Embracing Change

The Following blog post is from Brother Sean Reitze, State Junior Councilor of Pennsylvania DeMolay and PMC of Pilgrim Chapter. 

Change: it exists in all of our lives.

I currently attend West Chester University and I am nearing the end of my sophomore year. I entered West Chester as a computer science major and I decided to add some minors since then, which include: Spanish, communication studies, and civic & professional leadership. Even though I wasn’t expecting it to happen, this semester I have decided that I am changing my major to communication studies and keep computer science as a minor. Essentially, this is a flip/flop of my major and minor course of study.

Even as soon as the spring semester of my freshman year, it’s been in the back of my head that maybe computer science isn’t right for me. Yes, I am very interested in technology -- but am I really that interested or passionate about the inner workings of computers, programming, or networks? As time has passed, the answer started to become more clear, but I wasn’t sure what path I wanted to take -- that is, until I attended the annual graduate school fair.

During my visit at the graduate school fair, I visited booths from different universities and asked about their computer science master’s program. Their offerings sounded okay, but nothing particularly stood out to me. On a whim, I decided to visit one of Temple University’s booths for the Klein College of Media and Communication. After listening to their representative and seeing the different programs and opportunities available, the light bulb finally went off: I should look into changing my major to communication studies. It all started to come together and make sense -- I found my Intro to Communication Theory class last semester very meaningful and interesting, I’m passionate about media and production, and enjoy my radio show on WCUR. After graduation, I see myself in those career areas.

After talking with my Advisor and doing some research into the major requirements, I have decided to follow through and change my major to communication studies for next semester. Not only would I be more interested and happier with what I’m studying, but I am also still able to graduate on time! Beyond what the registrar sees on my record, there lies a deeper message within this process: sometimes, change can be nerve-racking and create uncertainty at times. Whether it’s a change of schools, a new job, a move, or changing your major like me, it’s important to keep a positive mindset during the process. Keep that positive mindset the next time you find yourself in a situation where change lies ahead.

Sean Reitze, State Junior Councilor

Throwback Thursday: Grand Master's Class 2014

It's Thursday, which means its also "Throwback Thursday." With Grand Master's Class taking place tomorrow, I figured we should remember back to the last Grand Master's Class, two years ago. 

The year was 2014. The Right Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania was Robert J. Bateman, who was in attendance. A total of 24 members were brought into DeMolay during the fantastic degree work performed by an All-Star cast, led by the Elected State Officers. Along with the outstanding work that PA DeMolay did to promote the Children's Dyslexia Center's, PA DeMolay also presented a check to the Right Worshipful Grand Master for one of the charities he was promoting throughout his term, Change for the Troops.

I remember being at this particular class, and I remember the professionalism that went into the performances that day. I've always been proud of the work I've seen in DeMolay, and that day was no exception. I look forward to seeing the same effort taking place this weekend at Grand Master's Class.

I'll leave these photos here for you to reminisce.

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin 

 

Which Acceptance Do You Accept?

In the next few weeks, our High School Seniors will be attempting to choose the right College that suits their needs. This blog post will provide some insight in making that decision easier. Today, we have a special guest blog post from "Dad" Peter Brusoe. Pete is a Past International Master Councilor for DeMolay International, currently residing in our Nation's Capital. 

The College search process is nearly at an end for the Class of 2016.  Acceptance letters are out and soon it is time to make a deposit and indicate which school you wish to attend.  Hopefully you have several highly competitive offers with financial assistance, which school do you choose? The one that goes to the NCAAs all the time? The school with the highest female to male ration? The one with the cutest mascot?  Below are some things to think about as you make your final selection.

1) Money: College is not cheap. There is tuition, housing costs, food costs, technology fees, athletic fees, lab fees, book fees, alumni-student partnership fees and student activity fees among other costs.   I have a friend whose study features copies of her children’s diplomas next to a picture of a beach house because it reminds her of how much that college education cost.  You will want to ask yourself the following questions about the financial aid package:

(A) Of the total package, how much is the scholarship component? Several schools have taken to including federal loans in the financial aid summary. This is a bit deceptive because loans are not aid, and you will need to pay them back with interest.  While a $30,000 scholarship from a private college sounds impressive, a $10,000 scholarship at a public university may mean less overall cost.  

(B) Focus on the cost of attendance.  Every school has an estimated cost of attendance that should include estimates for everything that you need to pay for including text books.  Colleges and Universities are increasingly finding ways to raise revenue by adding on new fees.

(C) Will the scholarship increase as tuition increases? Say the cost of attendance is $25,000 and you have a $12,500 scholarship.  Half of your costs are covered. But if tuition goes up to $26,000 now only 48% is covered.

(D) How much does tuition go up every year and who controls this? Most schools should have a reasonable and rational tuition increase every year.  Ideally it should be between 1-2%.  However, if schools have been putting off tuition increases you may get hit with a significant tuition increase during your time there.  It also depends on who controls tuition increases, in New York our state legislature controlled the tuition increases and would do so on the back of the students.

(E) How does the work study program work?  If there is a federal work study component in your aid how many hours a week do you need to work? Are you guaranteed those hours? Do you have a choice among your work study options or do they pick it for you?

(F) Remember the fine print of the scholarship awards:  Many scholarship offers are dependent on you still maintaining good grades the last two quarters of high school; others require that you maintain a certain GPA. Some scholarships like athletics, cheerleading, and band will require that you participate in that activity, if you stop participating the money will probably go away.  If you are doing an ROTC scholarship and you decide not to continue, what money will you need to pay back?

(G) Renegotiate: If your financial aid package is not what you expected, feel free to ask for more, but be specific.  You want to attend this college, but you can’t afford to do this unless your award goes up by a certain amount.

2) On time Graduation Rate:  You will graduate in four years or less. Each school should have statistics on what percentage of their student population graduates in four years.  In more and more advertising materials colleges will cite a five or perhaps a six year graduation rate.  This is great for marketing, but you really want to know if you will graduate on time or not.  How flexible is the school with changing majors? This is an important question as it relates to people changing their minds on programs.  If you go from a Political Science Major to a Chemistry Major will you need to add on time?

3) How often are required classes offered?  Some majors may have a required class that you need to take before taking upper division classes in the field.  If that class is only offered once every three semesters, that may goof up the rest of your academic plans.

4) What credits will transfer and how do they transfer?  Many students come into college with AP, or CLEP credits, or possibly classes at the local community college.  If you can knock out some credits it will enable you to take more classes in your major or some extra electives. However, college credit transferability can be problematic.
(A) You will want to make sure that the college you are going to will accept them, or will only accept them with certain grades. 
(B) It is also worth having the conversation about how they will accept them as equivalent class credits.  If you took English 101 at the local community college, some colleges will say you have three credits, but will still make you take the class again. 
(C) After you enroll, can you take classes at other schools and transfer the credit in?  During the summer you may want to take a couple of classes at the local community college and then transfer them in to get you closer to graduation.  Some schools will not allow you do this after you enroll (the fancy word is “matriculate”) or will require you to get special permission. 

5) Career services:  College is an amazing experience. However, college has a definitive goal in mind. At the end of four years you should be able to start a career.  The school should help you with this through internships or co-operative learning experiences, mentorship and other career services.  Schools should have some statistic about the percentage of their graduates who are employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation.   If your goal is to go to graduate school, you will want to ask where students go to grad school, law school or medical school.

6) What unique experiences does the school provide?  Schools provide outstanding opportunities for students to do neat things.  Things you should look for include study abroad experiences, Semester in Washington, combined bachelors and masters programs, Bachelors and law degrees.  These programs can add value to your experience.

7) Will you have the support that you need at the school?
(A) If you have an EOP or a 504 plan in place, will the school be able to provide you with reasonable accommodations? How supportive is the community? It may be worth asking to speak to a student like you for their experiences.
(B) Is your faith tradition supported on campus?  It is worth checking out the Campus Ministry program, the Hillel, the Newman Center, the Hindu Student Association or the Muslim student association to see what level of programing and support they have for students.
(C) What support does the school provide students for difficult classes?  You will struggle with some classes in college.  I was horrible at calculus, but thankfully UAlbany had free tutoring on Tuesday nights in the Academic Support Services office.  I was there every Tuesday trying to grapple with the material with a very understanding graduate student.
(D) If you identify as LGBT does the school provide support for their students? 

8) Sit in on a class.  I was deciding between two schools for college, one of my mentors said to me “Sit in on the class and listen to the students and the interaction they have, you will notice a stark difference between UAlbany and the other school.”  She was 100% right.  Sit in on a class, maybe do an overnight and experience what it is to be a student there. Make sure that you are comfortable being there.

9) Reach out to DeMolay alumni who went to the school:  Somewhere in our Masonic Family we know someone who attended the university or college that you are looking at attending.  If you don’t know of someone reach out your chapter advisor or deputy executive officer.  There is someone out there who can give you insight or advice.

10) Do not go to the school solely because that is where your love of your life is going or your best friend is going.  College has a way of changing relationships and you do not want to be stuck at a school just because your friend was going there. 

Good luck as you make your decision in the coming weeks!

Each Chapter, By Ballot, Pledged Hearty Support...

"Dad" Land's Method of Effecting Drastic Change in the Order

by "Dad" Thomas R. Labagh

This 1934 "Secretary General's Bulletin" is an incredible example of how the Order of DeMolay has drastically changed from its early days of success, to its present deep cultural malaise.

Points to consider:

(1)   1934-- This is in the midst of the Great Depression... when DeMolay desperately needed money.

(2)   "Dad" Frank S. Land, as Secretary General, reached out and asked ALL the Chapters to respond to a question about a decision that would materially affect every Chapter's investment in regalia, clothing and jewelry.

(3)   There were responses from 1142 Chapters!  And 1109 Chapters (97%) were in agreement.

(4)   "Dad" Land knew how to get support for his ideas, by asking each Chapter to pledge "hearty support to the Grand Council in this matter and will seek to impress every member with the necessity of a personal cooperation in this endeavor."

(5)   Before the vote was taken, I would bet that the new emblem was already  designed, samples created and ready for production.

(6)   There was a FIRM commitment to protect the new emblem copyright by prosecuting vendors and pressuring  ANYONE infringing on the patent rights.

(7)   The stated reason was to REDUCE MATERIALLY the cost of jewelry to MEMBERS OF THE ORDER OF DeMOLAY, with only enough of a markup of cost to "insure proper handling."

Questions to think about:

(1)   When was the last time your Chapter received a communication from DeMolay International with the instruction that it must be read in two consecutive formal Chapter meetings?

(2)   When was the last time your Chapter's opinion was solicited by DeMolay International on any topic?  (Or by your Executive Officer?   Mea culpa, mea culpa!)

(3)   When was the last time EACH and EVERY DeMOLAY in the order was asked to support any DeMolay endeavor?

(4)   Why wasn't there more of a profit motive at work, when "Dad" Land brought the sales operation inside the DeMolay offices in Kansas City, Missouri?

Ending a Job the Right Way

Today, we have a post from "Dad" Dan Loughin, discussing how best to end an employer / employee relationship. Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

As with every other one of my posts, here’s another story that comes from personal experience.  While neither of these examples is me, they are people that I have worked with at some point, and have seen firsthand how they handled the situation.

Steve’s wife received a job offer in Oklahoma in May, and it was one she couldn’t turn down.  The following day at work, Steve contacted his manager, as she did not work in the same location, to inform her that while he doesn’t have anything lined up in Oklahoma, he will be leaving the company by the end of the year to be with his wife out of state.  His manager thanked him for informing her.  Steve then spent three months at work setting all of teammates up for success, even though they were all unaware that he would be leaving.  In his free time, he was consistently looking for work in Oklahoma, but was coming up short.  At the end of August, Steve was feeling stressed out that he couldn’t be with his wife, and decided that he would leave early.  The next day at work, he called his manager to inform her that he would be leaving after 2 weeks.  He then informed his team.  He worked his tail off servicing and acquiring customers for the company.  On his last day, his only task was to turn in his keys and sign the proper forms to terminate his position.  Instead, he stayed a few hours to help teammates with questions that they had.

Liz, in December of last year, transferred departments on the promise that she would be promoted to a position once it had been vacated by Richard, as he was returning to school and was unable to fulfill the requirements of his position.  As soon as Richard had vacated his position, it had been eliminated by the company.  Liz felt slighted, and it showed in her work.  She was consistently late, was not working on the sales aspect, and told the occasional customer how the company had screwed her over.  In the beginning of December, she received a job offer from another company to start in February.  She immediately started informing customers and a few coworkers, but did not inform her managers.  For the following two months, she failed to complete even basic tasks, and instead was planning her wedding which was to take place later in the year.  In the meantime, one of the customers approached her manager and asked how the manager would handle the location without the presence of that employee.  When Liz finally did deliver her two weeks notice, the meeting did not go as Liz had planned, and a screaming match erupted.  Furious, Liz walked out that day.

Which individual handled their circumstance correctly?  Obviously, it’s Steve.  But these are extreme examples, and you will probably never have to be involved with either.  However, here is a quick guide on how to quit anything gracefully without burning bridges.  Thanks go to a college life course that I had taken years ago, and to the Art of Manliness for the information.

People Change Jobs Often.  There is a statistic, as of 2003, that the average individual will change his or her job 8 times over the course of their lives (for the record, I’m at 4).  This means that not only you will change your job 8 times, but all of you coworkers will as well.  This also means that if you burn a bridge at your current company by leaving improperly, you may also burn your bridges at several others.  As I work in a building with 5 other people, that’s not only the company I would leave, but potentially 40 other companies that my coworkers may or may not be working.  Be mindful of this as you move forward with a change.

Give Notice.  While you may not have any obligation, per company policy, to notify your employer in a given timeframe that you will be leaving them, it’s still a great personal policy to notify your employer (translated: your manager) as soon as you know you’ll be leaving the company.  Yes, they may escort you out the door.  Yes, they probably won’t provide you the same courtesy if they let you go.  But you want to give notice for one simple reason: your coworkers.  If you don’t let your company know you’re leaving, and just abruptly take off, then you will leave them with the burden of carrying your work.  And if you’re close friends with anyone you work with, then you’ll invariably strain that relationship.

Tell Your Boss First.  This should be simple.  Your boss needs to be the first person to know.  Why’s that?  There are things that you don’t know about that your boss has to complete for you to leave the company.  There may also be disclosures that you may sign for fear of getting sued (yes, that’s a long shot, but still a risk not worth taking).  Discussions always have a way of making it back to your boss.  Ultimately, your boss will be annoyed if they hear about your departure from someone other than you.  This may not look good for your exit interview, and may cause additional headaches with the company.  Moral of the story: talk to your boss about your impending separation before anyone else.

Always Have The Conversation In Person.  As most of you reading this are going to either work for a small company or a retail place of some sort, you need to speak with your boss in person.  No text, no phone call, no e-mail.  In person, face to face.  This is more being brave than anything else.  If you have the confidence to discuss this with your boss, then your confidence in other areas will rise.

Be Prepared For The Conversation.  You need to discuss things after you put your two weeks notice in with your company.  You must be able to deal with these as they are brought up.  Do you have a transition plan?  Basically, what are you working on, and who’s going to be taking them over.  What will you do if you’re given a counter-offer?  This one actually happened to me: I was offered more money to stay in a current position as I was placing my notice, but there were other reasons as to why I was leaving the company.  Point is, I was prepared for them to make a counter-offer, and I knew I was going to decline it (unless they offered me $1 million.  That would be silly to turn down.)  Are you willing to stay longer if they need you to?  Generally, this doesn’t happen, but if they have a need to hold onto you for another week, are you able to?  Are you ready to go home today?  As mentioned earlier, you may be asked to leave immediately.  You need to be able to take care of yourself and pay your bills while waiting to start a new job.

Be Concise And Positive.  You don’t want to chit chat your boss to death before you give your notice.  It’s not respectful of anyone’s time, specifically your bosses.  If you’re quick and to the point, your boss will be much more grateful.  Also, even if you hate your job or your boss, be as positive as possible.  You want to thank them for the opportunity, not take the time to bad mouth the company.
Ask About The Details.  As mentioned before, there may be paperwork that you have to sign.  If you have benefits, you need to take care of those too.  You may also receive compensation of some sort (if someone resigns from the company I work for, they get paid for their unused vacation).

Write A Formal Resignation Letter.  While most companies don’t require a resignation letter, it comes in quite useful if there is a question as to when your official last day is.  The letter will stay with your records.

Don’t Pack It In.  Just because you’re leaving, it doesn’t mean that life slows down at work.  Stay on top of your job, like Steve did, to leave your teammates in great shape.  But don’t, however, start any new projects if you can help it.  You would only leave headaches for those behind you.  Any projects you were working on before giving notice you’ll want to keep the next person as on point with it as possible, to avoid any possible issue that may arise with it.

Stay Off Social Media.  You made it this far.  Congratulations, you’ll be missed.  However, the second you post something negative on Facebook about how horrible your former job or coworkers are is the second you lost all of that good karma you built.  Just stay away from any social media when it has to do with work.

Send A Warm Goodbye.  If you partner with anyone in other departments or companies, let them know that you are leaving the company.  They need to know you’ve left.  A mass e-mail is ok, but you’ll want to let them know individually.  Too many times have I had a partner at work leave the company without telling me, and then I look like a fool when I hand a customer their contact information.
 

What to expect at PA DeMolay Convention 2014

Each year the Convention Staff tries to improve the program, and make it more fun and attractive to both members and Advisors (but primarily members!) Any time we plan an event, challenges appear. We have tried to address some of those issues here, so please read this section fully.

For full information on Convention, check out the Official Convention Page on the PA DeMolay website.

Optional Activities

In the past, PA DeMolay has offered optional activities on Friday afternoon at an additional cost to those attending Convention. Some took us up on these events, while others chose to arrive later in the day for various reasons. One of the pluses to planning such a large event is that we often can leverage better group discounts. This year, we are in talks with the Reading Museum and Planetarium, just a stone’s throw from the West Reading Masonic Center. We are hoping to offer the Friday optional activities at no additional charge for both members and Advisors. If this occurs, this will be an excellent value for you and your Chapter and represents a fun (and yes, educational) activity for those attending Convention. Final details are still pending, but we plan to have more information in the coming weeks.

Saturday Schedule

PA DeMolay is proud to be celebrating its 90th year, and as such, we have worked some changes into the Convention schedule, compared to previous years. The Business Session, the primary reason for holding Convention, has been moved to first thing on Saturday morning, immediately after breakfast. This will lead directly into the Honors Luncheon (although we anticipate a small about amount of break time between the session and the meal.) Following the Luncheon, we will have a presentation by a key-note speaker, after which members and Advisors will attend some constructive afternoon workshops. Beginning at 4 PM, all attendees will be asked to witness the conferral of the DeMolay Legion of Honor. This is the first time the Legion of Honor Ceremony has been conferred at Convention in nearly a dozen years, so don’t miss the chance to see it! Dinner will follow the Ceremony and the evening will be capped off with a 90th Anniversary Ball, with entertainment provided by the Diablo Sandwich Band (a live, 8 piece band, with great musical range. Check out the attached video clip for a preview.) This will be a dance to remember, to so be sure to invite your local Rainbow Assemblies and Job’s Daughter Bethels to come out and enjoy the dance as well, free of charge!

… in case you didn’t realize…

The downside to such a packed Saturday schedule, is that most of the day will be spent in jacket and tie for our members and advisors, along with a jacket and tie being required for the Ball. So, please be sure to advise active DeMolays to plan appropriately.

Changes in the DeMolay Ritual?

In the second edition of the DeMolay Handbook, printed in May, 1960, an interview with Dad Land, conducted at least 50 years ago, was printed as Chapter 1, on pages 1-5.

QUESTION: But, how do you know so positvely that ritual has been the key to DeMolay's amazing growth and success?"

Dad Land replied: "We have proof in the spoken and written testimony of hundreds of thousands of DeMolays who in the brief span of four decades have climbed to the top in their chosen fields of adult endeavor. They testify freely that much of the initial impetus up the ladder of success started in DeMolay Chapter rooms."

"It is also supported by the fact that since the ritual was written in 1919 by Frank A. Marshall, a Kansas City newspaperman and Masonic leader, it has remained virtually unchanged - even in its most minute detail. Top-ranking ritualists have heralded the DeMolay ritual as ageless."

This is the LEGEND of the Ritual, but is it, in fact, the truth? Or is truth a matter of degree-- of how much change is to be counted when we say that it is "virtually unchanged" even today?

I have a copy of the "original" manuscript of the ritual-- presumably Frank Marshall's first draft of the ceremonies.

I also have a copy of the printed First Edition, the one owned and annotated by Frank S. Land.

Lastly, I will make reference to the 4th Edition text of the DeMolay Degree from the Ritual (published in the mid-1920's, to the best of my knowledge.)

The original draft changed significantly before it was published, but the basics are all there-- the principles and much of the language we use today. The same can be said of the First Edition, except that much more of it is close to the language that we still use in the current 14th corrected edition.

Clearly, however, the text of the Fourth Edition DeMolay Degree is a far cry from being close to the Degree we confer today. In the mid-1920's there was some innovation going on in the Grand Council. You would be astounded at the changes that were made in the Fourth Edition. Certainly these changes were approved by Dad Land and Dad Marshall or they wouldn't have been printed. One of the very significant changes was a final speech by Jacques DeMolay in which he "salutes" the generations of the future who will carry on his work and the principles of knighthood. This was removed, but the "return salute" in the Orator's prayer was left in to this day, which is why we listen to that prayer and say, "When and how did DeMolay salute us in these times of ours?"

The dramatic changes included different characters in the DeMolay Degree dramatic section. But obviously, these changes must not have been well received by the general membership, because by 1930, the Fifth Edition was printed to return to what had been standard and accepted as "the Ritual" of the Order of DeMolay. Although there are some very interesting nuances to the Fourth Edition degree, they must have been rejected by a membership that had no intention of buying new ritual books or learning new material. The Fifth Edition is only marginally different from the First Edition and only a few words different from the 14th Corrected Edition.

So, yes, we can say that today's text is very similar to the early ritual. But I am not sure we can say it is "virtually unchanged" because, in truth,it was significantly changed at one time. Dad Land wasn't afraid to try significant changes. He also wasn't afraid to admit a ritualistic mistake, and he wasn't stubborn enought to insist that the changes MUST be accepted by everyone, as evidenced by the return to the more traditional language.

Should changes be made in the DeMolay Ritual? If you could "fix" something in the Ritual today, what would it be? Don't tell me that it should never be changed -- that duck won't float with me. The Holy Bible, the most sacred text in the world, has been retranslated, revised, paraphrased, musicalized, and rewritten to help make it more relevant to today's readers. The DeMolay Ritual isn't sacred text, but it should be easily understandable by the 12, 13, 14 and 15 year old new member who is seeing it for the first time. Maybe the time has come to update the preceptors, and modernize some of the language. What do YOU think?

"Dad" Tom Labagh, Executive Officer in PA

"I got some splainin to do!"

I wear many hats in this fraternity of ours. I'm involved with many organizations, and I handle a lot of different tasks for the Masonic Youth Groups. From newsletters, to websites, to this very blog, my duties are all over the board sometimes. Today, however, I want to put on a specific hat, that of the Director of Convention for PA DeMolay, and discuss some of the upcoming changes in that program, and why they were made.

As many of you already know, PA DeMolay Convention is slated to undergo its first major change in about 10 years. The Convention that most of us have gone to consists of spending Thursday through Sunday in a hotel, with some fun activities thrown in beside some workshops, meals, and the business session. This format worked very well for us for several years, and it's thanks to "Dad" Randy Knapp, my predecessor, that the program is so successful.

When I took over the job of Director of Convention I made a promise to myself to listen to the young men (within reason) and to attempt to give them more control over the Convention schedule and process. Unfortunately, many of the functions I perform as Director cannot be handled by active members for several reasons, most of them involving signing things and other boring topics. While this may be a glitch, I found that I could still listen to the members and try to improve the program and experience that they come to each year. So, I started planning.

One topic that almost always came up as an issue was the amount of "boring," or as the Convention staff calls it, "business" events on the schedule. We have Convention to conduct business, plain and simple, so I can't cut it out completely. I can however attempt to streamline that process as best as possible. Hence, last year we introduced the electronic balloting system that made the election process almost 75% faster than it had been in the past! You can thank "Dad" Greg Schaeffer for that one! It still wasn't enough for me, and I decided that Convention 2010 needed a radical change.

I talked with "Dad" Labagh about what the Convention program had to be, and we decided that we needed to give out awards and elect State Officers, other than that, it could be anything I / the members wanted. So, I sat down with proverbial hatchet, and began trimming what I saw as unnecessary in the program. My vision for Convention was formulated during this process, a vision for which I have taken some heat from adults. In my eyes, PA DeMolay only has one event a year that is mostly "fun" for the members, and that is Convention. Some people find sports fun, they are competitive, and it's a different vibe. Some people find Spring Leadership Fun, but others see it as boring workshops. Some see our Induction Classes as fun, but others find them to be a drag. Convention on the other hand can be fun for everyone, and that, to me, is the appeal of the program. It's a time for DeMolays to get together, from all over the Commonwealth, and just have fun. Many people believe that I have watered down the Convention program, by eliminating all but one workshop, and having too little "education" in the program. Others think that the removal of our annual banquet is sheer blasphemy, and that without it Convention just won't be the same. You know what? They might be right, but I need to see if it fails first.

So what specifically did I do? Convention 2010, held at the Four Points Sheraton Pittsburgh North, in Cranberry (Mars) will be an experiment to say the least. The event will run Friday to Sunday, July 23-25. The first "scheduled" event is an optional paintball outing on Friday afternoon. Following that outing will be some time for degree practice, but the show really gets kicked off with dinner on Friday night. I didn't want to serve the guys some boring old banquet food, so I've arranged for a full on "Make Your Own" Taco bar! Let's start this thing off right! Following dinner we'll head out (using your own transportation) to Fun-Fore-All, an arcade on steroids! Not only will you be able to play all of the video games you want (ticket games excluded), you'll be able to play an unlimited amount of mini-golf on, two courses! Am I not getting your attention yet? Well how about hitting as many balls as you want in the batting cages! Still nothing? Fine, I'll throw in unlimited use of the go-kart track! Did I mention that it's an over / under track, with a figure 8? I'm thinking that should start the event off well and be enough for Friday!

Saturday we have to get down to business, but not too much! Your day will start with a workshop, but not any old workshop. PA DeMolay is bringing in "Dad" Brett Bean, of Maryland, who works as a professional stand-up comedian, to give you guys some insight on public speaking and improv. Following "Dad" Bean, two degree teams will induct new members, right there in Cranberry, thereby growing DeMolay! That's a lot of work for the morning, so it's time for lunch. We'll sit down to a nice plated meal of chicken with asiago cheese while the State Officers and Advisors present awards for the year. With our bellies stuffed, we'll jet over to the business session, where you elect State Officers to serve you for 2010-2011, using the improved electronic balloting equipment. This should take us to about 4 p.m., which means it's time to relax, and enjoy the hotel pool, sauna, and other amenities. Don't swim too long, because at 5:30 we're boarding buses and heading to the best amusement park in Western PA, Kennwyood! With coasters and rides galore, this will be a great way to finish up Saturday!

Sunday means it's time for a full buffet breakfast, a quick chapel service, and installing our State Officers. I think by this time you'll be looking back on the last two days and be going "wow, it's over already," and that my Brothers is exactly how I want it. Convention 2010, at least in my eyes, is the next generation of DeMolay fun and brotherhood, so won't you join me in giving it a try?

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth C. Anthony