If  you have a question and you would like to have it answered  Go ahead and mail it to me at....
JBSkeet at ZDnetonbox.com

Answer:
Alpha Phi Omega is a National Service fraternity.  It is not a formal COED organization. It is a National organization that has allow coed chapters to exist.  Although since the organization has more coed chapters than it has non coed chapters.  It is the coed chaper members that regulate this fraternity.  You will never see Alpha Phi Omega state "Alpha Phi Omega National Coed Service Fraterntity"  Why Because it was charted as a National Service Fraternity.
 
 

Question:
Does your National ByLaws have section that says something about our open membership policy?

Answer:
Open membership policy is not a complete open member policy.  If it was a completely open membership policy then it would allow anybody to join not just a group that wants to be a coed group.  As it is, it is an organization that only allows coed new membership, because it restrict single gender groups.  Meaning even if it was an all female interest group it should not be able to form.
 
 

Question:
Isn't prohibiting a girl from joining our organization is discrimination?

Answer:
Yes it is, But it is also discrimination when you are prohibiting a single gender group from forming, even when that's is how the organization first started?  I know that none of the all male chapters are discriminating against females.  They are mearly not searching for them to become members.  You see, it become discrimination only when the act is there.
What is it when you don't allow a group to form unless it has a female in it.  One is chapter discrimation the other is national discrimation.  Neither is right.  But wouldn't make more sense for the members of a chapter to make it's own membership, than to be force to accept someone?   Now with that,  Do you want me to have to have you by my side?  Or do you "want" be to have you by my side.  Right now, with the current policy that Alpha phi Omega's National Board has created, I have to grin and bare it!
 

Question:
Isn't what Frank Reed Horton wanted in the organization is Leadership, Friendship, & Service.  Not Sexism, Racism, and Discrimination.

Answer:
When Frank Reed Horton Died in 1966 Alpha Phi Omega was doing just what he dreamed of in 1925.  What he didn't dream of, I'm extremely sure of...is not allowing a group of men to become a campus organization today just like he did when he created Alpha Phi Omega.  That I'm absolutely sure of.   Sexism is a word that usually describes discrimination against women.   But it is also used to shut down any institution when the concentration is on young men.  For instance, since allowing female membership into Alpha Phi Omega, there are members that would like to end Alpha Phi Omega's association with the Boy Scouts Of America the very institution that this organization was built on.  Is the reason sexism?   Realistically Alpha Phi Omega was created to have a focus on the development of the young male because of the neccesity Frank Reed Horton found in noticing negative behavior trends among young men, it wasn't creating behavior, conditions, or attitudes that foster stereotypes of social roles based on sex.
 

Question:
Isn't The National Aim of the fraternity is for all chapters to be equal and well represented with a cross section of the demographics of the students at any particular school whether primarily white or a historically black school.

Answer:
That has to be the AIM.  Why do you think that is?  It is because at this time there are people inside of Alpha Phi Omega that would like Alpha Phi Omega to be coed everywhere and not within the control of the very students they say makes the legislation of today.  Look at this coed senario:  Let say the campus is 80 white or black and 15 percent black or asian.  Let's say that the social circles of the campus is simular to the 3% Asian population that is on several campuses that you do not see.  Meaning that you have to really work, so you can sincerely use those individuals just so you can get a chapter.  In some instances you have to foster a relationship.  Let say it is sincere, but you have a large amount of 15% and a small amount of the 80% in your petitioning group.  If you have to have a cross section of the demographics of the campus then you may never get a chapter.  Because not all the time the larger group want's to even be associated with the smaller group.  One more senario:  What if you have a solid 100% of one race on your campus but your campus is 80% female, but you have more men than you have women in the interest group?  Then what?  A cross section is not a reasonable open membership policy.  It demands that you have a 8 to 2 ratio.  So if you have 8men and 2 women you have to go back and come again.  It is a restricted membership policy.  It should be where anybody can create a chapter,  this I'm sure you have to agree upon.  This is what national is striving for, but it is not a realistic goal. However, I believe since it is not realistic their should be leniency.
 
 

Question:
Does Ay-Phi-Que understand that the fraternity voted to accept women as brothers?

Answer:
Yes they do.  You have to understand that Ay-Phi-Que has been a consistent enitity  Because we haven't changed.  We still teach from the beginning of Alpha Phi Omega, not just from 1976.   And in the beginning of Alpha Phi Omega there was Manhood.  For the record, the National Service Fraternity did try to get itself added as a group unaffected by Title IX, but without success.
 

Question:
Can you justify that just because one school is a primarily black school that they should be allowed to have an all male chapter just because no black females want to join apo?

Answer:
Alpha Phi Omega is not all black.  All male chapters are not all black.  Ayphique is not all black.  The 25/52 family is not all black.  However, it always can be justified to any who would listen with an open heart, not a selfish one.  But stubbroness of some, just hate to hear it.  And that is that this organization was not made to be a Coed Organization.  And it is now, and has been since 1976, a fraternity that has coed chapters existing in it, and a slow growing group of all male chapters.   This is not a Coed Fraternity that has allowed all-male chapters to exist.  That is just what is happening within the organization.  It's purpose was to help young men futher theirselves into Manhood through service.  And the female membership of this organization has indirectly turned away potential male membership into this organization.  I hate it but it's true.  We have several chapters that is predominately female and they can't get males to join.  Why?  There is a distinct difference in the attraction of males to a fraternity than to a sorority.   And this is what that chapter appear as on campus.  However, that doesn't matter today.  What does is that at the national convention, it was voted by both males and females (three hundred and something to fifty eight I believe) to up hold the agreement created by the National Board to keep the chapters all male that are and not make them become coed.  Actually, it stated to just uphold the earlier agreement.   But that is saying the same thing.  Especially when all male chapter are asking for growth of it's own kind of chapter.   But the largest justification that there can be is the fact that this organization started as an all male campus organization so why shouldn't be able to exist now.  Yes this organization even started on a all male college.  But Frank Reed Horton could have went to any college comming back from the war.  But he thought of this during organization during a war.  1.) He saw young men getting into trouble. 2.) He made an oath to himself that national has change, to say young men not young people.  3.) And when he got back he went to all all male college.  4.) He wanted to supplement young men in their manhood growth  5.) He modeled his principles to follow on the heels of the boy scout of america.  6.) and he hope that it was the standard of manhood that would withstand the test of time.

Question:
Wouldn't you say that not allowing female into a fraternity discrimination, and wouldn't you say that this is what the fraternity is trying to rid itself of.

Answer:
Had this organization not had a purpose I would say that it was discrimnation too.  But what you really don't see is that the discrimation is on how were are as oppose to how they want us to be.   Considering blacks, the blackest of this organization is the '25/'52 family a way of life that we had and the way of life that we cherrish.  It is also a way of life that the Alpha Phi Omega does not like to see.  And they are using you (female APO's) to try and change it.  But there "ain't" no changing.   You see, if it didn't want to change Ay-Phi-Que, then it wouldn't have voted to have a restriction on its open membership policy.   All new chapters must be coed?   Wait!  They didn't stop there.  They also stated that if your chapter becomes inactive, you must flush away all of your all male traditions.  In so many words.   What is that!?  That is nothing but a systematic why to flush your likeness right out of the system.
 

Question:
What if Alpha Phi Omega passed legislation that Blacks could not be apart of APO.  Don't you think that this is the same type situation.

Answer:
That will never happen.  But the discriminiation is already there.  No one looks at it because there is not enough eyes on it to make a difference.  There was a lot of chapters voting against female membership.  And the vote was split the convention before.  I would like to see the actually count of the 1976 vote because N-O-N-E of the black chapters voted for APO female membership in 1976.  And then in 1986 they found a devious way to help us begin to get rid of ourselves.  The 25/52 family is a entity that has lasted year after year after year.  Black?  This is not really a black side of things.  These are white founded organizations.  And I received a hug from one of the founders of Gamma Sigma Sigma.  We have several white people in this family.  I'm very proud of that fact.  But shouldn't I be allowed to do what the founder of this organization did?  If Frank Reed Horton was alive today, and if I was following his effort from start to finish would he be mad?  The history is now on one page.  And I my 1987 manual has history on six pages.  So new individuals of Alpha Phi Omega may not grasp the earnest desire of Frank Reed Horton.  So that's why I include a copy of the 1987 manual on my website.  Alpha Phi Omega is is an organization that exist on different campuses in different ways.  Ay-Phi-Que has it's own desires for growth and we are growing.  And the way legistlation goes what is desires of Ay-Phi-Que may never be heard.  Because one national representative has already stated that he was "Against any thing that is in support of all male chapters"  Which means one thing, that guy wants it broken down.  Forget traditions, forget this male institution has created some great leaders.  Lets just concentrate on fun and service.
 
 

Question:
By enforcing the open membership policy on any new chapters or groups that will be apart of the APO fraternity, isn't the fraternity is protecting himself from a lawsuit based on gender discrimination?  And isn't that the main reason that no new Ay-Phi-Que chapters can be formed as all male.

Answer:
This is a good question, but I don't think Alpha Phi Omega is worried about a discrimination lawsuit.  Title IX only applies to Federally Funded institutions and Federally Funded Organizations. It affected Alpha Phi Omega because Alpha Phi Omega had chapters on campuses that was Federally funded.  If Alpha Phi Omega wanted to it will just make that person a member at another school.  Recently as the very last convention they closed that type of membership.  Membership that would allow a person at a different school than they where attending.  Amazing isn't it.  No, they are only afraid of Ay-Phi-Que chapters.  And the things that has happen in those chapters in the past bring about larger lawsuits than a discrimination lawsuit.  That is actually swiss cheese reasoning.  We have plenty of all male chapters today.  And none of those chapters can turn away an female if she just has to make an issue about it.   And we existed as an all male oragnization for 51 years.  Anything against all male chapter is against what
made Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity.  Can you see the contradiction.  I can bet that because we still have all male chapters, national can't change it's national organizational charter to become a formal COED organization.  And that maybe why it developed a way to get rid of all male chapters by letting them get rid of themselves through becoming inactive.  Now I'm speculating.  But you have to wonder.  This 1986 ruling came from the National Board, not from coed minded students.

Question:
Why did the leaders of apo (the active brothers, not the board or the alumni) at the 1998 convention after 6 & 1/2 hours of debate to decided whether or not new all male chapter can be formed.

Answer:
This was decision was made at the 1986 convention. The 1998 convention only re-opened the issue. I wish I was apart of that debate.  It's because greed of coeds individuals.  Coeds have about 350 plus chapters and they still want to be bigger.  I just want to add to that growth by having growth in Ay-Phi-Que.  I think we are like only about 8 chapters left when there was over sixty or seventy chapters of Ay-Phi-Que.

Question:
How would you catagorize your relationship with current APO Females?
 

Answer:
I this any female should get the respect of all men first and foremost.  For that you don't even have to be in an organization to get that love and respect from me.  Now, Organizationally, I first love my sisters of Gamma Sigma Sigma.  They have been her since 1952 before all the female of Alpha pHi Omega.  And then any creation of Ay-Phi-Que,  (JEWELS, PHYETTES, DIAMONDS, FOXXS & SWEETHEART'S) Then everybody else.

Question:
Why can't an organization be change to fit the desires of individuals today?
 

Answer:
I have to answer this with a question of my own, If Frank Reed Hortom, after seeing (YOUNG MEN) getting into trouble, founded a (ALL MALE) fraternity at an (ALL-MALE) school for (YOUNG MEN), using the standard of (MANhood) he found in the principles of an (ALL-MALE) organization in the (BOY) Scouts of America, to give (YOUNG MEN) a better start in life, and We know that he lived from 1925 to 1966 knowing that he left a legacy of helping (YOUNG MEN) get a better start in life, What gives use the right to re-write what he made an oath to himself to create.? Personally I think females can join the organization if they want to join.  But don't shut down Frank Reed Horton's Dream by not allowing young men to come to Alpha Phi Omega wanting to create a chapter just like Frank Reed Horton did.
 

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