Seven

Seven.

The number seven appears in many facets of and plays a very significant role in my life.

For example, I was born of the 17th in 197_.

My parents were married on the 17 in 1977. too bad the lucky 7 combo didn’t bring them luck in their marriage

Boo was born on the 7th in 197_.

My baby brother was born on the 7th in 1987.

I graduated from high school in 1997.

I purchased my Xterra in the 7th month of the year.

Also, in 2007, I crossed into the fastest growing collegiate fraternities in the United States. Seven years ago, my fourteen line brothers and I were initiated into the Delta Omega chapter Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity at the University of Houston.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this great fraternity, let me give you a brief rundown of our history.

Alpha Phi Omega was founded on December 16, 1926 at Lafayette College, in Easton, PA by Frank Reed Horton and thirteen other young men. At almost 89 years young, my fraternity has more than 400,000 initiated members nationally as well as internationally in the Philippines, Canada and Australia with at least 369 chapters currently active in the United States and 250 in the Philippines. The national office is located in Independence, MO. Our fraternity colors are Royal Blue and Old Glory Gold.

Brother Horton’s goal was to create a fraternity that would allow its members to not only develop Leadership, promote Friendship and provide Service to human kind but solve the world’s problems in a peaceful and civilized manner. We, as loyal and true brothers of Alpha Phi Omega, trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. HA I still got it!

I
Love
This
Fraternity!!!

Do you hear me? I love my frat with all my heart! Now I know you’re looking at me crazy because I’m female talking about a fraternity. First of all, there are female only Greek lettered organizations that call themselves a fraternity and not a sorority. Look it up if you don’t believe me and start with a Phi Mu. Secondly, at the 1976 there’s that number seven again National Convention, convention delegates voted to allow women to join APO as full fledged initiated members. Got it?! Good!

Now back to my 7th APOversary. You know… I wish with all my heart my line brothers and I were still close. It makes me sad when this day as well as our chapter anniversary rolls around because we, as well as the chapter as a whole were so close the first couple of years. We fellowshipped at service projects and after the projects were complete. We celebrated birthdays and milestones. We actually excited to attend national, regional and sectional conferences because we were proud of our chapter and the many things we accomplished as one chapter.

But then new blood came in. They acted like the frat was just another club. They claimed to rep hard for the frat but they never understood really what the frat was supposed to be in our hearts, minds and souls. Slowly, my LBs either graduated, joined other organizations or moved away. The newer members either treated the frat as a resume builder because if an employer was well versed in collegiate GLOs, the hiring manager would instantly know about APO. Or they wanted APO to be more social and not service oriented. Wanted us to function and run like some of the multicultural Greek lettered orgs ran. There was hazing. Rogue alumni influencing shit they had not fucking business influencing. Eventually, my chapter, the oldest chapter in our section, dissolved and is now inactive.

——-

I still rep the frat hard all day e’ryday. I can’t help but remember the many opportunities being a loyal and true brother of APO has yielded me over the years. I’ve been a Girl Scout troop leader for four maybe five years now. When I got to the Houston Food Bank some o the employees recognize me because my chapter has volunteered there so much. I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to be an effective efficient servant leader.

I still keep in contact with my Grandbig, Big, several littles and grand littles as well as one of my pledges from my second stint as pledge master. You just don’t forget where you came from when you’re in a Greek lettered organization. You don’t say “oh yeah I was in that once.” I absolutely hate it when so-called brothers forget their chapter names or when they crossed. And don’t get me started on chapters not teaching history. Sigh I feel my royal blue and old glory gold colored blood boiling already.

Sigh, this was supposed to be a happy APOversary post but I can’t help the way I feel cuz I get mad every time I think about it. Ha I guess that’s part of the reason why my Big named me Lady Deathstrike.

Anyway, happy APOversary to my LBs.

Thanks for reading,

 

The Southern Yankee