The Inside Scoop:
178th Annual ADP International Convention and Leadership Conference - August 13-15, 2010
By Doug Diefenbach MI'80
Click here to send us comments on the following report.
The opening gavel of the 178th Convention went down a half hour late as many delegates, most with rumpled suits and ties, stumbled in to the Marcum Center. Apparently, there were too many tired guys on Friday a.m. after traveling in from across the continent on Thursday (and then exploring the summer watering holes of uptown Oxford).
It was a proud moment for Miami when Matthew Labuda ‘10, Miami undergraduate president and delegate, opened the Convention with the traditional reading of the Covenant. Then our own Don French MI ’53 was installed as the Convention’s chairman, to a round of clicks from the 90 delegates, governors and visitors.
Below: Matt Labuda MI'10, French MI'53, MU President Hodge
I attended the Convention as an observer and presenter, but during the roll call I got credentialed as a last-minute stand-in for the Nittany Chapter (Penn State) alumni delegate. Since I was now going to wield a vote, I would have to pay serious attention – and I’m glad I did, because votes definitely counted later on several contentious issues…
As their first voting act, the delegates granted a charter
to our affiliate group at the University of Connecticut. The new UCONN chapter is proof of the
International’s successful expansion program – the fifth new chapter chartered in as many years.
Friday morning featured several excellent educational sessions, with alums and undergrad delegates splitting into separate tracks:
o The undergrads discussed recruitment best practices, chapter budgeting, running a chapter literary program, positive pledge education programs and the importance of the rituals.
o In the alumni sessions, Miami Chapter graduates played a central role in sharing expertise. Yours truly presented on chapter-based fundraising, describing our successful renovation campaign and subsequent Loyalty Society initiative, and got a very appreciative thumbs up from the group. Then, in a session describing what it takes for an alumni organization to revitalize an undergraduate chapter, our veteran chapter advisor Rocco Manzo MI'86 shared his wisdom and experience, describing how to overcome the challenges of restarting a fraternity chapter from scratch. Finally, Don French MI'53 instructed alumni delegates in the value of seeking charitable trusts and bequest gifts from their alumni.
At Friday’s lunch, Miami University president David Hodge welcomed the group and shared perspectives on the importance of living our values as fraternity men – especially in light of the challenging scrutiny the Greek system is under from college administrators across the country.
A second lunch speaker was David Cheslog BDN’93, the president of The Alpha Delta Phi Society. If you recall, the Society was formed in 1992
when the International reached an agreement with the five Alpha Delt chapters
that had gone coed at that time. Today,
the two organizations share a common heritage and coordinate in a number of
ways – at least, until there is a dispute like the one described below…
Above: Miami delegates Matthew Labuda '10 and Steve Hecker '71. Hecker also serves on the International Board of Governors.
President Hodge’s speech was a good lead-in to the afternoon session on brotherhood ethics and responsibility. I have to say that this was an excellent topic, as the delegates explored the means of practicing the values set forth in the Alpha Delta Phi Covenant.
The ethics discussion was capped by Dr. Barbara Jones, Miami’s VP of Student Affairs, who gave a very engaging talk on how the current generation of college students differs from previous ones, and how fraternities can remain current with these changing values.
Below: Delegates did a "deep dive" into the Alpha Delta Phi Covenant (a document perhaps too often read only during initiations) to consider how it should influence day to day interactions in the chapter. The code of ethics is many decades old, but never more relevant than today.
Friday afternoon continued with the presentation of prizes in the annual literary contest sponsored by the Samuel Eells Literary and Educational Foundation. Miami brothers didn’t win awards in any category, but their 12 entries did put the Chapter among the most prolific contributors in the contest.
The Friday session adjourned to its social capacity, as delegates gathered at the Miami University Art Museum on the Western Campus. Delegates were delighted to meet Sam Eells, Jr. WMS’57, direct descendant of our beloved Founder. Drinks, dinner, live music and a fascinating talk by museum director Bob Wicks, Ph.D were followed by an open house reception at 22 South Campus.
Saturday morning, and the delegates were back at it. Undergrads and alumni met in separate discussion groups; the undergrads elected a new Student Governor and set dates and locations for the year’s Leadership Conferences.
Below: MU President David Hodge addresses the lunchtime crowd
In what has become a Convention mainstay, Rich Jungman of Willis Insurance described the practices undergraduate chapters should follow to minimize legal risks. Every undergrad pays an annual fee for the coverage provided by Willis, and they learned what they get for their money. It was a dose of good, real-world information that will help to keep our undergraduate brothers and guests safe.
After a fine lunch of oriental chicken over a bed of rice, the afternoon session turned very interesting in lots of ways.
International President John Tuttle COR’81 gave his “state of the fraternity” address. He did a fine job of emphasizing the positives (recent growth in chapters, etc., etc.) and an equally good job of illuminating concerns (fundraising in the current economy, etc., etc.)
Below: International President John Tuttle COR'81 delivers "state of the fraternity" address
One increasing International strength, apparently, is its volunteer corps: for the first time in memory, there were more candidates for the Board of Governors than there were positions open. In an unprecedented voting procedure, delegates were allowed to vote for four of the seven candidates, with the top vote-getters taking office. The process struck me a little like an election in a small banana republic (or maybe a “-stan” of the former Soviet Union), but it got the job done: new governors were elected, leaving disappointed hopefuls to try again next year.
Then the real legislating began.
Delegates passed a proposal to establish a peer-led Judicial Board that would solve disputes between chapters and discipline individual brothers. As Executive Director Bill Millard ILL’80 explained, Alpha Delta Phi has been the only national fraternity without such a board.
An unexpectedly spirited discussion ensued over a proposal to allow the size of the International Board to increase beyond 11 members. Undergrad delegates objected to the plan unless the ratio of undergrads to alumni governors stayed the same. It was proposed that if the board grew beyond 12, the 13th governor must be a student. This was adopted, despite the observation that this would cost the Fraternity money, since alumni governors pay their own travel expenses to meetings (approximately $5000 a year) and student governors are reimbursed. (Personally, I voted against the measure: I'm not sure the cost is worth it, and two of 11 governors are already students -- twice as many as when I was student governor).
Below: Miami delegation hard at work: French, Labuda, Hecker
Finally, the Fraternity encountered another collision with coeducation – almost literally, and on the University of Pennsylvania campus. As mentioned above, the five-chapter, coeducational Alpha Delta Phi Society came into being in 1992, via an agreement with the International. The agreement says that the Society must ask for a waiver if it wants to use the name “Alpha Delta Phi Society” to start a new chapter outside of New England or New York. A crisis ensued when both the Society and the Fraternity recently discovered they were courting different potential chapter affiliates at Penn. Per the 1992 agreement, the Society recently asked for the Fraternity’s waiver to use the name (which would need to be granted by the Convention) -- with the possible outcome that, yes, there could be two organizations named “Alpha Delta Phi” on that campus. The debate was heated, with some delegates wanting to “defend our brand” and others recognizing that not granting a waiver would likely send the dispute to arbitration per the agreement, where the Fraternity might lose even more ground. In the end, a majority of delegates voted to grant the waiver – but that majority was short of the two-thirds needed, so the waiver was denied. Now we’ll wait to see the Society’s reaction. (Personally, I voted against the waiver, less because of my own divided opinion but because I recalled at the last moment I was representing the Penn State chapter, who was firmly against the waiver).
Click here to send us your comments on this report.
The heavier-than-anticipated debates delayed the Saturday
adjournment, so brothers had to scramble back to their rooms to dress for the
evening’s activities.
First, delegates in tuxes and suits gathered for an emotional Memorial Ritual honoring deceased brothers, led by Barry Ogden MI’85, an ordained minister and former president of the International.
Below: a moving ritual on behalf of departed brothers, with Barry Ogden MI'85 officiating
The reception and subsequent formal Banquet brought much-needed social time after a long day of legislating. Alpha Delta Phi songs rang through the Marcum Center banquet room. After a fine dinner, awards for top chapters and undergraduate leaders were handed out, and an oddity was presented for the International archives: an original letter signed by Founder Samuel Eells – and purchased on eBay for $6!
Below: Yours truly meeting BOTH Samuel Eells: the founder, and his descendant Samuel Eells, Jr. WMS'57, the Convention's Honorary Chairman
Then chairman Don French MI’53 introduced Richard Hirsh M.D. MI’65. Brother Hirsh was honored for his ongoing and impressive mission trips to bring modern mammography services to remote, underserved areas of the world such as Vietnam, Jordan, Nicaragua and Kosovo. After receiving the Fraternity’s Samuel Eells Award, Brother Hirsh spoke about his work and the importance of the Fraternity experience in preparing men for lives of honor, compassion, leadership and service.
Below: Don French MI'53 and honoree Dick Hirsh '65
Then it was Don French’s turn to be honored. For his long and generous service to both the Miami Chapter and the International (beginning with his leadership in The 1833's, the group that recolonized our chapter back in the 50's), Brother French was awarded the Alpha Delta Phi Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Fraternity. The entire room provided a much-deserved standing ovation.
Click here to send us your comments on this report.
Shortly thereafter, the Banquet adjourned to its social capacity, with delegates filing out into a steamy Oxford night, ready to return to homes and campuses and carry on the 179th year of Samuel Eells’ vision.
Below: Urged on by Andy Olson MI'72, Stefan Davis MI'71 plays convention papparazzi.
Below: Alpha Delts come in all shapes and sizes, but they all had fun in Oxford
Below: ADP International Executive Director Bill Millard MI'80 gets an unexpected birthday delivery
Below: Miami brothers Barry Ogden '85, Stefan Davis '71, Jim "Boog" Barre '76, and Ralph Herda '75
Click here to send us your comments on this report.