chapter should have current info on everything as it comes down from the regional director (I know mine is only 10 digits away) to the rest of the region or from the chapter. Face facts- information ain't gonna come to you. It should- but more than likely, it ain't. So you need to go find out for yourself.

'But Kerry', you might say 'These things are a part of every fraternity and sorority in the NPHC- heck, they happen in the NPHC national office too!'. Well, if everyone on the national level drank cyanide laced kool-aid, would that give you the justification to do so as well? Our brothers and sisters in the Nile Valley practice ritual branding, whipping and scarring as part of their pledge process (rites of passage) into adulthood. Should your mother and father do the same to you when you turn 18 or 21 (although the way some of you act, it would probably HELP.... Proverbs 23:13-14).

I'm not living in a crystal castle - I know that whenever 3 or more people gather, political alliances begin to form, party A vs party B becomes an eventual part of the whole equation and eventually someone's feelings get hurt. This is reality. It happens in EVERY chapter, in EVERY region, in EVERY state, in EVERY country, in EVERY government, EVERY day of the year. It's a by-product of humanity's sinful nature (that's a whole other topic). What I *do* have issues with is the way we treat each other. I have issues with men who claim to be brothers publicly cursing each other out (or all but doing so) regardless of age (and the older brothers REALLY have no excuse for this behavior! .... That should be all five toes at once!!)

Why strike? Simple. Every effort that myself, or other like-minded frat and sorors make toward promoting the unity of Zeta and Sigma, the superiority of Sigma as a fraternity and the superiority of Zeta as a sorority are LAID WASTE when we have a LACK of fraternalism and lack of sisterhood, lack of scholarship, lack of community service, lack of common sense being displayed on a national basis. What kind of 'brother' talks all this trash about being a part of the brotherhood and preserving the brotherhood, but turns and (for example) sues the frat over something trivial like a personal grudge or does something to bring SHAME upon the national organization? (I know I stepped on some toes that time! Hep' me now!! )

So why am I gradually updating now? Somebody's gotta do it. Praise God I now have a staff to help me. Seems like there are a few peeps who care about the organization after all......

Has this article offended you? Any of it? More than likely, I hit a spot you need to work on (throw a rock in a dog pound, the hit dog will hollar!).

Death threats, suspension letters and letters of disassociation: kerry@zpbstimes.org