Alumni/Active Relations

Thanks for the entry Simon. Remember I will put up any entry an Alumni or Brother wants to write.

Active brothers, lately there has been a rekindling of brotherhood amongst the alumni of our chapter. I don't think I have ever sent so many emails in my life!!! Though they are daunting to wade through they give me a renewed sense of brotherhood and how much this chapter means to so many generations! A few actives have expressed some concerns regarding the Alumni Association and I wanted to address some of those here in this blog.

For years and years Lambda Upsilon Zeta has suffered from a non existent alumni program, it is one of the great failings of our chapter. Brothers that shared so much and had such a tight bond seemingly disappear from view upon graduation. Leaving not only their lives a little emptier but letting down the generations of brothers yet to come. The only experience most of you have is through your limited exposure to either Housing Corp or the alumni control board. The alumni brothers that have participated in these two entities have done a thankless job. Needless to say the relationship between these two organizations and the chapter is usually contentious at best. Leaving actives with a skewed perception of the role alumni play in their lives. On the other hand Alumni involved in either organization generally don't see eye to eye with the actives. It is an unfortunate by product of having no alumni association.

What Dave Pickering, Mike Greer, Nick Kilduff and myself, among others to long to list here represent is a new approach to the alumni/active relationship. An association that has a more "positive" and active role with the chapter. The principle members of this group represent a changing of the guard so to speak! Our fundamental philosophy is to continue the brotherhood we shared as actives. Through that continuation of our brotherhood we can lend support to the active chapter not control. The alumni of the chapter should be a resource for the actives not a parent. We should be available to all members of the chapter for advice and support, not an organization to be viewed with distrust.

As I look back on my active years, I would have loved to have some alumni to talk to and get advice about chapter operations or school or life in general. The only alumni input we got was when something wasn't being done right in their eyes. That is wrong and needs to change and will. Brotherhood shouldn't end when you cross the stage for graduation! The great thing about an organization of our nature is the wealth of knowledge it provides us with. Brothers have gone on to do amazing things in all different career fields, that is something we can all benefit from especially in today's economy! Bottom line is brotherhood is for life. Your life as an active should be filled with memories of the greatest times of your life. But why let that end? Lambda Chi Alpha and Lambda Upsilon in specific is a special thing that never dies in your heart. Speaking from experience it is amazing when I see bro's I haven't seen in years. We pick up right where we left off 10 years ago, like no time has passed at all. That is the magic of our bond! Over the past two weeks I have had amazing conversations with brother I never even knew prior to that. I am meeting people I would have never met if it weren't for our brotherhood. I have also reconnected with brothers I haven't spoken to in years. My goal for you guys is that you never have to go through that heartache of not speaking to brothers you were active with for years!

Once again, I have gotten long winded!!! Anyway, I am looking forward to meeting all of you soon. Then I can tell you the crazy stories from "Back in the Day"!!! Till then keep up the good work and if ever you need someone to chat with, call me up! I am more than happy to chat with bro's either on the phone or email or Facebook! Till then Zeta Alpha Chi Brothers!!!

Simon Durocher
Owner
Bella Terra Landscaping, Inc
(612)720-3080
www.bellaterrainc.com