At first, I thought this was going to be another one-sided article on the perils of pledging (“Greek Tragedy,” 6/18). As I read further, this fear was quickly put aside. Paul Ruffins did an excellent job in getting very candid points of view from both sides of the issues. I also thought the article was going to focus only on the Omega Psi Phi chapter at College Park. This is the first article I have read in a long time that shows just how widespread this issue is. I am a very proud member of Omega Psi Phi, having pledged at Frostburg State College (now University). I served on our District Council for two years. Any time we heard of an illegal pledging incident, we investigated and suspended brothers and chapters alike. Whenever I held workshops with the undergraduate brothers, the issue of pledging always came up. My warning was this: “It is against fraternity policy. If you get caught, you will get burned.” This was hard to say coming from someone who had pledged, but now my job was to protect my fraternity. I was one of “them” now. Brothers and sisters have got to realize that these events are killing our organizations. The times have changed, and for any living organization to remain alive and viable, it, too, must change. You may not agree with the rules, but remember: You swore an oath to uphold the constitution and principles of your organization. You made a promise to God! Think about that: a promise to God. This is our wake-up call, and time is running out. I dread the day when I open the paper and find that my fraternity has gone bankrupt because some brother wanted a pledge “to be made right.”

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