You're Fired

This past week, several high profile coaches on both the collegiate and pro levels have been relieved of their duties as head football coaches. Some would say their time had come, and that perhaps, they'd been allowed to stay in their roles for too long. Others would say that they should have been allowed to finish the season. After all, it isn't like the teams are going to change overnight either way, right?

As I thought about these coaches, their leadership roles, and the mid-stream transition for their teams, I began to wonder about the parallels between sporting teams and the fraternal world. What if we treated our organizations more like sports teams in this respect? What if we fired our "coaches" mid-stream if the team was not performing well? Do we even fire our coaches at all?

Consider these possibilities:

* What if a chapter was found guilty of hazing several new members by both their national organization and their campus? Once all the information had been obtained, and decisions rendered, the students involved in the hazing, the entire executive board of the chapter, and the advisors were all fired. Permanently removed from the organization.

* What if a chapter held an event where alcohol was served to minors? Once we have the facts, the social chair, social committee, and risk managers, along with the chapter president and advisors are all fired. Permanently removed from the organization.

* What if a chapter came in last academically on campus? Grades were well below the campus average and the national average for their organization. The scholarship chair and his/her committee and advisors are fired. Permanently removed from the organization.

* What if a council failed to hold chapters accountable to campus and national standards? What if they allowed chapters to break social policies, bend academic standards, and disregard hazing laws? The entire council and the campus based advisor are fired. Permanently removed from their organizations.

At this point, you may be thinking I'm crazy. But is it really all that crazy? Our college presidents expect our head football coaches to create high-performing, winning teams, that will bring notoriety to the institution. Do they expect the same of our fraternal organizations? Do we? Should we? Do you know some people who should be fired? I'd love to hear your thoughts.