The Unwritten Rules of Unfrats Written Down

Written Down by Greg Irwin,
Senior Felow of the Institute for Unfrat Studies.

He who makes the org defines the org
      That means that the founder(s) of an organization get to define what that organization is like, is about, etc.
      Of course, loose orgs like Zonk don't follow that rule. With Zonk, policy is made on a first-come-first-served basis. Policy is also subject to change upon the whims of the members, as no one is in charge. Policy can also contradict itself in Zonk.
      For example, when we re-founded Zonk, it had a lot more structure than it does now. We actually had a written rulebook. When Nathan Webb (the guy who had the rulebook) left HPU, we kinda threw the rules to the wind (except the parts about not being in any pledging orgs/frats and not being a snob - that part stayed). Although, originally, we were going to let a select few frat boys in, if they weren't snobs. That rule changed quickly.
      Zonk also has several "highest honors." Which one is THE highest honor? They all are.
      Sometimes, the power to define an org can pass on to another. Sometimes, the reins are passed, other times, they are usurped. Orgs can sometimes be hijacked, but that's really messy.
      In general, the founder(s) of an org set its rules, procedures, and characteristics. They are expected to stay the way that the founders set them. New policy must be approved by the founder(s), unless they have passed that right to someone else.

No two orgs are necessarily alike.
      Even ones that have identical membership and the same founders. Policy can differ due to need, circumstances, the nature and purpose of the org, as well as the whims of the founders.

Some unfrats are serious, some are not.
      Zonk is not serious. Chi Delta Mu was kind of serious, but not totally so. Misty was incredibly serious.

Some unfrats are more secret than others.
      Some are not secret at all. Others pretend to be secret. Yet others are secret to protect confidentality. And, then there are those that are secret to hide illegal activity. Not every secret org is necessarily evil or illegal, though. Some totally secret orgs are totally good, they just feel the need for secrecy. Sometimes, secrecy can be fun. (Just because Zonk has no secrets doesn't mean that other unfrats can't have them.)

Some unfrats are more legal than others.
      Hopefully, no explanation is needed here. Just don't throw the proverbial baby out with the proverbial bathwater. The fact that some unfrats are illegal doensn't make all of them illegal.

A person can be in as many unfrats as he wants.
      Of course, he has to meet the qualifications for membership. The only limitation is if he can remember all the orgs that he is in.

Each unfrat has its own qualifications for membership.
      Self explanatory.

A person can found as many unfrats as he wants.
      There is no limit here either. I have heard of unfrats with only one member. I thought it was weird, but that's the way they wanted it. With the right group of creative friends, there is no limit to the number and type of unfrats that you can create.

Duplicate unfrats can exist side-by-side.
      They don't necessarily have to coalesce. Then there are splinter groups, like the MSPA from the TSPA.

You can join an unfrat without even realizing it.
      Of course, you don't have to be in any unfrat that you don't want to be in. However, people often join unfrats by simply agreeing with their purpose. Others join in yet other (and even stranger) ways. For example, Stephen Rabon joined Zonk when Greg Irwin informed him that he (Stephen) was now in Zonk. He didn't have a problem with it, so he was in. (And, yes, he did pass the three questions.)

You don't necessarily have to follow this set of rules.
      They are the unwritten rules of unfrats. There are many different forms of them, depending on who you ask. In general they are just common sense and politeness.




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