ALPHA ATHLETES - The Sphinx Magazine

ALPHA PHI ALPHA BRAND
My Brothers, it becomes my task at this moment to inform
you of the State of the Fraternity. In the very beginning of my
administration, one of the things that I said would be a hallmark
of my administration would be what I call “transparency”. I
pledged to demystify the workings of the Fraternity and its national
headquarters.
In keeping with that thought, I have to be honest with you and
say that there are two pictures of Alpha Phi Alpha. One of them is
framed in the reality of the day—that we, like every other organization
in America, are operating in some tough times. Times are
tough economically. I think you would be hard pressed to find a
non-profit organization that has not witnessed that reality.
At the same time, our picture is framed with more good news
than most organizations. We have experienced some incredible
moments amid some difficult times.
The synopsis of it all is that you should be assured that we are
a solid, well-run organization that enjoys a positive reputation from
the halls of government to the neighborhood streets. From the elementary
schools to the Ivy League, from the storefront churches to
the greatest cathedrals in our land, Alpha Phi Alpha maintains an
image and a brand second to none.
Let me say that again—“Alpha Phi Alpha maintains an image
and a brand second to none.”
But now a word of caution—for us to maintain that reputation
we have to continue to adhere to sound policies based on the fundamentals
of good practice for any business. I had a Brother ask
me: “Are we a Fraternity or a business?” The answer to his question
is that we are a Fraternity that is a business.
As many of you know when I took the helm of Alpha, I was
determined to establish a workable plan for the future of this organization.
The leadership met for some days and developed a strategic
plan—the structure of which we have been following and will
enhance. The cornerstone of this plan is our mission statement:
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. develops leaders, promotes
brotherhood and academic excellence while
providing service and advocacy for our communities.
No matter what we do in this organization, we must be sure
that our efforts support this theme. This statement should be incorporated
into every website and publication whether it stems from a
College Chapter or Alumni Chapter. I am happy to report that we
have had tremendous support and compliance with this objective
but we have not yet reached 100 percent adherence.
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Fall • Winter 2008 The Sphinx: www.APA1906.net
My sincere appreciation is extended to those chapters that have
enacted this policy. And for those of you who have not, you may
receive a call. So please, Brothers, let’s have a clear level of consistency
in this organization as we strive to speak with one voice.
COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
Before I go too far, some of you in the past have said there
were elements of the State of the Fraternity that I did not address.
If I talked about every area of importance to the Fraternity, we
would be here all day. So today, if you will, here are the highlights:
Throughout the implementation of the strategic plan, we have
sought to place most of the emphasis on the infrastructure. As a
result, we have devoted a great deal of time to “operations management”—those
operating policies and procedures that govern all
aspects of the Fraternity operations.
We have strengthened our communications and public relations
and we have established and maintained a brand that truly
represents our Fraternity. This brand is based on the national programs
for which the Fraternity is known and those we develop that
will support out mission statement.
In my tenure, you will notice that we have raised the awareness
of Alpha Phi Alpha on the national and international levels
with positive stories placed in strategic locations. We also have
been a voice on topics of importance to black America, ranging
from Jena 6 to the controversy over the “N” word.
We continue to emphasize that—no matter the topic, no matter
the request—we as an organization speak with one voice and
funnel all media requests through the national office and our paid
public relations firm.
We have strengthened our leadership management, including
the management of intake, retention, training, development and
chapter operations.
In an area where we need to place more emphasis—grooming
of our next group of leaders—chapters must keep a keen eye
on its members and groom those in your ranks so that they may be
prepared to assume leadership roles in the chapter, the district, the
regions and on the national level.
FISCAL MANAGEMENT
This has been a personal cornerstone of my administration.
We have initiated and maintained some financial controls so that
the next administration will not inherit financial woes.
Again a major part of that is fiscal transparency. You need to
know how we are doing because this is your Fraternity and we must