FARMHOUSE
QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK
(From recent Inside FH newsletters)
100th Anniversary
- "We heard something about a big initiation ceremony at the 100th Anniversary. How's that going to work?"
- "I recall hearing that every chapter would be able to
set up a display about their chapter at the 100th Anniversary. Could you
provide some more details on how that will work?" "
QUESTION OF THE WEEK? --- "We heard something about a big initiation ceremony at the 100th Anniversary. How's that going to work?"
RESPONSE -- Since Conclave we've heard a lot of positive feedback and interest about this event we're planning at the 100th Anniversary Celebration.
Here's what we've decided - any FarmHouse pledges/junior brothers that are due to be initiated during the 2004-05 school year are eligible to be formally initiated during the 100th Anniversary Celebration in Columbia, Mo. on Friday, April 15, 2005. We will have an initiation ceremony with hopefully upwards of 200 or more FarmHouse men being initiated at the same time. We're planning for the initiation ceremony to take place at 4 pm on Friday, April 15th, immediately before the reception and 100th Anniversary Banquet that evening.
From a logistics standpoint here's how it will work:
1. Chapters should continue with your new member education processes and complete them in your normal time frames.
2. We'd encourage chapters to continue with your local traditions for your pre-initiation ceremonies and plan a new membership ceremony with parents invited to attend. We'll leave it up to each chapter whether you have some type of ceremony on the local level. You may want to simply plan a new membership activity with parents at the regular time of your formal initiation, explain the decision for the young men to be formally initiated at the 100th Anniversary, read the Charge (but not the full initiation ceremony), have new brothers sign the herd book and enjoy a meal with families.
3. Those chapters that choose to have brothers initiated on April 15, 2005 will need to indicate this on your initiation reports (copy attached to term reports). You may decide to have your entire pledge class(es) initiated at the 100th Anniversary Celebration on April 15, 2005 or just a handful of brothers who will be able to attend and be initiated.
4. Our hope is to be able to present plaques/membership certificates to the new initiates at the 100th Anniversary on April 15, 2005. In order for your new brothers to be presented with these plaques/certificates at the 100th, your chapter will need to submit initiation reports and pay initiation fees at your normal times (1 month after the end of new member education process for fall classes).
If you want Spring '05 pledges to be able to initiate on April 15, 2005, chapters will need to submit initiation reports/fees for them in advance. The initiation fees/reports for all brothers who will be initiated at the 100th Anniversary must be submitted by March 1, 2005. That will enable us to have enough time to order the plaques or certificates and have them available for the ceremony. Likewise, chapters will need to order active member pins in advance to ensure that new brothers can receive their active membership pins at the 100th.
If you have questions, contact Director of Chapter Services Jonathan Hawley at 800-722-1905 or Jonathan@FarmHouse.org
BACK TO TOP MENU
QUESTION OF THE WEEK? --- "I recall hearing that every chapter would be able to
set up a display about their chapter at the 100th Anniversary. Could you
provide some more details on how that will work?" "
RESPONSE -- Trying to capture 100 Years of Success and Achievement in
FarmHouse in one weekend will be a next-to-impossible task. We began the
chronicle of 100 Years of FarmHouse in Fall 2001, with the start of a
10-part decade-by-decade history series in Pearls & Rubies. It was a
broadbrush look at what was happening in FarmHouse each decade. What was
impossible to capture was the history of each chapter.
What we hope to capture at the 100th Anniversary Celebration is the unique
history that each chapter possesses - photos from the beginning days, the
successes and accomplishments of the past and of the current chapter.
Each chapter will be given a 6-foot table to share the history of its
chapter. You may choose to utilize your space by developing materials for
your chapter's tabletop exhibit display or you may wish to forgo bringing an
exhibit display and instead share your chapters' history in other ways on
the 6-foot table that will be provided.
That probably leads to the question, what are some things we should include?
Here are some ideas to get your chapter and association started:
1) Scrapbooks from the Early Days of your Chapter
2) Enlarged pictures from the Chartering (you might use matting to help with
the display)
3) Pictures of older fun brotherhood photos
4) Historical look back at what life was like when chapter chartered - Year,
Cost of Dues/House Bills, What was happening in that year
(university/society), what was cost of tuition, # of members, enrollment,
cost of going on date, etc.
5) Enlarged picture of current chapter house, maybe all past chapter houses
and/or the original chapter house (with matting)
6) Enlarged pictures of alumni you want to recognize (maybe past Master
Builder recipients, long-time advisors, key alums that have made a
difference in the chapter/association/ organization, well known alumni)
7) Current 11x14 Chapter Composites
8) A University Pennant, Sweatshirt, banner, flag to show your pride in your
university.
9) A Bulletpoint Fact Sheet about Recent Chapter Accomplishments - # of
members, GPA, leadership on campus, etc.
It might be a question worth posing to your chapter/alumni listserv - "We
have an opportunity to put together a display about our chapter at the
FarmHouse 100th Anniversary Celebration, how would you suggest we go about
telling the story of our chapter?"
We'd suggest assembling an ad-hoc committee of the chapter and alumni from
various eras to begin brainstorming about what your chapters' display will
include.
Set up for displays in the Chapter History Display Room will begin Friday
morning, April 15th. Displays will need to be set up by 4 pm on Friday, in
time for alumni, undergraduates and guests to check them out during our
reception in that room prior to the 100th Anniversary Banquet that evening.
The displays will need to be set up through the Foundation's 100th
Anniversary Thank You Alumni Gala Saturday night so that alumni can view
them and reminisce. Chapters can take them down early Sunday morning.
This should be a great opportunity for your chapter to be able to share its
history at our Centennial. Please give this the time and attention that will
be needed to determine how you want to share your chapters' history during
this momentous occasion.
BACK TO TOP MENU
