Warning: This blog entry is intended for people with a sense of humor.  If you do not have a sense of humor, please stop reading. By no means is this a reflection of the care that ER nurses give nor is it truly intended to act as a guide for patients regarding their illnesses. Only highly trained physicians are capable of diagnosing illnesses, both acute and chronic.

 Our world is funny.  Earlier as I sat at my triage desk watching patients trickle in and listening to their complaints, I realized the true impact of the "everyone gets a trophy" philosophy of our nation. So many people in this world have never had to solve their own problems and thus believe that it is someone else's job to do so.  Now don't start cursing me yet.  I am not talking about LEGITIMATE problems.  I am not referring to unexpected illnesses or unmanageable chronic illnesses.  Obviously if a person is doing their part by utilizing a sidewalk and the driver of a car loses control of their vehicle resulting in the pedestrian being struck down, the pedestrian doesn't really have any level of responsibility in the occurrence.  What I am talking about is the person that almost refuses to do anything or solve anything for them self. Here are common occurrences that I face when I, the trauma junkie, am trapped in triage.

1.  My blood pressure is high

 One of the first questions that follow is whether or not you have an existing diagnosis of hypertension.  If you don't, we will proceed without the voices in my head engaging in preparation for the rapid firing of silent insults that will begin pummeling you.  If you do have an existing diagnosis of hypertension, the next question will be whether or not you have been taking your medication in the manner that the doctor has prescribed.  If your answer to this question is no, you will be immediately discredited as a responsible human being and nothing you say matters to me from this point forward.  Seriously, you might as well stop talking.  I can already predict the path of your life and trust me, it isn't a pleasant path.  You are technically suicidal.  No? You don't think so?  You, my friend are wrong.  You ARE killing yourself.  Slowly.  Painfully. Deliberately.  Eventually you will end up as a stroke victim, trapped inside your body and angry that you are in that situation.  You will be rude to me and every person in this world that takes care of you when you come to the hospital.  You will be so angry that your nurse couldn't get into the room to help you do simple tasks like pulling your blanket up higher or offering you a drink of water.  Guess what? Not my fault.  You did this.  Nothing I did caused your current state. Another possible route for your life will be straight to the dialysis center.  You, the patient that couldn't find the time to pop a pill once or twice a day will now be visiting a local dialysis center 3 times a week.  You, the patient that isn't following doctor’s orders are obviously not caring about the end result: your kidneys will die.  Did you get that?  THEY WILL DIE.  Not might die.  Not could die.  THEY WILL DIE.  Again, this is your fault.  Not mine.  All yours.  TAKE YOUR MEDICINE PEOPLE. I could go on and on with this but I will spare you.

 2. I have a toothache

 THIS IS AN EMERGENCY ROOM.  WE DO NOT EMPLOY DENTISTS.  CALL A DENTIST or better yet BRUSH YOUR TEETH. Please, in the name of GOD, please brush your teeth.  Aside from the obvious breath equivalent to that which can be found in the mouths of the inmates at the local animal shelter, it's just pretty disgusting.  Can't you feel those little sweaters of plaque that form on your teeth after you eat? NEWSFLASH- Toothpaste and a toothbrush will remove that.  The simple task of brushing your teeth might actually raise your IQ and assist in your next job interview.  It could also save you thousands of dollars in trips to the ER because of YOUR failure to brush your teeth.  Seriously people.  BRUSH YOUR TEETH. The only dental complaints that should ever present to your local emergency room are abscesses that could obstruct your airway or those that are causing fever (SIDENOTE- simply brushing your teeth can generally prevent these abscesses) OR trauma that has caused damage to your teeth.  For example, if you are at a baseball game and you take a line-drive to the mouth resulting in broken teeth feel free to present to your local ER.  The staff welcomes actual EMERGENCIES.

 3.  I have vaginal/penile discharge

 You are an idiot.  Don't sleep around and if you do you should visit the local health department for screenings at least 2 times a year.  Snot coming out of your private IS NOT AN EMERGENCY.  You are an idiot and I refuse to talk about this anymore.

4. I need a pregnancy test

 Good for you.  Hike on down to your local dollar store and buy one.  We use the EXACT testing kit that you can buy for $1 at the DOLLAR store but we will charge you about $500.  Good for the hospital.  Bad for you.  We don't fill out Medicaid paperwork so you will get your pregnancy test but you will be paying for another one at your local OBGYN office. You are also an idiot. (It now occurs to me that you probably won't actually be paying your bill.  That will be left to the poor tax payers but that is a whole 'nother blog and I refuse to discuss it here.)

 5. My blood sugar is high

 This can actually be a legitimate complaint. These are the questions that your triage nurse will ask you. Have you been taking your insulin? If your answer is no you should be aware that much like non-compliance with the diagnosis of high blood pressure, non-compliance with diabetes is not my fault.  Want to regulate your blood sugar? Follow the doctor's orders.  (Brace yourself; this might hurt a little ) Part of what you can do is LOSE WEIGHT and EXERCISE.  I know you don't want to hear it but it is a cold, hard truth.  90% of Type II Diabetes is caused by obesity. That being said, in the event that you are vomiting or have a legitimate infection, your blood sugar and doses could actually be out of whack and qualify as an actual EMERGENCY. If this is the case, the ER staff won't necessarily roll their eyes at you when you aren't looking.

 6.  I have a headache

 Do you have a history of headaches? If not, proceed.  Have you taken medication for your headache and it hasn't helped? If so, proceed.  Is this the worst headache of your life and different than your usual headaches? If so, proceed.  HOWEVER, if the answer to the above questions is the opposite of those I have provided, GET THE HELL OUT OF THE EMERGENCY ROOM.  I also think it is simply adorable that most of our frequent flyers riddled with headaches are smokers.  NEWSFLASH- Smoking causes headaches.  Want to stop having frequent headaches? Drink plenty of water and stop putting poison into your body. YOU ARE CAUSING YOUR HEADACHES.  I AM NOT CAUSING YOUR HEADACHES.  Be prepared to sit in the waiting room because actual EMERGENCIES will be taken to a room before you. There is no need to holler and cry hysterically.  I realize you are in pain. I also realize that you are more than likely unwilling to hold yourself accountable for the cause of your pain.

 7. I am having a Sickle Cell Crisis

 My first question to you is why? Are you drinking enough water?  Did you stop smoking? Are you getting plenty of rest?  Are you making healthy choices with your diet?  If you answer NO to ANY of these questions, I need you to understand that IT IS YOUR FAULT THAT YOU ARE IN CRISIS.  You are in pain because your blood isn't carrying enough oxygen to the tissues in your body.  Do you know what a lack of oxygen does to the tissues in your body? IT CAUSES THE TISSUES TO DIE.  THIS IS PAINFUL. Proper diet, hydration and just taking the time to practice good, healthy, behaviors will not only save you time, pain, and money but will also extend your life by years.  Sickle Cell patients don't have long life expectancies.  Rarely do we see Sickle Cell patients that live past their forties.  I believe this could change if people would acknowledge their disease process, do the right thing and HOLD THEMSELVES ACCOUNTABLE.

 8. My back hurts

 Does it affect only one side of your lower back? If so, it might be a kidney stone which is a legitimate ER visit.  Did you injure it in the last 24 hours? Please, come in.  You might need to see a doctor.  However, if your back injury happened more than a year ago and you already have a pain management doctor GO SEE THEM.  Honestly, it is ridiculous for you to come to the ER.  The strongest medication we will prescribe in the ER is Ultram.  Deal with it.  I wish we would send everyone out with Lidoderm patches and stop feeding candy to chronic pain patients.  Have you ever dropped a Cheeto at the beach?  Every seagull within a mile can smell that thing and will be headed your way within seconds.  Lortab prescriptions are the ER equivalent to Cheetos at the beach.  Chronic pain patients can smell it before the ink is dry and will present wanting one of their very own.

 9. My fibromyalgia is acting up

 I literally have no words and am moving on.

 10. (Anything) that happened yesterday

 Chances are that if it happened yesterday and you are just now presenting to the ER this is NOT AN EMERGENCY.  Period.  Find an urgent care or a primary doctor to listen to your story.  I am so sorry that someone, somewhere, conveyed to you that you might be able to get some HUGE settlement from Wal-Mart because you failed to notice the bright red ketchup spilled on the white tile floor.  NEWSFLASH: It isn't Wal-Mart’s fault that you have the observation skills of a newborn kitten.  It is YOUR FAULT that you failed to use common sense.  Seriously.

 11. Can you get my prescriptions filled? I don't have any money

 NO. NO. NO.  NO.  NO.  NO.  NO. NO. NO.  You smell like smoke and told me to "Hold On" while you answered your iPhone 6.  Let me repeat- NO. NO. NO. NO.  NO.  NO.  NO.  NO. NO. NO.  It is not appropriate for you to save your last $30 for your manicure or your beer or your cigarettes.  You can afford a prescription. MAKE IT WORK.  Everyone else has to take care of themselves; I think you can also manage.

 12.  Can you call me a cab?

 No.  This is not the Ritz.  Call your own damn cab or call one of your friends that you just HAD to talk to during your triage assessment.  No.  I won't give you a bus pass.  How did you get to the ER? How do you get to the mall or the grocery store?  No.  No.  No.  FIGURE IT OUT.  YOU ARE NOT MY PROBLEM.  IT IS NOT MY FAULT THAT YOU CAN'T FIND A RIDE. Period. Also, it is crucial that you understand that I am not a waitress.  It is against hospital policy for me to accept tips.  Now I don't mind getting you the things that would make your stay better; For example, warm blankets or the occasional cup of ice water.  However, if I don't do this in a timely manner it is absolutely not because I am punishing you.  I AM BUSY.  I AM SAVING LIVES AND STAMPING OUT DISEASE.  Again, I am not a waitress.

 13. I have a rash

Seriously? Unless the rash is inside of your mouth and trachea, I DO NOT CARE.  THIS IS NOT AN EMERGENCY.  Find an urgent care clinic or go to your primary doctor.  Have you visited your local pharmacy? Tried Benadryl or Cortisone cream?  A small part of me dies every time someone checks in for a rash.  Literally DIES.

So it all boils down to this:  Use your brain.  Follow doctor's orders.  Take care of yourself. Save your emergency room visits for EMERGENCIES.  Please.  I absolutely LOVE my job.  I love being an ER nurse although I am sure you have questioned it a few times while reading this post.  I love EMERGENCIES.  E.M.E.R.G.E.N.C.I.E.S.  Emergencies.  Do me and every other ER nurse and patient with an EMERGENCY a favor:  Stay out of the ER if you don't have an emergency because no matter how many times you present with one of the above complaints we will take care of you and we will do so with a smile on our face and pretend to respect you while you are in our department. The problem is that more than likely, while we are doing all of that pretending, there is a patient with a real emergency that is waiting for the bed you are occupying.  Think of it as your own personal contribution to the health and well-being of the world.  Who knows? Maybe if everyone adhered to this train of thought and methodology things would improve.  Maybe the next time you present to the ER with an actual emergency you won't have to wait for the doctor to start the crucial steps needed to save your very own life.

It has been a long time since I have heard that thump my facial bones make when they make impact with another solid object. But today I was punched in the face. Hard. 

I am feeling a little down today.  For some reason, all of the hateful things going on in the world are weighing heavily on my mind.  I guess that I have spent the last few decades in a self-made bubble. All of this time that I thought I was spending on spreading my wings, I was actually creating some alternate universe in my mind regarding the truth of the world.  Take a moment to walk with me into the world I have created in my mind.

I live in a world free from racism and hate.  I live in a world where people do the right thing, raise their children to be respectful, and focus on how to make our world a better place. Where people nurture children and animals and take care of the elderly.  I have believed that bigots and racists only existed in other places, and that those places were far away from me and the people that I love.  I have believed that the majority of the population has not only embraced tolerance but also grown respect for the people around them.  I thought that we were making progress.  I thought that Christians, myself included, were striving to show the power of God’s love through their actions.  I thought that one by one we were becoming a stronger nation and world by joining forces of good.  I thought that evil and hate all existed somewhere else and that I was making a difference by showing love to all types of people.  I thought that was what the majority of people were doing.  I guess I was wrong.

The fact that the recent racial issues with the Greek community at OU (mainly with Sigma Alpha Epsilon) even occurred makes me sick.  I have mentioned this in a previous blog entry but I just can’t shake the feelings of nausea.  I guess the reason is because I have been completely blind-sided by that whole ordeal.  I thought racists were people who existed in the back woods in communities that haven’t read a newspaper in 50 years. But these were kids from families that live in my world…in my bubble.  They were not only taught this song at their national convention but also then brought it back to their university.  Who recorded them singing this?  Did that person do it because they thought it was funny? Or did they record it because they are a Camille, a person who has a little brother who just so happens to be African American? Were they mortified by this behavior and wanted to expose it?  I’m not sure I will ever know the answer to that question…HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT RACISM EXISTS LIKE THIS TODAY????????????????  “Hang him from an EFFING tree???”  I could dismiss the cries of racism with Treyvon Martin and Michael Brown.  I could look at the autopsies and facts that were reported and see that there were mistakes made on both sides of the gun.  I cannot, however, dismiss any of the words on the fraternity bus.  My bubble has been popped and I can honestly say that this is the first time I have been petrified for the safety of my son.  He will never fully know who his enemy is.  Racists no longer parade around town in sheets.  Racists blend into the professional world, the police world, the Greek world… they are everywhere, and they are far more dangerous in this camouflage they wear as successful humans.  I personally prefer the sheets.

Let’s dive a little deeper into my non-existent bubble…Business owners who refuse to serve homosexuals and a government who supports this type of bigotry.  I consider myself to be a bit of a libertarian.  I appreciate the fact that business owners have the right to serve whomever they choose.  Government shouldn’t intervene.  That is my initial response.  I absolutely abhor rules and regulations that force businesses to do the right thing because if they can force them to do the right thing, they can also force them to do the wrong thing. Right?  I mean, if I had a business and a KKK member came in I would want to refuse service to them.  If a member of the Westboro Baptist Church came in I would want to tell them to go to hell.  I would want that to be my right.  However, to discriminate based on religious values is a very slippery slope.  Christians are told that none of us are without sin…we are also told many, many, things that we should and shouldn’t do. Among those things are judging, coveting, greed, seeking the riches of this world…the list goes on and on.  Maybe I missed the message in Sunday school.  The message that I took from my church and carry with me is a message of love.  I love everyone because that is what I was told that Jesus did. I started this practice at such a young age that it became a habit of loving others. Through the love that He showed others He was able to get his message across.  What a great man to pattern my life after.  I will continue to pattern my life after that of Jesus.  I will continue to show love.

What you should know is that my heart is breaking right now.  Truly.  I can’t even wrap my mind around the hate that is surrounding me in this world.  I can’t even believe I chose to bring children into this world of hate.  Yes, on paper we have made progress, but in the hearts of the people nothing has changed.  My heart is open and I have chosen to surround myself with people whose hearts are open.  Is there hate in your heart?  Seriously.  Please ask yourself…hate towards gays or blacks or whites or Muslims or Europeans or KKK members or Westboro Baptists or the Obama Administration?  Do you have hate in your heart?  If you do, maybe it’s time for some self-reflection.  I cannot carry the burden of your hate any longer.  I am exhausted.  I am busy trying to rebuild my bubble that YOUR hate has destroyed.  I like my bubble.  I welcome anyone without hate to join in the rebuilding of my bubble. You are welcome to stay inside of my bubble. I know I am not alone.  Let’s join together.  “Love in any language, straight from the heart, pulls us all together never apart.  And once we learn to speak it, all the world will hear, love in any language, fluently spoken here.”

In the past few years we have seen a trend across the nation where states are passing laws making violence against emergency room nurses and other emergency department workers a felony offense.  It is true.  Emergency medicine is dangerous.  We deal with drug abusers, violent criminals, gangs, and grieving family members who lash out physically and emotionally towards us.  These incidents are unfathomable to those who do not live and breathe emergency medicine.   Health care professionals can literally be divided into two groups in regards to the ER: they either LOVE it or they HATE it.

I happen to be one who loves it.  I love the excitement, the adrenaline, and the ability to rise to the occasion during the most stressful of times.  I love the human connection that I make with mothers and fathers and the homeless and the chronically ill.  I love every wretched part of ER medicine except for one: The violence, both physical and emotional, that we project onto each other.  This type of violence is far worse than the violence that has been making headlines.

When I was in nursing school two decades ago, I became familiar with the phrase of “nurses eat their young.”  I really didn’t believe it until I became a new graduate in a Level I Trauma Center.  What I found is that this phenomenon truly does exist but not in the way I imagined.  Experienced nurses expect so much from those who are new to the field.  They generally do not coddle.  They generally don’t mince words.  Experienced ER nurses approach new nurses in the same way they approach emergencies.  They are there to get the job done.  They weren’t EATING me, they were teaching me how to thrive in an unforgiving environment.  They treated me like my great grandmother treated her tomato plants.  She always swore that her tomatoes grew so brilliantly because she would go out and literally beat them with a broom.  Her rationale was that they would pollinate better and thrive if you abused them a little.  I was a tomato plant in the ER.  I can honestly say that although at first I did not appreciate this, I grew to understand that by pushing me and not letting me slide, my mentors made me into the nurse I am today.  For this, I am grateful.  For this, my patients are grateful. 

ER medicine has become very metric driven.  How many patients can we see in a day?  How many sepsis patients get their treatment in less than a few hours? How many patients get their CT scan in less than 15 minutes?  I support metrics.  Metrics are measurable and produce better patient outcomes.  Metrics allow for the monitoring of professional practice.  Metrics are good.  Unfortunately, it is impossible to apply metrics to an area in ER nursing that needs SEVERE and timely intervention.

Over the past decade or so I have witnessed a truer phrase than “nurses eat their young.”  What I have seen is that ER nurses actually eat each other.  (Now don’t start getting defensive…I am not saying that ALL ER nurses are cannibalistic but there are many who are and they are calculated and loud…oh so very loud) Something has gone awry in my profession.  I do not like it.  I do not support it.  I do not participate in it.  Unfortunately, there are many who do.  It happens in emergency departments everywhere and is not limited to large ERs or small ones.  It does not discriminate based on race or gender. It has nothing to do with level or years of experience.  It is not old nurses against new nurses or vice versa.  Gone are the days of professional courtesy.  Gone are the days of interpersonal communication.  I remember a time in nursing when if you offended a fellow employee there would be actual real-time communication regarding the incident.  I remember when patient care errors were discussed and remediated at the time in which they were committed.  I remember a time in nursing where part of professionalism included being upfront and honest.  I remember a more family-style environment where people didn’t always get along but you knew that no matter what they had your back.  I hear stories from my ER friends all over the country regarding the Guerrilla warfare that is now being used to hurt each other, both professionally and personally.  Lists that are kept in secret notebooks, incidents that are discussed in secret meetings in which the accused is not allowed to be present…all of these things being piled against a fellow nurse simply to use against them in HR when the time is right.  These offenses are committed by all levels of ER nurses and are not limited to management teams.  It is a disease that is spreading.  I hear of employees operating with these covert tactics.  Emergency medicine is stressful enough without adding the necessary wound care needed after pulling all of the knives out of the backs of its nurses.  Allowing this type of annihilation to the morale of the people who dedicate their lives to saving the lives of others is a travesty.  It creates a climate of paranoia and distrust. It directly affects retention and job satisfaction.  And whether you believe it or not, it also has a profound impact on PATIENT satisfaction.  Even the concept of the capability of ER nurses doing this to each other is incomprehensible to me.  I thought that nurses were innately programmed to help and support the people around them.  Am I truly that naïve?

WHY ARE SO MANY OF US OUT TO GET EACH OTHER?  This lateral violence has got to stop.  There is not room for anything like this in emergency medicine. For those of us who do not support the direction in which ER nursing is going, let’s band together and promote a positive change in our culture. In ERs across the country let’s make a pledge to each other to offer an environment of support and growth; a climate of trust and clarity.  ER nurses, for the most part, are impeccable human beings.  They are meticulous.  They are intelligent.  They are loving.  They are absolutely, without a doubt, the-cream-of-the-crop type of human beings.  They are there to get the job done.  Let’s stop tearing each other down, trying to create reasons to prove incompetence where there is none.  Let’s observe another nurse’s weakness and then support them so that they might improve.  Let’s give grace where it is needed.  Let’s focus on our patients and saving their lives.  Let’s push each other to know more and to BE more.  In the ER we DO have an enemy.  Our enemy is illness and death.  Our enemy is not our fellow employee.  We are a family of nurses around the country and around the world.  Let us begin again to act like one.   Let us say it together, “I am an ER nurse…HEAR ME ROAR!”

Racist chants on a college bus are not what I would have predicted to be occupying my mind on this rainy Monday afternoon.  I am literally sick to my stomach thinking about it.  What were they thinking?  I was raised not too far from Norman, Oklahoma, in the whole scheme of things.  (Roughly 3 ½ hours)  I have spent my whole life making excuses to explain the perception of racist incidents away.  I have used phrases like “We must not have the whole story” or “The media is making a bigger issue out of it than it really is.” Wow.  What the hell is going on at SAE?  There is nothing I can say to explain this away.

The lyrics are as follows:

There will never be a nigger SAE

There will never be a nigger SAE

You can hang him from a tree

He will never sign with me

There will never be a nigger SAE

Wow.  I will not defend them or anything they stand for and anyone who does is pathetic.  What hole did these people crawl out of?  Are their parents embarrassed? Is this truly how they feel?  I mean I have been on several party busses and to countless college parties and have NEVER participated in or heard ANYTHING like this before.  Disgusting.

The real problem is that these people didn’t learn how to feel this way on their own.  They have ingested the poison that their parents' parents' parents' parents' fed to them.  What’s worse?  They will be feeding the same poison to their children’s children’s children.  It’s like a cesspool of hate.  THIS HAS GOT TO STOP.

Two statements I am tired of hearing:

1. I am a Christian.

For the life of me I absolutely cannot understand racism.  Seriously.  It is ridiculous.  Hear my words in this area of the country referred to as “The Bible Belt”: IF YOU HAVE GOD IN YOUR HEART RACISM IS NOT AN OPTION. Period.  The love of Christ prevents you from hating your fellow man. 

If you are racist you have not felt the love of God.  Period.  That’s right.  I am calling every racist Christian on the planet a hypocrite.  Quit breeding hate into the future of our world.  Quit parading yourselves around as members of my walk of faith because you aren’t.  You have no clue.

2.  Racism goes both ways.

Yes it does but when college kids go around singing “you can hang him from a tree”, I have to say that trumps it all.  Have you read the history of our country?  Have you listened to the horror stories of white supremacists dragging African Americans behind horses or cars for miles until they die?  Yes, there are plenty of people of color that despise whites simply because of the color of their skin.  However, historically, there really is a basis for that hatred and fear. It's a fear that has been passed down from generation to generation.  One of my dearest friends (who is African American) told me that his mom has always told him to “Come home alive.” That if he got pulled over by a police officer to do exactly what they say.  I would agree that this is good advice for everyone but that isn’t what white people tell their children.  The white community focuses more on “Don’t get thrown in jail.”  What a luxury our white sons have that they aren’t automatically classified as a thug.  Our white sons are given the benefit of the doubt and then provided the opportunity to mess that up. Our black sons are thought to be thugs and then have to prove that they aren’t.  That’s messed up.  That in itself is a travesty.

So what can we do about it?  STOP ALLOWING IT.  Stop allowing fraternities to sing songs that I am assuming are traditional within their fraternity.  Stop laughing at racist jokes.  Stop allowing people to pit us against each other.

Anyone who knows me is aware that I embrace our differences.  I do think it is important to recognize heritage.  I think it’s okay to use white or black in a physical description.  That should be okay.  There is nothing wrong with that.  What I would like to see change is the perception of race.  Physical discrimination was used under Hitler and we saw the ramifications of that.

Feel free to describe me as a “short white girl with brown hair and green eyes,” but please don’t describe my race as white.  I am not part of the Caucasian race.  I am part of the HUMAN race and I have brothers and sisters of all colors.

As far as those racist idiots on the bus in Oklahoma?  I have no use for them and neither should you.  Hopefully they will see the error of their ways.  If SAE supports this chanting then the Greek community should turn their backs on them.  I appreciate the University of Oklahoma shutting their chapter of SAE down. I am wondering if they should allow the students involved to continue their education at OU?  Is shutting down the party group enough?  OU needs to realize that now the nation views their student body in a horribly negative light.  I feel that the only way to really show support for the students who are not future members of the KKK would be to expel them permanently from their University unless they are willing to take a course in black history, attend anti-racist seminars and publicly apologize as individuals after they see the error of their ways. 

This story of racism is old and trite.  I am sick of talking about it and sick of seeing it with my own eyes.  There is a special place in hell for racists and I truly hope they burn in it. The photo with this entry is from the SAE website.  It appears that SAE is open to people of all colors.  I wonder if this is really the case... As for the Sigma Alpha Epsilon brothers across the world but especially the chapter at OU, I would pose only one question…Are you proud of yourselves now?