buckle up ladies! transgender pledge at aopi tufts

Agreed they aren't really comparable

Different chapters of the same house have nothing in common

To don't agree: After reading the Tufts articles and other materials pertaining to the Tufts situation, how is it not also suspect and questionable behavior on the part of a few then-members of Tufts AOII to give a bid to the trans person before finding-out if it was legal to do so?

How was it so hard for some Tufts AOII's to wait 24 hours for a decision that, had the Tufts women asked the question of their National board at the beginning of recruitment rather than the end, may have lent an answer way before Bid Day?

Seems to me like some Tufts AOII collegiate women simply had a political agenda to pledge the trans person at Bid Day and let the press chips fly if AOII and/or NPC protested.

@cause celebre?: I do get your point about people waiting for guidance from their national. But, and its a big but, I think if you read all the articles on the Tufts situation and check out some of the social media what seems to become clearer is that the Tufts chapter tried and tried to get guidance and support from the national throughout the process. It seems that there was much waffling by the national and there were also periods of no communication. The ups and downs of the communication process with the national didn't inspire confidence in the local chapter and at a certain point they had to make a decision themselves. What the chapter seemed to experience was extreme waffling and game playing from the national to the point where is was becoming clearer and clearer that the national had no intention of making a decision before the necessary deadlines for membership. A few of the social media posts seems to imply that the national just wanted this issue and the involved person to go away so they didn't have to make a decision. Doesn't sound like a stand-up group to me but maybe this issue will be tested again soon and we will see how things are resolved. All in all, it didn't seem to be a respectful way to treat a PNM at all. Just my opinion.

Useful data, answers and facts don't always have a way of making themselves instantly apparent to a generation of young students used to instant everything. The HQ answer to Tufts women within 24 hours seems legally reasonable and fair. And I do NOT agree the students gave their HQ enough time to research and answer the question before they had to give their guaranteed bid. And I still smell a political student rat behind the blow-up of the whole situation, although not directly from (just caused by the situation involving) the student given that bid. HQ fully knew the Tufts campus has guaranteed bids, why would they waffle on giving students an answer? No, the students did not ask about the pnm in time for a correct, proper, and legal HQ response.

Does Cal's panhellenic board have a policy regarding sorority bids to transgenders?

As far as I am aware there is no transgender policy by any of the 25+ NPC member organizations. Panhel is shut down for the year until fall but maybe if you send them an email perhaps someone might answer or maybe you will get an out of office response.

Any nationals is derelict of duty if they don't prepare for utterly foreseeable issues like this.

Anyways, if you looks at the HQ staff of AOP or any other sorority/frat, you will see that most of them graduated from schools you've never heard of before. They don't inspire confidence.

See just how legally prepared the NPC and AOPi were by reading my other answer below.

@how. A question for you. Are you saying that you believe that the way the situation at Tufts was handled by the national was professional and just both to the local and the PNM? Based on what I've read about the timeline (admittedly only public information) I am not so sure that the national acted in good faith or professionally. I've searched to see if any of the other NPC members have made any public statements about transgender PNMs and I am still looking. I also don't get standing behind the curtain of responsibility by saying 'laws are outdated'. Many laws are outdated but we have to start somewhere and I don't understand why the NPC hasn't collectively at least debated some of the issues associated with transgender PNMs or solicited white papers so that a dialog at least is started on an admittedly complex topic. I know if my house was faced with this issue next fall that we would absolutely have no plan in place to at least begin a dialog on the subject. I don't think no dialog from NPC on an important topic is ever a good idea. I'm curious what you think.

It looks like AOPi supporters have hit this tread in a big way @how. Get real. The situation at Tufts was a PR nightmare compounded by total absence of leadership from the national. Do not blame the PNM for the situation. That poor PNM was publically outed in the national press and was treated shamefully by the national. Kudos to the Tufts sisters that quit the chapter in protest of the situation. I don't know how you can come onto this thread and do a 'blame the victim' and say there was nothing to blame the national for. Shameful. The behavior of the national was indefensible and the communication was poor and not timely. The national left the Tufts chapter and the poor PNM out to dry. Get your facts straight before you get on here and blame the victim and the local Tufts chapter.

No one on this site has blamed the Tufts PNM for the situation. And please ask the press whom they spoke to originally regarding the Tufts affair, it might help you to properly place your blame and shame game.

Any PR nightmare is only in the mind of the initiated Tufts AOPis who left their chapter, some of whom are still attempting to beat a dead horse. You have failed to read the freely-given story available online from the PNM at Tufts. Your thoughts on the situation do not appear to jibe with her story.

Getting back to the original post above, is there a fear among the sorority women at Cal regarding bids to transgender people?

That's an affirmative.

The money is funneled from the national to the outside real estate company charged with managing the real estate portfolio. This real estate company is owned by the husbands of personnel of AOPi national. Money then presumably goes into the pockets of the board members too as they support this questionable business relationship. Will check for the tax forms to see how much money is taken from the chapters to support the family members of the real estate company. This practice and the fees charge stink to high heaven and I'm shocked there hasn't been more litigation.

Didn't national Alpha Omicron Pi state Sigma also secretly tried to become a local group when they were still chartered as Sigma chapter? Wouldn't that have been enough to make national take away the charter? That would be ion the girls and not the property owner.

"secretly tried to become a local group when they were still chartered as Sigma chapter? Wouldn't that have been enough to make national take away the charter?"

Cite the bylaws or STFU.

To the person that said STFU, I would like to say that all the comments on here have been civil. If you can't be civil then please don't participate. Your tone is offensive.

I have to say that the person that posted about the local chapter trying to leave the national must be from national organization. Why would anyone speak out about denying the local the opportunity to explore options when the national has virtual control over every aspect of its existence and that same national was not willing to compromise? I don't blame local for exploring its options. It should have perhaps waiting but at that time my recollection is that they were under extreme pressure/duress and ongoing threats from national. They probably were desparately seeking ways to keep their group together in one way shape or form. I don't blame them for a second. NPC's generally have rules that work in only one direction and hint hint they are not ever in the favor of the local.

And pending litigation would be in the public record (PACER, etc.).

Opting for the delta sigmas, not the national.

So glad you have been voted-in to a place on the international AOPi board and can verify your org does not want more than 20 percent of its new chapters to succeed.