Page 26 - 1925 November - To Dragma

106 TO DRAGMA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI

theless, a group whose members after having striven "to attain
the heights" are that much more capable of fulfilling the demands
of true fraternity in the greater sense. Christ, it is true, desired
all to be included in His fraternity and to benefit by His teachings,
but, as you know, i n His immediate circle there were only twelve.
These He taught to spread His teachings throughout the world.
He realized the utter futility of the efforts of the individual as
compared with those of a group.

Do you realize that even your attendance at a university sets
you apart as a member of a restricted group? Did you refuse
to attend college because others, perhaps hundreds of others,
less fortunate than yourself, found i t impossible to do so?
Even membership in a university is restricted by the entrance
requirements and the fact that some money is necessary. You
are not refusing to take advantage of these opportunities which
develop your mind. W h y refuse to profit by the opportunities
offered you by a group, the ideals of which only tend to supplement
the opportunities offered by the university, and thereby make
your life more complete in its influence upon others the greater?

I f all you say about conditions i n your local Panhellenic
and local chapter are true, it seems to me that there is much f o r a
girl of true nobility to accomplish. I should hate to run away.
I should dearly love to T R Y to bring about better conditions.

Competitive bidding need not necessarily create bitterness
and antagonism. There is rivalry in all sports. Why should rivalry
cause bitterness i n bidding more than in football or any other
sport? I f it does, there is something wrong with your rushing
rules, and perhaps just a little wrong with the spirit of
the girls but, undoubtedly, there is more wrong with the rules
than with the girls. Experience and the desire to cooperate will
remedy this. I n nearly all of the colleges, the rushing rules are
altered in the attempt to overcome just such conditions.

As a matter of fact, it is doubtless true that the plan of sec-
ond semester pledging that is used in your college is largely
responsible for the creation of any bitterness and antagonism in
rushing. I t seems to be almost invariably true that a long-delayed
rushing season tends to create just this sort of feeling. I t is not
the fault of the fraternities and it is not the fault of the girls
themselves, for they are, after all, only human. When several
people desire the same thing, or think they desire it. it is very easy
for suspicions to arise and i l l feeling to result—all the more easy
when they are kept in suspense for some months. Can you not
make an effort to see that rushing rules are changed to permit of
a shorter rushing season. This is one way in which you can help.

The fact that some non-fraternity women feel their exclusion
from fraternities most keenly, is, of course, to be regretted.