el iluminador: fall 2011 print edition

8/3/2019 El Iluminador: Fall 2011 Print Edition

1/16

COVER PAGE

EL ILUMINADOR

Sigma Lambda Beta:Alpha Males

The WhiteHave Turned

Black

Politics and

Patriotism

FALL 2011 EDITIO


2/16

Cover photo by clive.int of www.ickr.com

Back Photo by gordontarpley of www.ickr.comAll photos are used under a Creative Commons agree-

ment and attributed accordingly. Photos not attributed

are either clip art or photos taken by the editors.

National Website

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twitter.com/sigmalambdabeta

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youtube.com/sigmalambdabeta

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It feels like its been forever since El Iluminador relaunched in

March of 2009, and although its been two years, seven months,

and two days (at the time I wrote this letter) since the launch of

our website -and I mean, whos counting?- it certainly feels as

though the journey is just now starting. Were proud to present

to you our Fall 2011 print edition and with it we want to reas-

sure you that we are committed to continue putting out content

that is relevant and engaging, yet revolutionary and differentfrom your average fraternal publication.

As we move closer to our third anniversary, our team has been

hard at work at trying to gure out different ways to make our

content fresh and exciting so your experience is new every time

you visit our website or open one of our print issues. We want

each of our readers to pick up a new print edition and feel like its his/her rst time doing

so! This will take hard work, but I am condent that our team will continue to excel and

make this publication the best it can be.

After Leadership Institute I was inspired to Think Big! I want our publication to be avail-

able on online newsstands so that anyone can have a copy of our issues on their mobile de-

vice or e-reader. Now, I know Im dreaming big, but one has to dream big for big things tohappen! Furthermore, our team is recruiting a series of columnists that will engage readers

from all walks of life. We want our website to be a blog you check out weekly, if not daily!

We want our publication to grow so much that we can start offering internships! Yes, we

may be dreaming big, but we think our publication is exactly where it needs to be to make

all this happen. It will take a lot of work, but were committed to seeing that work through

and I know that our team, along with your help, will exceed expectations. So go ahead,

shoot us an e-mail, ask us how you can get involved or simply check us out and read on.

Im excited to continue my involvement with the publication as its new Editor-in-Chief,

and Im ready for the challenge. Bro. Carlos Frevert did an outstanding job as our previous

Editor-in-Chief, and I have some big shoes to ll; a bit exciting, a bit terrifying! So I invite

you to ip through this issue, visit our site, and get involved! We have some great content,

and it was all written just for you so enjoy!

All the very best,

Bro. Ricky Cortez

Editor-in-Chief

[email protected]


3/16Fall 2011

4 Sigma Lambda Beta Alpha Males

6 Politics and Patriotism

8 Exposure for the Sake of Evolution

10 The Whites Have Turned Black

14 Meet the Team

13 The Dream Shatterer

The Whites Have Turned Black

CREATIVE

FEATURES

Executive OfceSigma Lambda Beta International

Fraternity

125 E. Zeller St. Ste. E

North Liberty, IA 52317-9248

Staff

Editor in ChiefRicardo Cortez

Design EditorIrving Roman

Technical EditorCarlos Frevert

Senior EditorJoaquin

Copy EditorBlessing Shingi Mavima

AuthorsJoaquin

Nathan Bunch

Derek Duzan

Blessing Shingi Mavima

photo by william_79 of ickr.co


4/164 Fall 2011

Ever wonder why Beta sh ght with each other?

Simple. Its because theyre Alphas.

You know, for a long time I have wondered why we,

s Sigma Lambda Beta Brothers, ght. No, Im not

alking about st ghts. Im referring to disagreements,quarrels, and conicts. Go ahead, admit it. Our Broth-

rs beef, have issues with each other, and cant see eye

o eye. Im sure the rates and severity of these disputes

vary, but nearly every colony, chapter, and/or region has

hose instances of Brothers who are mortal enemies.

Lets face it: virtually every organization where its

members have a vested interest has a bit of commotion

can you think of a family that didnt have any drama?

Didnt think so.)

DIDNT PASS THE BAR, BUT I KNOW ALITTLE BIT

Being around the Brotherhood for a while has wis-

ned me up to the game. Catching on to some patterns,

would like to make a hypothesis as to why we, as

Brothers, ght. What I will do is provide a somewhat

cientic approach as to why we as Sigma Lambda Beta

men clash. Like any scholar or researcher, Ill create a

heory, which will be called the

Sigma Lambda Beta Alpha Male Theory. And

while this may not be true for every occurrence, its

an interesting perspective to reect on. While not all

Sigma Lambda Beta men are Alpha Males, many are

and others desire to be.

An Alpha Male is considered to be a condent, good-

looking man who may be from a high socio-economic

status, at ease with women, and highly capable of

taking charge of any situation. An Alpha Male may be

well-built physically and is assured of his capabilities.

Hes ambitious, condent, and opinionated. He may be

considered intimidating or cocky by some.

Sound like a typical Beta? Theres more.

THEORY ME

This way of living can be inuenced by aspects of our

culture, and further nurtured into our being by our en-

vironment. We are raised from a very young age to be

assertive. Everything we know and see from our early

development on teaches us to believe in ourselves. As a

child, when we learned to walk or ride a bicycle, were

trained to have condence -if we fall, then we must get

up. As we grow a bit older, we have dreams of being

the top dawg, successful, or like people we admire.

After all, weve been asked for years the infamous

question: What do you want to be when you grow

up? We realize the American Dream and we recognize

that the only way to achieve this is to go out and take

Sigma Lambda Beta

Alpha MalesA Theoretical Approach to Why We Clashby Joaquin

oto by genitalssky of ickr.com


5/16Fall 2011

it. Machismo is very much in our culture, as well, and

it is hard to drop it (no matter how hard we try). It is

in our blood to be prideful and goal-driven, which are

not bad traits. However, there are third variable effects

-with unintended consequences of such traits. Too much

of something is never good, but by this time, we have

advertently (or inadvertently) grown a desire to be the

boss, wanting some or all of the spotlight, the baddest

chick, the nicest clothes/cars, and will stop at practi-cally nothing to get it. These desires may or may not be

subconscious.

Moreover, this Alpha Male theory is present in animal

ethology. Human ethology (psychology) and animal

ethology have many consistencies and have been as-

sociated since the beginning of time. The opening of

Aristotles Politics proclaimed man as a political ani-

mal (zoon politikon). Amongst other things, humans

have innate animal instincts to survive, reproduce, and

thrive. Mammals such as gorillas, lions, and bulls allhave Alphas in their groups. Tigers often roll solo, be-

cause theyre so Alpha. Confrontations between rams

or sharks can be epic and they ght for often the same

reasons us humans do. Every society, organization, and

pack of animals has comparable pecking orders (e.g.,

hyper-gamy, social hierarchy, etc.) and people naturally

fall into a specic role, if you will.

Youre bound to see Alpha Males in college, too.

Kate Lundeman Ph.D., and Eddie Erlandson M.D.

wrote the book Alpha Male Syndrome. They found

that Alpha Males represent three out of four seniorexecutives and half of all middle managers in corporate

America. So its safe to say these men have been stu-

dents at major universities around the U.S. These males

can be intense, commanding, methodical, and relent-

less, which, possibly makes them hard to work with.

Its likely that this type of guy would be an appealing

recruit for any colony or chapter of Sigma Lambda

Beta. On the surface, he has all of the qualities that

make a tall strong Lambda Beta man.

FALLING IN AND OUTFast-forward to your crossing night and youre soon

likely to fall into one of the following three categories:

Alpha MaleYoure an Alpha Male. You authorita-

tive and borderline domineering. You dont get along

with everyone, mostly because those people dont see

things your way. Youre on a path and you dont plan to

veer from it. You and other Alpha Males clash because

youre so much alike and dont mind scufing over

what you believe is right. Even when youre taught

to be humble, you are what you are, possibly arrogant,

with a really strong personality.

Aspiring Alpha MaleYoure a wannabe Alpha

Male, although you may not know it. You have a des

to be like your Big Brother but it may never come

fruition. Thus, you may have a bit of envy or intern

jealousy towards your Alpha Male Brothers. You an

Alpha Males clash because you see all of their short

comings and youre not afraid to stand up for yourse

The only result is falling-out. Youre both humble aarrogant.

Beta MaleYoure a Beta Male, or next in line.

You avoid risk and confrontation. You accept things

for what they are. You may have different personali

traits, but overall you are sincerely humble. You don

have the presence and charisma of an Alpha Male an

you are ne with it.

And if you havent experienced it yet, you will cla

with your Brothers. These disagreements may or m

not be personal, but theres a chance it is political or

spurs from something political (SLB business, local

national traditions, etc.) As Aristotle so eloquently p

it, we are political animals, who act irrationally, with

emotion, and passion.

Many Brothers state that they are not political Br

ers or that they dont like playing politics. But, t

truth of the matter is that these politics, bureaucracy

agendas, and what have you, will always play a part

of any organization. And whenever these politics

are involved, you can expect disagreements. Wheth

the disagreements are warranted or not, the manner which we carry ourselves should always be professi

and conducted in a gentlemanly fashion.

But this is not always true; instead, wed rather pu

guys on blast, call each other out, and bicker over

things that dont really mean much. Everyone has

an argument against something: dues are too expen-

sive, my Line Brother told a Gamma about our pled

process, youre paper, hes fake, so on and so forth.

Sometimes we cant even work on projects with oth

We may have a do it myself mentality, either beca

were difcult to work with or because we dont belothers are good enough to work with us (they dont

do things the way we want them too). Well resort t

tearing each other apart before building each other u

Like many disagreements, no one wants to listen, ev

eryone wants to be right, no one wants to be wrong,

no one is budging -Itd probably be a lie if no one ha

ever called you hard-headed. And then when you th

alcohol in the mix, you can forget about itthings c

CONTINUED ON PAGE 15


6/166 Fall 2011

photo by ElvertBarnes of ickr.com


7/16Fall 2011

by NathanBunch

There is a narrative that seems to be dissemi-

nated through American media sources, be it blogs,

television networks, radio shows, or what have you.

Whichever way you encounter it, it is not uncom-mon to hear the idea that many U.S. immigrants

(legal or otherwise) do not love America, and are

simply here to drain its resources. This is validated

by the fact that Mexicans may cheer for Mexico

during a U.S. vs. Mexico futbol (soccer) game,

or Nigerians may proudly wear their ag on their

t-shirt on your local campus. There are a number

of instances that one could point to that validate

this argument. These arguments, however, are often

weak, baseless and only designed to create a pan-

demic of xenophobia.As a native Texan, I can tell you that I LOVE

Texas. I might believe that the government in Texas

is more broken than anywhere in the world, and that

you dont have to look far to nd an ignorant jerk

willing to ght you because of the color of your

skin or the way you talk, but I LOVE Texas. I love

that Dallas and Houston produce some of the best

music on the scene, and the way people from El

Paso and the Valley speak Spanish. I love that Aus-

tin is the live musical capital of the world, and that

West Texas can show you some of the most beauti-

ful desert sunsets youve ever imagined. I love that

many people will hold the door open for just about

anyone, and that you often hear about Texas in the

news (sometimes bad, sometimes good).

At no point, however, does me loving Texas mean

that I HATE Montana, or that Im disgusted by Col-

orado, or that I think anyone proud to be from Ken-

tucky hates America. Now, living in Florida, I have

more than ever realized that I love my home stat

Again, at no point does my love for the Southwe

mean that I hate the Southeast. Nor has anyone

from Florida questioned my presence here becau

of how much I love Texas. They understand thawhile I carry a Florida driver license, I will alwa

be at Texan at heart. To make things more intere

ing, I admittedly have never been to the Northea

Ive met plenty of friends from New York, Jersey

Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts that talk about

I hear about the schools and know that their educ

tion system (in certain places) is great. I love th

cold weather and public transportation. I know th

undoubtedly, I want to move there and I have no

sire to move back to Texas. By no means does t

mean that I hate Texas or Florida. That region hamore of what I want, and I want to capitalize on

Someone who loves their home country, or eve

the country of their parents, grandparents or wha

ever more than likely does not hate America. It

no more divisive for someone to love their count

of origin, than it is for people to love their home

states. People are in America because they were

born here (some) and at this point they have cho

sen not to leave because they love it. For some,

it is because their country of origin, while loved,

is not the best place to live. The citizens of any

country should constantly question their govern-

ment, because that is what keeps it in check. Doi

so doesnt make them a communist any more tha

loving their country of origin makes them anti-

American. It just means they are capable of crit

thought.


8/168 Fall 2011

Sitting at a roundtable with multiple community

organizations, I listened to each of their

epresentatives preach about their passions for

bettering the community and changing the world.

Dreams of what the future would hold for their

espective programs were put on display like a

marionette show, and the spectacle was met with

mpty applause. The dance was good, but the faces

of the puppets didnt sell the show. There seemed

o be little excitement in the speakers as every acetayed tucked very cozily in their sleeves. The

hush of the room, accompanied by the tight-lipped

practice of would-be change agents echoed a

ommon solace. This all made me angry; knowing

he objectives of each organization in the room were

common concern for the good of community, but in

hat I gained an understanding.

What seemed to be silently agreed upon was

hat a dialogue of blueprints to the success of all

hese dreams may very well make the work of theorganization that much harder, as it may create stiff

ompetition. These groups met to update each other

on the current states of their organizations and how

hey could help each other. Theoretically, it's a

ather simple idea: Many people bound by the same

vision can move mountains. Unfortunately, there

re slight differences where loyalty demands a bit of

ecrecy. While there are some organizations that out

of selshness would refuse to work with others, it is

not usually because of greedwellin the average

sense anyway. The organizations want to do as much

as they can, but in order to achieve their goals, they

require funding. The system in place promotes an

exclusive nature as it requires grants to be written

to explain what sets the organizations apart. What

makes them the best? Or, how are things done

differently from the other organizations. Without

funding, these organizations cant do anything to help

the community. Given that bettering the community

is within the foundations of these organizations, at thepoint where there is no funding, what good are they?

With that said, the meetings are had with the goal

in mind that we all want to help each other, but

many are unwilling to share shortfalls or blueprints.

There seems to be fear that some people might copy

a good idea and take credit for it, or at least reap

the benets. Hwaahhhh?? Who would do such a

thing? What kind of person would have the audacity

to Zuckerberg someone? Truthfully, thats a serious

issue when youre talking about the ability to provideconsistent public services, and it happens more than

youd think.

However, when you think about it, could it be

better if we did share those blueprints and shortfalls?

What would happen? Perhaps someone would

steal the idea, sure. It does happena lot. So, they

would take the idea and claim it as their own and do

a fantastic job with it. Youd be hurt, BUT, now you

see other organizations stepping up and doing the

same thing. The community is better for it, right? (I

Exposure for theby Derek Duzan


9/16Fall 2011

mean, Apple came out with the iPad and now tablets

are all over the place!) The competition is better for

the people that aren't involved in the ght. The same

thing happens in Greek life.

There is an unwillingness to share shortfalls

of a chapters functioning, even within the same

organization. There's a common refusal to share the

blueprints of success with other organizations that

might be seen as some kind of rival when it comes

to receiving awards or recruitment. Speaking on

cultural foundation, as a member of a Latino-based

organization, we want to see Latinos rise up and bestrong. You want to see unity. Thats a beautiful

dream. The sad fact is that having numerous

organizations with their own little twist on how to

empower a culture end up creating disunity through

competition between those with a common goal.

Choices are great to have from the perspective

of those outside of the organizations. To draw

direct parallels, funding for the above-mentioned

organizations is like recruitment for fraternities and

sororities. What good is a chapter to a campus if it

has no active members? There is no organization

runs without a hitch. Commonly, a good organiza

is the one that never lets you see the hitches, but it

also the organization that typically becomes stagn

Publicizing your shortcomings gives others amm

for mudslinging when it comes to recruitment and

publicizing your blueprints may hinder your abilit

be unique, reducing your chances for recognition.

Im going to let you in on a secret; while some

problems are organization-specic, MOST of theissues youre having, others are having too - even

other chapters within your organization:

Do your meetings sometimes start late?

Do people not turn their dues in on time?

Are grades slipping?

Do things seem disorganized?

These are common issues for chapters of many

different organizations. We fail to see that, though

because the grass always seems greener on the oth

side. Its an illusion. Dont get comfortable inmediocrity, though, and dont let commonalities o

weakness discourage you from trying to do better.

Continue to maintain greatness and work toward it

even if the odds are stacked against you.

Dont be afraid to consult another chapter

especially. Thats what they are there for.

If you dont talk about it, it probably wont chan

If you do talk about it, you run the risk of giving

someone mud to sling or even building some bad

Sake of Evolutionhaving numerous organizationswith their own little twist onhow to empower a culture endup creating disunity throughcompetition


10/160 Fall 2011

photo by clive.int ickr.com


11/16Fall 2011

London Riots 2011On August 4th, police in Tottenham, London shot 29

year-old, alleged drug dealer Mark Duggan. Feeling

the shooting was unjustied, a group of 200 people,

comprising dominantly of Duggans family and

friends, peacefully marched to the police station in

protest. When they had not heard from the appropriate

authorities, the crowd grew both in size and

aggression. Once violence broke out on the evening of

the 6th, it spiraled into one of the worst riots the UK

has ever seen. While the impetus had been Duggans

death, the situation was further spurred by historic

cultural tensions, socio-economic frustration and

-shamefully- the thrill of rioting and crime. As TIME

magazine described it, it is from the worst violence

since bombs rained down during World War II". More

than 2500 arrests have been made, and the damage has

been estimated at $325m.

Duggan belongs to the large black (African/

Caribbean etc) population of Tottenham, a region of

London well-known for its ethnic diversity.

Back to Starkey

Now, before we dive back into an analysis of

Starkeys comments, it is important that we clarify

a few details and sentiments regarding the issue.

First, the Riots have been an abomination and

embarrassment to the entire British society. There is

no justifying what took place: everyone, from Prime

Minister Cameron to Duggans family condemned

them. Secondly, Starkeys comments are not only

outrageously ignorant; they are potentially dangerous

in the ears of a misguided individual. Finally,condemnation for his comments began on the program

itself from the other guests, and has continued from

all sectors of society since. Cambridge students are

calling for him to lose his honorary fellowship position

because of his comments.

Seeing, however, as he is an academic authority in

one of the worlds foremost cultural hubs, it is worth

the while breaking down his train of thought.

The Whites have become Black -what are these

White and Black ideals Starkey celebrates? Has he

The title quote is an excerpt from the following interview with renowned British Historian David Starkey in

light of the recent London Riots.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14513517 (or youtube a video by the same title

During the interview, Starkey lays the blame for the riots escalation on the idea that black culture had become

inuential in English society that the violence that comes with it now appeals to young people across the cultura

boards. However, before we get into all that, let us briey recap how the riots developed.

regressed to the primitive notion of white equalinggood and black being synonymous with evil? Tha

is the only light in which his conclusions make any

sense.

Expanding on his comments, Starkey goes on to

specify the Jamaican Patois, Violent nihilistic

gang culture and Hip Hop elements in the Black

community as being the cause of this creeping

decadence on White UK.

Starkeys Myopia

Whether he is ignorant (highly improbable -he isa Ph. D. from the University of Cambridge), out of

touch, or just in denial; there are several realities th

Dr Starkey appears blind to:

Since its inception, UK has had its fair share of

violent organized crime. From the Damned Crew o

the 17th and 18th century to contemporary groups

such as Tottenham Mandem, London gangs have

been some of the most notorious anywhere in the

world. The idea that violent gang culture is novel

particular to the Black community is absurd.

He describes the culture as nihilistic. Much lik

most minority communities in the developed world

the accused community has been dealt a short straw

and has had to live in the shadows of their success

society. They are often excluded (previously by

design, now more so by chance) from the inuenti

areas of the greater society -can one not see how th

might develop a nihilistic attitude? In essence, th

are part of a greater thriving community in which

they have no stake.

Blaming the Black immigrant population in theUK? Have we grown blind to the imperial pursuit

of Great Britain that has led to the formation of the

current society? As a historian, Starkey might wan

to revisit the past century or so, and maybe get an

idea of why people of Afro-Caribbean origin ended

up residing among him and his fellows. Not only

the imperial past responsible for the current make-

of the society, it is also evidence of Britains ruthle

plundering past. T he fact that Starkey would try to

sell the idea of violent outbreaks as an original one

The Whites Have Become Blackby Shingi Mavima


12/162 Fall 2011

introduced by Black society simply dees logic.

To give his argument some credence, he singlesout one African-British academic and says, (and I

paraphrase) If you heard him speak without seeing

him, you would think he was White He doesnt

sound like THEM. Them who? Other Black

people? This is ludicrous, to say the least. The

individual above does not sound any more Caucasian

and any less Black; he sounds like an intellectual. I

have been around the world, and the dichotomy exists

everywhere. Learned people will always sound, well,

more learned than the general populace, regardless of

their ethnicity.When one of the guests on the show tried to defend

the slang and patois that the London youth use now,

Starkey goes on to condemn Hip-Hop culture as well.

While I might be a bit biased because I am a fan, I

wonder just how much he knows about Hip Hop.

What is it that he heard in Hip Hop that he believes

had a direct impact on the riots? Indeed, there is some

hard-hitting misogyny and rebellious sentiments in

Hip Hop, but the same could be said about Rock

music, and Blues among other. Even then, one would

be hard-pressed to nd a current popular rap/Hip Hop

song that would have incited such behavior. What,

their looting wouldnt stop because Lupe Fiasco

said The Show Goes On? Or maybe Eminem told

them to just stand there and watch London burn?

Light-hearted as my queries on Hip Hop may be, they

reveal the ignorance apparent in the comments. On

many levels, Starkey is lumping Black culture into a

homogeneous primordial entity. Not only is his fear

of Hip Hop representative of the fear of the unknown

that promulgated xenophobia since time immemorial,the idea that he uses Hip Hop as the universal face of

the black community is also misguided.

As I said in the beginning, Starkeys comments

have widely been discredited as the ramblings of

an out-of-touch academic. He is, nevertheless, the

custodian of history as we know it -and his views

actually matter. As dangerously ignorant as they

are, they represent the academic endorsement that has

perpetuated bigotry for hundreds of years.

The fact that young people of different ethnic

backgrounds participated in the riots could besymbolic of a number of things. First, it might just be

that the penchant for violent crimes appeals to young

people of all types. The end of the riots is, in part,

attributed to parents who pleaded and retained control

of their children. Why did Starkey not mention the

demise of the institution of parenthood as being

a possible factor to young people running amok?

More likely, however, is the idea that class is now a

more poignant unit of communal identication than

race. Thus, when communities that are facing tough

economic times perceive an injustice and are moved

to take up arms, you can expect a multicultural

collage of faces on the loose.

It is not because the Whites have become Black.

What does that even mean?

photobyDanielKruczynskiofickr.com

photobyBeaconRadioofickr.com

Sir Trevor McDonaldShirley Bassey


13/16Fall 2011

Treading water in the sea of forever... for worse or for better.

Late night, red-eye cravings of a lyrical assasin, I could be the death of you.

Snatch you up like the Spyder do.

You my mint chocolate mocha factory; servin skinny cinnamon dolce latte's and vanilla

bean frappe's.

Light up the stage with visions and prisms of a Latina ballerina mixed in with a video

vixen.

But Victoria's Secrets are a warrior's regrets.. Adriana Lima or an M6 Beamer?

A soldier chooses between dreams of ghts & love or lights & dubs..

But I'm way beyond being snubbed or lettin down my armour; cooled off on my ight

home, under my under armour loose heat gear listenin to Sean Carter,

Pensively differentiating my feelings between you and your daughter.

So I'm killin these feelings like I was Tommy at the slaughter... house,

Hackin at a porterhouse.

See I could be the lion or the mouse: a lion's prowress plus humility of a mouse.. so pick

your poison, arrive with noise and tear down the house.

The Dream Shattererby Joaquin


14/164 Fall 2011

Blessing Shingi MavimaCopy Editor

Grand Valley State University

I just came along the ride. Somewhere along the journey, I got reallygood at this

Nathan BunchContributor

University of Texas at Austin

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens canchange the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

JoaquinSenior Editor


All of this is true, but its not the truth.

Derek DuzanContributor


I dont have a quote.

Irving RomanDesign Editor

Rutgers University

It is What it Is

Carlos FrevertTechnical Editor

Purdue University

In order to truly see the light you must frst see the darkness

Ricardo Cortez

Editor in ChiefUniversity of Florida

This is the life I chose, or rather the life that chose me. - Jay-Z


15/16Fall 2011

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5get chaotic. If too many cooks spoiled the soup, then

too many Sigma Lambda Beta Alpha Males spoiled the

organization.

IT IS WHAT IT IS

Will we ever grow out of this? With age, maturity

should follow. It is possible that this reasoning for

hostility could be a phase in our young, developing

lives, but one thing is for sure -and that is if certain

personalities that are too much alike spend a lot of

time together- they will clash. Sigma Lambda B

Alpha Males clash. In the end, I guess boys will

boys and Brothers will rival. No family is perfe

The plausibility of this overall argument may be

questionable, but I would argue that its relevant

a good portion of Brothers. However, this is me

a theory (which cannot be conclusively proven)

a thought.

Be well, my Brothers.

blood, but maybe its worth it -maybe whats wrong

with Sigma Lambda Beta is an unwillingness to look at

whats wrong with Sigma Lambda Beta? After all, it's a

common issue with many organizations. Sometimes a

little grease in the re is a good thing. It all depends on

the re.

If we truly want success in our endeavors, were

going to have to x whats broken and improve what

isnt up to par, but in order to do that we need to talkabout the problems at hand. Closing off to the dialogue

doesnt help us evolve at all. The great benet of being

such a young organization is that dialogues abou

necessary improvements can bring better results

than an older organization that has already becom

set in its ways. Seize these opportunities to imp

and dont be held back by an unwillingness to

take risks. The exposure may hurt you, but isn't

it better to try and fail than not to try at all? The

shortcomings need improvement, the blueprint

needs renement, and the pressure of it all will

force the evolution of something spectacular.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

JULY 12-15, 2012Hyatt Regency

Tampa, Florida

Early Bird Registration

$275 per delegate by April 30, 2012

Hotel Cost

$129 per room/per night


16/16

Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity

Executive Ofce

125 E. Zeller St. Ste. E

North Liberty, IA 52317-9248

el iluminador: fall 2011 print edition

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