Alter Message and More - The Rattle, Winter 1963-64
As appeared in The Rattle - Vol. LII No. 2 - Winter 1963-64
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Early in December I attended the meetings of the Notional Interfraternity Conference, and in the discussions there it was impressed upon me that we all have the same problems. One that was discussed of length was the seemingly increasing anti-fraternity activity at work today and how we should combat it. There have been many suggestions from time to time on a public relations program, but this is expensive and our detractors seem to be able to pervert the use of limitless funds of worthwhile organizations to their purpose; conservative church bodies have bought the radical propaganda of anti-fraternityism; faculty-student committees, under the guise of equality and opportunity, have challenged the fraternities American heritage of the right of selection. And whet do we do about it? We complain. We capitulate step by step. Its time we took stock of ourselves.
Howard R. Alter, Jr.
We do not question, nor object to change; for one hundred and eighty-eight years fraternities have adapted themselves to the college climate successfully from within. But, today it would seem that we are to be molded to fit an image from without, a process designed to destroy not to strengthen. This is our problem.
How do we meet it? The answer is perhaps too simple to grasp. We stand up to be counted. If we look at the leadership of almost any phase of our life: civic, business, social, or cultural, that leadership most often stems from the fraternity-sorority world. In our case this ranges from our senators and congressmen to our local justices of the peace, from out chairmen of the board to the most recant graduate in an industrial training program, from our college and university presidents to the graduate just entering the teaching profession. This is our strength: all we need is to develop it through alumni dedication.
I urge each Theta Chi to stand up and be counted for 1964, not net as a Theta Chi, but as a fraternity man in the world today. If this were our image. who could challenge it?
Fraternally yours,
Howard R. Alter, Jr.
National President
ALUMNI NEWS
Guy W. Knight, Penn State, '30, vice-president of labor relations of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company was a member of the Railway Arbitration Board ordered by the U. S. Senate Joint Resolution 102 to arbitrate work rules disputes in the railway industry. He is chairman of the Eastern Conference Committee on Labor Matters and has been a management member of the Presidential Commission studying work rules and practices in the industry.
Recently promoted to the rank of Major, USMC, Rhys J. Phillips, Penn State, ’52, is currently stationed at Quantico, VA.
Theta Chi leaders in attendance at Epsilon Psi's installation were: left to right, William Lange, regional counselor; Leslie G. Ludewig, Upsilon; Joseph D. Ross, Jr., past national president; Donald L Harvey, field secretary; William T. Gillis, national historian; John Zozzaro, president, Epsilon Psi; George W. Chapman, executive director; Howard R. Alter, Jr., national president; Gerald Lundgren, president, Upsilon Chapter; George W. Chapman, Jr.; Philip C. Chapman - as appeared in the Winter 1963-64 The Rattle - Dec. 8, 1963