by Bro. A. Bamiduro
03/06/03

From the office of the 2 nd Vice Grand Ademuyiwa Bamiduro The National Undergraduate Summit took place at the International Headquarters in Decatur, Georgia from January 24th through the 26th 2003. The International Executive Director, S. Earl Wilson, and his staff graciously welcomed brothers from all around the world for the purpose of conducting the business of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. The Undergraduate Summit was composed of a series of workshops that addressed issues needed for the survival of our organization in the 21st Century, while giving special attention to the Fraternity's Cardinal Principles, Ritual, Policies and Procedures, and Constitution and By-Laws. The summit provided an educational experience not only to the undergraduates, but to all brothers for the purpose of enhancing the appreciation of rules, policies, and practices within the Local, District and International levels of our organization. In addition, the summit assisted brothers in developing an overall appreciation for the real traditions and concepts of Omega, while denouncing the mythical traditions that continue to evolve as the Fraternity ages. For educational reasons, formal openings and closings were conducted during both days of the summit to give brothers an opportunity to witness how meetings are properly started and ended.

On January 24th 2003, after the formal opening and the Grand Basileus address, the brotherhood, approximately 400 brothers, were blessed with words from three of the oldest brothers in the Fraternity. Brothers, Eddie Taylor (initiated in 1928), James Argett (initiated in 1929) and Dosh Jackson (initiated in 1935) spoke to the brotherhood about the significance and essence of the Cardinal Principles and why it is so important for brothers to know their true meaning. Brothers Taylor, Argett, and Jackson also spoke about Omega from a historical aspect, giving the brotherhood insight on what Omega was about in her early years and how we must strive to maintain her excellence as she progresses towards the future. Following the opening remarks, former Grand Basilei Dr. Dorsey Miller II and Dr. Benjamin Livingston reiterated the true meaning of the Cardinal Principles in their Cardinal Principles: Why I Became Part of Omega workshop. The former Grand Basilei spoke about how it was imperative to end the assault on Omega and once again commit ourselves to the noble principles our Founding Fathers established 92 years ago. In addition, they stated that in order to return to the standard of excellence, we as a whole must truly live what it means to be Men, what it means to have Scholarship, do what it takes to Persevere, and continue to Uplift as we climb. Brothers Stafford L. Thompson, Jr., 1st District D.R and Wilson White, Undergraduate Representative to the Supreme Council, presented the next workshop, Conduct of Omega Man. During the workshop, Brothers Thompson and White dialoged with the brotherhood about how to sustain the image of Omega and how our lack of discretion has hindered our ability to elevate our standards. Brother Thompson alluded to the fact that our misunderstanding of the meaning of the Cardinal Principles has caused an unbrotherly division within the brotherhood. Further, Bothers Thompson and White discussed on going issues regarding the non-existent basis concerning why brothers engage in unbrotherly conduct such as "going to the greens" or "the relentless interrogation of one another". From a historical aspect, it was concluded that these acts of unbrotherly behavior are parts of mythical traditions that continue to develop as the Fraternity ages. In conclusion, Brothers Thompson and White encouraged all brothers to use discretion and act in accordance with the mind set of our Founding Fathers in order to individually maintain the proper conduct of an Omega Man. Following the Conduct of Omega Man workshop, Brothers Kurmmell Knox, Esq and Darryl Moore, former Undergraduate Representatives to the Supreme Council, conducted a workshop on Fraternal Structure. The purpose of this workshop was to educate the brotherhood, especially undergraduates, about the structure of the Fraternity on all levels, International, District and Local. The workshop was focused on helping the undergraduates understand how the fraternity works in all aspects including hierarchy, protocol, the construction and role of the Supreme Council and District Council, the structure of the Grand Conclave, undergraduate voting, role of officers on all levels, fraternity procedures, and the disciplinary status of disorderly brothers. Most importantly, Bothers Knox and Moore stressed that undergraduate members are eligible for all positions within the fraternity. In closing, the presenters reiterated the importance of undergraduates realizing their vital role within the structure of the fraternity, thus encouraging them to become more active in all facets of our great organization. At this point, a formal closing was conducted to end the summit for the day. On January 25th 2003, after the formal opening, Brothers Dr. E. Newton Jackson, renowned Chapter Advisor and Russell Leday, Chapter Advisor of the current National Undergraduate Chapter of the Year, conducted a Chapter Advisor workshop. This workshop involved a discussion about the role, qualifications, authority, and impact of a chapter advisor. Brothers Jackson and Leday presented strategies to enhance the effectiveness of a chapter advisor along with the proper steps that chapters should take to get an inadequate advisor replaced. Further, the presenters stated that it is important for a chapter to have an effective chapter advisor because lack of leadership on campus would only lead to problems or situations that will bestow criticism upon Omega. Therefore, it is of essence to find suitable advisors that will benefit and not hinder the success of an undergraduate chapter. After this workshop, Brothers Nick Pittman, Grand Counselor and Michael Adams, International Membership Committee Chairman, conducted The Impact of Your Action on the Future of the Fraternity workshop. This workshop was geared towards addressing the issue of hazing and how the actions of brothers can seriously impact the stability of the fraternity. Brothers Pittman and Adams divided the brotherhood into four groups. Each group was then given sets of questions in different categories dealing with what hazing really means, alternative ways to produce the results that hazing would allegedly produce, the myth behind hazing, and how the hazing myth has affected the way brothers view each other. After answering the questions, each group had a chance to discuss their questions and answers with the brotherhood. From the tremendous feedback that was received, the presenters charged each brother with knowing that his individual actions affect the fraternity, directly or indirectly. They stated that upholding the mythical tradition of hazing within the fraternity is detrimental. Therefore, it is important for us to follow the guidelines of the Fraternity and strive not to take matters into our own hands.

Upon the conclusion of this workshop, Brothers Cazzie Williams and Michael Benjamin, Esq, both former Undergraduate Representatives to the Supreme Council, presented the Roberts Rules of Order workshop. The purpose of this session was to teach the brothers parliamentary procedures. The presenters began the workshop by highlighting the importance of knowing parliamentary procedures for the purposes of functioning within the Fraternity. Brothers Williams and Benjamin gave the brotherhood a good overview of what parliamentary procedures were about and provided examples of how to conduct Omega business using the Roberts Rules of Order. Examples were carried out by brothers from the audience who played various roles that showed how chapter officers would properly conduct a meeting. The presenters explained that there is no possible way to successfully conduct the business of Omega without knowing parliamentary procedures. In conclusion, Brothers Williams and Benjamin recommended the Roberts Rule of Order New Revised text to aid brothers in gaining thorough knowledge of parliamentary procedure. Following Brothers Williams and Benjamin, Wells Fargo did a workshop on Starting Your Career. This session was basically a chance for Wells Fargo to detail to the brotherhood the different opportunities within their company. Walter McFarland, the Wells Fargo Representative, stated that they were looking to hire several new personnel for various positions throughout their company. Wells Fargo interviewed two brothers for positions before the session and also collected resumes from brothers that were interested in the positions after the session. Furthermore, Walter McFarland provided the brotherhood with his personal information and business cards in order to help brothers who were interested in obtaining employment. At this point in the summit, brothers went through the process of securing the entire room in preparation for the Ritualistic and Inappropriate Challenge s workshop. Brothers Lewis Anderson, former 2nd Vice Grand Basileus and Benjamin Dirden, former Undergraduate Representative to the Supreme Council, started the session by playing a tape of how our beloved Founder, The Honorable Bishop Edgar Amos Love defined the Cardinal Principles. Next, the presenters began to engage in various discussions with brothers about fraternal secrets. This interactive session gave brothers an opportunity to ask questions regarding information that they had learned about the fraternity. Brothers Anderson and Dirden in return answered the questions asked by referring to all copies of the ritual, the history books, and other official Omega publications. The brotherhood was amazed at the amount of mythical information that has evolved as the Fraternity continues to age. Furthermore, Brothers Anderson and Dirden gave the brotherhood an opportunity to prove that the fraternal information in question was true by asking the brothers to state where it was written. In return, the presenters would look up the information, referring to every single possible resource of information that the fraternity has conceived since the beginning. In conclusion, Brother Anderson and Dirden stressed that brothers are acting improperly towards one another about information that has no validity or information that no brother knows to be true because there is no way to prove it. Further, they strongly urged brothers to research all Omega material and use the material as power of knowledge and not for power over another brother. To conclude the summit, Brother Kenneth Harris, National Undergraduate Rehabilitation Project Chairman, detailed the National Undergraduate Rehabilitation Project (NURP). Brother Harris explained that NURP is the program that will propel the undergraduate into a state excellence. He stated that the mission of NURP is to revitalize and rehabilitate all active and inactive undergraduate chapters within the fraternity. The basic concept of this program involves developing several rehabilitation teams within each state that will meet with each undergraduate chapter for the purpose of revitalization. He detailed a step by step basis of how the project would work and how it would be beneficial in providing the necessary foundation for undergraduates to maintain a positive experience on their local campus. Brother Harris highlighted the fundamental components of NURP as bridge building, Fraternity and university relationship, leadership development, organizational management, and accountability. Furthermore, Brother Harris explained that the 2nd Vice DR along with the DR will establish the program within the local level of each district. Also, he stated that Stage 1 of the project, the information gathering stage, had already been completed and that Stage 2 was in the process of beginning. Following the conclusion of this workshop, the 2nd Vice Grand Basileus, Ademuyiwa Bamiduro, provided the brotherhood with comments regarding how pertinent it is for undergraduates to raise the standards of Omega in order for the fraternity to survive in the 21st century. He stressed that we should cherish Omega with unconditional love thus ending the epidemic of giving the fraternity away to persons that do not meet the standards that were set by our beloved Founders. After his closing comments, the brotherhood was dismissed following a formal closing. The undergraduate summit proved to very educational and informative for the brothers that were present. We truly commend all of the presenters for doing a fantastic job and providing the brotherhood with effective information. It is our belief that the Undergraduate Summit provided a foundation of knowledge for all brothers. When looking at the fraternity, our brothers, especially undergraduates, lack true knowledge about the various operations of the fraternity and we think the summit helped improve the awareness of each individual brother. The summit provided exposure to undergraduate brothers, showing that Omega is bigger than individual chapters, states, and districts. Furthermore, we honestly believe that the summit addressed issues and provided systematic plans that will be beneficial in reemerging the undergraduate body into a dominant force, further empowering the strength of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. as a whole.

Fraternally Submitted,

Ademuyiwa Bamiduro,
2nd Vice Grand Basileus

Wilson White,
Undergraduate Representative to the Supreme Council