KAPPA COMMENTARY: NATIONAL RECLAMATION
The ROI to Kappa: Does Your Service end with Your Shimmy?
By Paul Robinson, National Reclamation Chairman
ers have connected sons and families together that will serves as lifelong relationships. And as Kappa Men we also have the ability through the alumni chapter to impact our communities though Guide Right and Social Action. All of this is for naught if inactive members cling to a semester of initiation and their claim to fame is their time on campus. How good you shimmy cannot be the only thing you do for Kappa. I challenge you to think about Kappa’s return on investment (ROI). Why have a chapter if the ROI to Kappa is two out of your line of 10 are In Good Standing? What would be the impact to Kappa if your membership or chapter no longer existed? The question is not intended to be negative, but it is a thought provok- ing question that can be applied to every aspect of our lives. Whether it is being such a blessing to others that your absence causes a void in God’s army or serving as head of the household in your family; a Good Kappa Man’s absence should be felt. Brothers boast their chapter and year of initiation with pride, yet many forget their fidelity to Kappa post- graduation. That is why reclamation should be at the forefront of every good Kappa Man. The greeting of your name, chapter, and year you were initiated needs to be appended with what you are doing now.
but I also believe the purpose of alumni chapters has evolved.
There are many more historical facts and Kappa lore that speak to the transi- tion of members from undergraduate to alumni and the importance thereof, yet the retention rate for some under- graduate initiated brothers is disturbing. Brothers boast their chapter and year of initiation with pride, yet many forget their fidelity to Kappa post-graduation. That is why reclamation should be at the forefront of every good Kappa Man. The greeting of your name, chapter, and year you were initiated needs to be appended with what you are doing now . And if the brother responds that he is not affiliated with an alumni chapter, a Good Kappa Man should ask, “Why not”? alumni brothers must do everything in our power to welcome younger brothers. It can be quite intimidating as a new graduate walking into a chapter full of Type-A achievers, and if handled incor- rectly can run young brothers away. But the new graduate must also seek out the nearest alumni chapter and join commit- tees. The alumni chapter can and should be a sanctuary in your life. Our more seasoned brothers will serve as mentors with your career and help with future job opportunities. The young brother should seek to be active and we must nourish him to learn and lead whenever possible. Locating housing, finding a church, and simply re-establishing the bond of brotherhood is an advantage and privilege that non-members wish they had. The alumni chapter is not only a refuge for newly transitioned brothers, but for middle-aged brothers as well. I have personally seen brothers who were laid off get jobs on the spot at a chapter meeting. Alumni chapters surround brothers with love during times of death, divorce and other tragedies. Broth- The transition from college to an alumni chapter is a two way street. We as
I have often heard it quoted that many of our brothers hang on to the undergraduate part of Kappa and forget the commitment was for life. What is less known or talked about is the Founders’ vision that brothers would transition to alumni chapters where they would continue to aid the plights of the undergraduates while also seeking to better the communities where we live. The honor as the first designated Alumni chapter was bestowed upon the Chicago (IL) Alumni Chapter on April 17, 1919. But The Story of Kappa Alpha Psi tells us that just two years after our founding the third chapter, the original Gamma (of Indianapolis) was established on December 29, 1913, was comprised of entirely alumni members. Alumni chap- ters begin to spring up where there was a presence of brothers like Atlanta (GA) Alumni Chapter in 1924 and Nashville (TN) Alumni Chapter in 1926. The 1928 Handbook of Kappa Alpha Psi ® states, “Some time ago, the Grand Chapter, after much discussion, reached the conclusion that the whole purpose of alumni chapters and of alumni mem- bers should be to aid in every possible way the undergraduate chapters and members.” I still believe this to be true, Kappa Alpha Psi was founded as an undergraduate fraternity. There is no disputing that fact. But sadly
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