reply by bro greville french

Dear Todd,

First and Foremost the one thing Sigma has done is to provide you with a forum to share your views no matter how ill conceived. I didn’t want to respond to the e-mail on Founder’s Day because I really appreciated the sentiment coming from the brothers who understood the meaning of Founder’s Day.

Yes, I am an “elected officer” of this fraternity, and I chose the position of Regional Director as my venue to serve Phi Beta Sigma. We have brothers throughout the country who hold elected officer’s in the frat and you can’t speak for them.  We have brothers that are elected to the position of chapter president up to the position of National President and to claim that this feeds their ego is just plain wrong.

You don’t know what feeds my ego because you never had a conversation with me that wasn’t Sigma related. You don’t know me as person because you never took the time out to speak with me as a Sigma Man of  29 years.

As to my ego;

I guess, my ego is boosted when I have to travel every weekend during the months of September through November.

I guess, my ego is boosted when I have to be away from my children’s basketball camp, karate promotions, or family events.

I guess, my ego is boosted when I put overl 125,000 miles on my car traveling.

I guess, my ego is boosted when my son sees me searching for airlines on Travelocity and says; Dad, where are you going this time.

I guess, my ego is boosted when I have to speak with a parent whose son was injured while pledging.

I guess, my ego is boosted when I spend my personal funds performing my duties as a regional officer during the last 6 years.

I guess, my ego is boosted when I pay a $250 telephone bill because I have to remain in contact with brothers in the region.

I guess, my ego is boosted when I stand on a post office line mailing packages on behalf of the fraternity.

I guess, my ego is boosted attending Founder’s Day celebrations.

It is your ego at work where you presume that everybody feels the same way as you about the condition of the fraternity. I attended State Meetings last year and witnessed brothers who spoke passionately about how to improve Sigma.

As it relates to Politics, you can’t speak about anybody else until you judge yourself appropriately. You are just a political as the brothers you’re trying to attack, and here are my reasons for saying so; a) You attended a meeting which was exclusive and political.
b) You corresponded through e-mail with a candidate who claims that he was working in the “trenches” for Sigma, So let’s stop being hypocritical about the games that are being played in Sigma, and be honest. You can vote for whoever you choose but at least be honest about it, and stop trying to indict the entire fraternity.

Tell us the name of the brother or brothers who told you that you had to join the ” right-clique” , ” vote for your guy”, “kiss the right……

As Regional Director, I appointed several brothers to the position of State & Area Director despite the fact that their voted for my opponent. Does this action make me appoitments political?

Brotherhood is a state of mind and in the heart. I have met some of best people in the world through Sigma and I am proud to know these brothers. Sigma is a mirror reflection of society where you have the good and the bad. Unfortunately, it’s human nature to do good things as well as bad things.

My final point is that you want to make a distinction between Frat and Sigma. Well, I have another catagory which is the “ungrateful Sigma”. This is the person that always criticizes and never offer any solutions. The is a person who doesn’t appreciate contributions made to the frat, but always seeking fault. This is a person that always has an excuse for not holding an office. We have many “leaders” in this frat who don’t hold officers. A brother can be a leader without holding any officer by just his sheer character, and willingness to work.

I attended the funeral of Bro. Thomas Martin who was initiated into Sigma in 1949, and he held the position of treasurer of Kappa Beta Sigma for over 20 years. Judging by your “Founder’s Day” e-mail, I guess Bro. Martin wasted his time in Sigma.

I didn’t respond to this e-mail to change your opinion, but I felt compelled to offer another viewpoint.

Brotherhood, Scholarship and Service.

Fraternally,

Greville French
23rd Eastern Regional Director