This is the general disclaimer for the unfrat pages.
The content of this disclaimer is subject to change upon my whims.
The university does not endorse any of these groups, and probably doesn't even know about some of them. There is no official connection between the university and any of these organizations.
These organizations range from good to downright criminal. In my opinion, most are, at the very least, harmless. I am not necessarily endorsing any of these organizations or their actions. They are listed here for informational and historical purposes only.
And, yes, I have been in some of these organizations.
Note: a couple of the sites are external and beyond my control.
For those of you who were wondering...
If some of the material on these sites seems to be overly critical of Howard Payne, please understand that that was not my intention.
I deeply love Howard Payne University.
In spite of whatever problems it has or had, I still believe that it is the best school on earth. My disagreement is with certain decisions made by a certain former administration. I firmly believe that these decisions were bad for the university.
I will criticise any policy, development, change, or project that I dislike or with which I have a problem.
Any criticism that I give doesn't mean that I love the university any less.
If I hated HPU, I would cheer any development that I thought would hurt her. Were I ambivalent, I would not speak out.
I love Howard Payne. Because of that love, I will not suffer anything that I believe goes against the best interests of HPU. I will speak up and oppose whatever it is to the best ability of my small voice. I can not and will not tolerate any policy or anything else that I believe will be harmful to the university, her students, her faculty, her alumni, or her reputation.
FAQ's
1. Why do I have the protest sites still posted if the administration in question is no longer in power?
2. What are the specific grievances?
3. Who founded all these protest organizations
Did you found all these protest organizations?
4. What's with all the inside jokes?
5. Why is some of the humor critical of certain aspects of HPU?
6. Why has some material been posted anonymously?
7. So you support these illegal activities...
8. Do you think that you represent a majority of students and/or alumni?
9. Do you agree with all of the material posted?
10. Is all the material posted true?
11. But I heard so-and-so...
12. How much do you edit submitted material?
13. Why do some of the layouts look weird?
14. Why aren't there more pictures?
15. I found a gramatical error / spelling error / factual error.
16. So who are these administrators that you don't like?
17. Why don't you like these people?
18. Do you think that that these people are evil?
19. Do you thik it's risky, having an "anti-HPU" site?
20. Do you hate HPU?
21. Why didn't you protest while these things were happening?
22. How do I submit an unfrat / information / updates / corrections?
23. How do I submit pics and images?
24. Where is the guestbook?
25. Why isn't my guestbook message shown yet?
26. Are these FAQ's in random order?
27. How can I contact you?
28. How often do you check the guestbook?
29. Do you maintain the sub sites?
Are you in charge of the orgs?
30. Are you in all of these orgs?
Did you found all of these orgs?
31. How real are these orgs?
32. Where/what is your link policy?
33. Why is it sometimes "the unfrat page" and sometimes "Unfrat's page"?
34. What fraternity were you in when you were at Howard Payne University?
35. Why did you quit said frat?
Why do I have the protest sites still posted if the administration in question is no longer in power?
It is my belief that a record of the dissent should be kept for future reference. I have had people ask me what my grievances were or why I did not like a particular decision or thing. This site was my answer. It allowed me to gather together my grievances as well as those of others. I found that I had already forgotten many of the events both good and bad that I experienced at HPU. Recording them allowed me to remember them and share them.
When Old Main burned, there was a common belief that a certain person in the administration may have committed an act of arson. There were many suspicious and/or too convenient circumstances regarding that fire. As far as what really happened, I don't know. I suppose that I will never know. Yet, knowing this helps me understand where HPU has come from. Alumni from that period (and before) have speculated endlessly as to what really happened.
Regardless of what may or may not have happened, I am grateful to have heard the different versions of the story from those who were there. HPU has had popular presidents and unpopular presidents, good presidents and bad presidents. Painting an unrealisitcally rosy picture of HPU's past is not the HPU spirit. Those who truly love HPU do so "warts and all." We have had both ups and downs. To ignore either is to do HPU a grave disservice.
What are the specific grievances?
These are scattered throughout the various protest sites. They are close to related material, rather than all together. If you surf the site, you will come across them.
Who founded all these protest organizations?
Did you found all these protest organizations?
I did not found all of these protest organizations. I was involved in the founding of a few of these organizations. I was/am involved in others as a non-founding member. Some of them, I have no idea who founded.
What's with all the inside jokes?
Oh, come on now. We all have inside jokes. I do my best to explain them for the benefit of those who were not there. Some, unfortunately, are just inexplicable. Others are timless for any HPUer or Brownwoodian.
I wanted to record some of them for posterity, so future HPUers can enjoy the inside jokes the way that I did. I have heard a few of those that occurred before me. I want the little details to be preserved.
Why is some of the humor critical of certain aspects of HPU?
Again, I do not have any ill feelings toward HPU. During the final part of my college career, many students felt that our concerns were ignored by the administration and that many bad decisions were being made. Humor was one way that we dealt with this problem.
Why has some material been posted anonymously?
The source of certain material has been removed to protect that source. Some activities recorded here were less than legal. I wanted to have them recorded for historical purposes, but, at the same time, I did not want my sources to be afraid.
Other activities were legal, but the story could potentially harm the people involved. Not all material here is anonymous. Nostalgic material will typically be credited to the person who submitted it. Any material which could be considered critical of persons or events, controversial, potentially damaging, or illegal will remain anonymous.
So you support these illegal activities...
Woah, woah, woah, hold on there! I do not endore any illegal activity.
For example, I do not like the statue. I think that it is ugly, blasphemous, a waste of good parking, a waste of good money, not in the students' best interests, et cetera. I, therefore, gladly post accounts of protest activities against the statue for the purpose of depicting the ire of students and alumni toward it.
Most of these activities have been harmless pranks. It is my opinion that harmless pranks are an important part of a college education. However, some of these activities border on criminal mischief. I do not endorrese the commission of any crime. However, the confidentialty of my sources will be protected.
Do you think that you represent a majority of students and/or alumni?
I honestly have no idea. I only claim to represent myself. I do know that many of my contemporaries agree with me, at least in part. I have spoken to some professors, who (again, at least in part) agree with some of my stances. (No, I will ot name any specific names, it is up to them to identify themselves.)
I have also met some who disagree with my opinions, that is their right. I ask only that I also be allowed to speak mine. One thing is for sure, I am definitely not alone in my beliefs.
Do you agree with all of the material posted?
No. I have made an effort to include at least some opinions and actions that I do not support. However, this is my site and I do draw the line at material that I see as balatantly disrespectful, hateful, or hurtful.
Is all the material posted true?
To the best of my knowledge, yes. When I post material that I know to be rumor, I always indicate that it is so. Otherwise, to my best knowledge and to the best knowledge of my sources, all the information posted here is correct.
But I heard so-and-so...
Well, I can't help what you've heard. Again, to the best of my knowledge, all of my information is true. I do have access to several inside sources. (I will jealously protect the confidentiality of those sources to the best of my ability.) These people have been privy to certain information not revealed to the general public.
How much do you edit submitted material?
That depends. If the material is well written, not much. If it is confusing, then I have to do more editing. When that is required, I always try to get confirmation from the original source that my edit is accurate. Otherwise, I do not do much editing. I will correct any grammatical errors that I find.
Again, in material where confidentiality matters, I remove any information that I think might serve to potentially incriminate anyone.
Why do some of the layouts look weird?
Maybe because my monitor has a different resolution than yours. It is difficult or impossible to accomodate all monitor sizes.
Other times, it's because I use plain HTML code. This site does not use Java or any other stuff that makes pages really whiz-bang. (Don't you just love that word?) I do my best with what I know, but I refuse to learn a skill that will only marginally improve my site.
I cannot stand sites that are all show and no content. I like facts and information. I do try to display my information in an easy to digest format. Occasionally, I will chage the layout of a page to improve it. All real web pages are constantly "under construction." If you have any good sugestions as to how too improfe any layouts, please let me know via the guestbook.
Why aren't there more pictures?
I don't have a digital camera or a scanner. I have made some graphics for the page and am incorporating them as I am able. If you have any relevant gifs or jpegs, please send them to me. I do have several relevant pics as regular pictures. As I am able, I am converting them to digital form. However, I have misplaced many of them in a move. As soon as I am able to do so, I will find them, get them scanned, and post them.
I found a gramatical error / spelling error / factual error.
Sorry, I do try to eliminate all errors. If you find material that you believe to be in error, please notify me via the guestbook.
Note: some of the titles in the Society of Meaningelss Titles are spelled the way they are on purpose, for example, "teh demigod of mispeling." The reasons behind that one should be obvious.
So who are these administrators that you don't like?
If you can't tell by now, I have refused to name them point blank in my pages. I have done this because, I wish to avoid hurting anyone more than is necessary. (Avoiding confusion, error, and libel is also important to me.) Anyone who was around HPU during those times should be able to tell by context who they are. If you can't tell, you probably don't need to know.
Why don't you like these people?
I don't dislike them personally. I have known some of these people personally. I simply disagree with certain decisions made by the HPU administration in the past. I think that these decisions were bad for the university and/or poorly considered.
Do you think that that these people are evil?
No, some of the humor on this site notwithstanding.
I simply think that some imperfect people made some bad decisions. Maybe they believed that they were doing what tthe students wanted. All I know is that I, personally, wasn't asked. Some people that I know were asked and their opinions were laughed at by certain people in the administration. There were some in the student body who supported at least some of these changes and policies. However, it is my opinion that these people were not indicative of the majority.
Perhaps some of these decisions were unavoidable. I don't know. However, they still have affected the university in a negative way.
(Even the best of admnistrations have still made bad decisions.)
Do you thik it's risky, having an "anti-HPU" site?
I do not have an anti-HPU site. The unfrat site is very pro-HPU!
I am simply voicing my opinions and beliefs in the best traditions of the Baptist way of life, the American way of life, and the Texan way of life.
There is always the possibility that someone might misunderstand the intent of my site. It is also possible that someone could completely understand and still be offended. That is not my intention. I am concerned that such things could happen. It is my hope that anyone with concerns would read this FAQ and get a better understanding of my motivations. If you still have reservations about this site, please write them in the guestbook.
I support HPU. I believe that my protests, past and present, are in line with the HPU spirit.
Do you hate HPU?
No. Please read my statement concerning that issue.
Why didn't you protest while these things were happening?
I did. However, my small voice wasn't heard. Could I have been louder? Yes. Perhaps my proximity to graduation was partially to blame. I did not want my protests to have an impact on my graduation.
After I graduated, my sister transferred to HPU from another university. During the next couple of years (while some of these events were still happening), I did not want my strong opinions to reflect negatively on her. At this point, the administrators in question are, for the most part, no longer at HPU. Therefore, any current protests would be moot.
I am not a powerful person. I am not important, influential, rich, or in any other way able to influence the "right people." I have no connections; I have no clout. My voice is not loud and is often unable to be heard. It is my hope that by gathering this material, I can help explain the reservations about certain events from HPU's past and maybe even help future administrations avoid bad decisions.
How do I submit an unfrat / information / updates / corrections?
Some sites, such as the Payne Historical Society, have their own forms to submit information. For any other information, please use the guestbook.
I reserve the right to refuse to post any information submitted. I also reserve the right to edit such information if I deem it necessary.
How do I submit pics and images?
The preferred method would be to post them somehow and give me the URL via the guestbook. If that is not possible, then please leave a message indicating such in the guestbook (don't forget your email address) and I will contact you.
I reserve the right to refuse to post any image submitted for whatever reason. I also reserve the right to edit any such images for any reason.
Where is the guestbook?
It is at the bottom of the main page.
Why isn't my guestbook message shown yet?
I screen the messages before allowing them to be viewed by the public. If it's been a while since you submitted it and you haven't seen your message yet, it might be for one of the following rasons.
1.) I haven't gotten to it yet.
2.) I deleted it because it contained information that I added to one of the sub sites.
3.) I deleted it because I found it offensive, thought it was inappropriate, et cetera.
4.) Technical glitch.
5.) Something else entirely.
Are these FAQ's in random order?
Yes.
How can I contact you?
Please use the guestbook.
If you send an unsolicited email to me, I will probably delete it
without reading it.
My friends will know how to contact me. They can ignore the above rule and email me at any of my accounts. However, I do like to get stuff on my guestbook, so sign it if you want to do so.
How often do you check the guestbook?
That depends. Sometimes often, sometimes not.
Sometimes, I will check it and leave a message in the "pending" buffer
for a while for various reasons.
Do you maintain the sub sites?
Are you in charge of the orgs?
I do maintain the protest sites located here. I am not in charge of the protest organizations. I get my information from the members of said organizations and post it in the manner that I see fit. The layout is entirely my own. Some have come with some formatting. I have tried to leave them as close as possible to the original. If the org has an external site, then I will link to it. If they do not, then I will gather as much information about the org as I can. I will then organize that information into a page for that org.
Are you in all of these orgs?
Did you found all of these orgs?
No. I am in some of them. I was involved in the founding of some of them. Some of them predate my time at HPU. Others were founded after I graduated.
How real are these orgs?
That depends on what you mean by real. They are all real in some sense. Some of these orgs had a formal structure similar to an official org. Others, like Zonk, are "real," yet are very loose. Still others were just an informal grouping of people with similar interests. Others still never really got together as an org, yet there was a common theme or tradition that bound them together. Not all of them had meetings, made t-shirts, and did all the things that "real" orgs do. Yet all of them have existed at one point or another.
Where/what is your link policy?
http://www.oocities.org/unfrat/pages/detail.htm
Why is it sometimes "the unfrat page" and sometimes "Unfrat's page"?
Whichever one I use is determined by context. On some pages, I thought one looked better than the other, so I used that one.
What fraternity were you in when you were at Howard Payne University?
I'm sorry, but I will not answer that one. I do believe that frats are inherently corrupt. However, I will not do my former brothers a disservice by naming the organization outright.
I know that I was negatively affected by being in a fraternity. I also saw the frat slide away from what I percieved to be the founders' intent. The frat that I quit was not the frat that I pledged.
I still maintained friendship with many of the members. I do not look down on them for being in a frat. I simply could not be in the organization any longer. I also don't want to imply that all the members were evil or corrupt or hypocrites.
I would rather not name the organization outright. I suppose that if you really want to know, there are ways for you to find out.
Why did you quit said frat?
Divine leading. I felt that God was telling me to resign my membership. I began to have questions about my membership in the fraternity. (Incidentally, I pledged in spring 1995.) After much prayer, I took a semester (fall 1996) off to reflect on that issue as well as to concentrate on spiritual development. The next semester (spring 1997), I went active again. However, in the fall semester of 1997, I went inactive permanently. Due to a serious lack of service activities in a service frat, the bad attitude and hypocrisy of the organization as a whole (not all members were that way, but enough were), misplaced priorities, snobbery, betrayal of the founding principles, and other factors, I decided that I had had enough of the fraternal system.
Previously, I had tried to reform the frat. Other members of good character were still trying the same. I concluded that reform was not possible due to my experience in my frat as well as the experiences of friends in other frats. With heavy heart (I do not quit anything easily or lightly) after much prayer, thought, and soul-searching, I withdrew my membership from the frat. In good conscience, I could no longer be a member.
Another service fraternity on campus tried to recruit me when they heard that I had resigned my membership. I briefly entertained their proposal as a means of making a statement (especially as my frat was more popular than this frat). There were men of good character in this organization, just as there were in my fraternity. However, I had seen the same problems in this fraternity as I had seen in mine, abeit in a somewhat different form. I was through with the fraternal system.
Those members who were truly my friends remained so. Some shunned me after that, but I took that as a sign that they were never true friends. One of my former frat brothers told me that I would always be a brother to him.
To ask any other questions, please use the guestbook.
Go to the unfrat page
No, there's nothing down here, sorry.