VIDEO TALKING ABOUT NEVER LETTING ANYONE TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN OR CANNOT DO!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tjYoKCBYag

My Perfect World:)

Describe your perfect world. What role does sorority and fraternity life play in achieving that perfect world?

My Perfect World..... hmmm... so I think my perfect world would be a world...

where we do not get caught up in the rush of life and that we enjoy the small things in life.

When someone gives you a card on a random day just because they want to let you know how much they care about you not b/c you did something for them.

When we sit down and enjoy each others company and not think in the back of our head I need to go to this or that or I need to be here or there.

My perfect world has people committing to one person versus skipping around from relationship to another and doing whatever someone wants to do b/c they can rather than valuing the relationship and respecting the other person in the relationship

Where we all live a life of purpose not just living day to day

Where we value each other for whom we are inside not for our appearance on the outside.

Where values dictate individual actions versus other people’s responses (what they think you should do)

Where people commit to one person for life, not quit and get a divorce when things get hard and he/she may just not want to fight for what they originally said they would die for.

Where on any given night, people can socialize and enjoy each others company without the presence of alcohol

Where women and men respect themselves and others

Where we are not content with status quo and where we know that there is always room to improve

Where the color of one’s skin does not dictate who that individual is

Where mediocrity is not enough and where excellence is desired


Where people can be who they are and do not need "liquid courage" to be ourselves

Where we all work hard everyday to create a better world for the generations to follow.

Where we build character among young people and where later in life we expect those individuals to act with integrity.

Where we strive to make a difference in the life of someone who is less fortunate each day not just during the holidays or when we have extra time

So I guess a large part of my world would be more about RELATIONSHIPS and more about VALUES and being content with the gifts that we were given and be SATISFIED with WHO WE ARE not who we think other people WANT US TO BE.

Thinking about my world I feel that sorority/fraternity life could play a significant role in my perfect world as S/F life represents a values-based community committed to elevating its members to become better sisters/brothers, better people. So if my perfect world existed and students came to school with high standards and expectations for themselves as well as others then F/S life would serve to perpetuate those believes and behaviors as well as serve to foster the development of their character. S/F life would serve as a support for those men and women to continue to believe in what they were taught as youth.

It is kinda hard to think of a perfect world b/c if the world was perfect then the current problems of hazing, excessive alcohol consumption, petty women, and other immoral activities would not exist. So as I have already stated, F/S life would serve to perpetuate the values that we, as individuals in this perfect world, strive to uphold--service, true and honest friendship, leadership, scholarship, personal growth...

CUTEST BOY EVER!!!!!!! YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS. HE LIVES IN SPRING HILL, TENNESSEE WE ARE PRACTICALLY NEIGHBORS... well sorta like 45 mins:) fun fact!!

Change starts today!

Describe in your own words, the dilemma – and the opportunity – facing the Fraternal Movement.

So I am a fourth year at Ohio State, and still the same problems that I realized existed after attending UIFI my freshman year still persist today so to me I think our biggest dilemma is that we know the problem exists, but we are not doing anything to change it. Maybe, we are doing things, but is it really working? Obviously, fraternities and sororities cannot be transformed in a day, but shouldn’t we have made more progress by now? What has changed? Hazing still exists on campuses, individuals still drink too much, we still have apathetic members, we still have members who have checked out as seniors and said that it is not their problem anymore, or there is the member that says they are too busy to change anything. Yet, how ironic that member is the one that sleeps in or that you see sitting on the couch watching tv hour after hour or has plenty of time to go out on the weekend. Isn't it crazy how time just magically appears when there is something that someone wants to do...

So I guess that means to me that the dilemma also lies in our Recruitment Process. How does that member who just wants to be a bystander always get in? Are they good at acting like they are all about the values and action? Yet, once there in the problem still persists... what about our NEW MEMBER PROCESS... Are we educating these men/women to understand what is expected of them? I do not think so. Yes, we share our philanthropies, our creed, and our founders... but I feel that sometimes it just STOPS there. Yet, this should not happen. Education should continue throughout one's fraternal experience. We should be encouraging growth, development, and maturation during one's entire experience. We should be educating our new members on our values, and we, the one’s educating them, we should be practicing those values each day, as you cannot expect something from someone when you yourself are not holding yourself to the same standards…

What would our community be like if we incorporated our values into our meetings, our conversations with potential new members or even students in our classes? What would people say if they heard a sorority woman or a fraternity man say, “last week my brothers and I went and visited elderly women at the nursing home.” Hmm… I think they would be impressed, but that won’t do it all… Friday night, these fraternity men and sorority women should remain classy and not represent our community poorly. For instance, I know we have all said this before, but I will say it again b/c these actions still occur in our community… all of our positive actions become overlooked and ignored when just one individual embarrasses him or herself by drinking too much and blacking out. I do not think that there is anything wrong with drinking, but I do think that moderation is key.

HOWEVER, the fraternal movement has such potential, and it starts today, not tomorrow or with next year’s Exec but with our community and us. I feel like we have already started to take progressive steps especially with what Panhellenic has done. I know I wrote about this in my other blog, but I really think that you can already see changes in our community by just talking about our values. Today, I went and participated in the Reading Program with the City Schools. What a cool experience! If you do not have class tomorrow, you should definitely go! Anyways, I was talking to Zach, the VP of Student Life who coordinated the event with Dr. J, and I was asking him how many participants they had. He responded, “About 200, and he proceeds to say how he is so impressed with Panhellenic and sincerely appreciated our support.” Now, a lot of the push for these participants came from women serving as Panhellenic leaders such as our delegates and directors. I think we had approximately 16 women from PHA Council reading, and I am pretty sure Kristen Darnell and Amanda Chin sent me the names of 10 Alpha Xi Delta women. My point is that we have the potential to CHANGE our COMMUNITY, and the fact that such few people generated this much support within such a short amount of time proves that ONE individual can make a DIFFERENCE. So the opportunity is there, and I think that we recognize that the problems exist, but now it is time for more ACTION and less discussion. In short, I believe the OPPORTUNITY is there for us to CHANGE and make the fraternity and sorority life the organization that EVERYONE wants to JOIN if we just focus on returning to a VALUES-BASED community that is COMMITTED to EDUCATING our members throughout the EXPERINECE and addressing the NEEDS of our community by helping others realize WHY we exist.

So another long blog... guess paraphrasing is not my forte….

PHA CHANGE AGENTS....

So I don't think I could be more excited for what we are doing within PHA! We have completely restructured our meetings, and instead, of the mundane announcement after announcement, we are having meaningful discussions and planning events for areas in our community where we see the greatest need. If you have read any of my blogs, I mentioned how we have "A" Weeks and "B" Weeks. "B" Weeks are lead by our delegates, and they are focused on a different values of our community. "A" Weeks are suppose to be announcements, but we have changed them to include 15min of announcements, 35min of productive work, and 10min of updates from the small groups for the large groups.

Now, I know I did not get hear everything about the VPs meeting, but I did get to hear their updates from Ina and Stephanie planning to educate chapters on hazing to Sam and her Recruitment team transforming our website.. So exciting!

I think what I am really impressed with is our Delegates. Usually Delegates feel like they are just messengers, and that their position is not really valued so what they do during "productive time" is have a discussion with Tyler and me. This week we talked about what a PHA Delegate is? Is the position valued? and what is PHA?

I think it was so cool to listen to the delegates say that their chapters did not perceive their position as valued until lately when we they said how they were able to say how PHA meetings have transformed and how now they have a role in leading the B weeks. Just listening to them talk, you can tell that they are excited and feel like they have a purpose at the meetings. They started talking about what else needs to change in the community and how they perceive PHA as the GLUE that holds the COMMUNITY together. How cool! So if you cannot tell, I am really really excited!

I think that the affect that delegates are having are apparent in how many volunteers we are sending to read in the City Schools this Thursday and Friday. We have 58 women going to read to children!!!

I know I believed that we could create CHANGE in our positions, but I would never had imagined that we could generate such momentum so fast. Granted, we do not have the whole community on board yet, but with our FOUR EXEC BOARDS, and the Panhellenic Delegates/Directors starting to want to create this change I do think it is possible!

Maybe our IDEAL FRATERNITY/SORORITY LIFE won't be just a project but an OUTCOME of all our hard work and dedication to fraternity/sorority life.....

this is pretty funny!! this little girl is crying over justin bieber...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTCm8tdHkfI

40 hours in a day...

So first i just want point out that this is the second time that i am writing this blog... as the first time, i posted and it did not save or something and thus it is gone:(

oh well, what i was blogging about is how there just are not enough hours in the day! i mean wouldnt it be so much better if we had 40 hours in a day? i say that, but i feel like we would just find some way to fill those up too... like last night, we had our exec meeting, and we had so much to discuss and we still didnt get to everything. so it got me thinking about how can we run these meeting more efficently? it makes me think about the 10 minute team that we read in my business management class earlier in the quarter. it talks about how meetings should be 10 minutes of updates and then the remaninder of the meeting should be focused on the development of the org and action.

Now, i do think that pha is getting better at this b/c each week we discuss the topic that we will be discussing at our wed meetings with our directors and delegates. like this week we talked about service/philanthropy.

so i guess what i am asking is how much of annoucements could we cut out to keep everyone informed of what each ind. is doing but keep it short enough that we could focus on our next action steps and value discussions? i brought up maybe meeting up with our exec board one-on-one but then later i was thinking well they already do that with tyler so wouldnt that be redundant? maybe it would be just best to have everyone just do updates for 2 minutes. so that would technically be 10 min (10 min team) then the remainder of the time could be spent on action and value discussion..

i think it is something to consider, but with as fast as the days go, i guess i want us to be as efficient and productive as we can b/c before we now it our 52 weeks will pass by before our eyes...

TO THE LONGEST BLOG EVER.... I THINK SO:)

What are the strenghts of your chapter and in what ways does your chapter need to improve?

Wow. I feel like this is a loaded question, but I do see a lot of positive attributes to Kappa Delta, and I am proud to be a Kappa Delta. However, I know our chapter is not perfect, and like everything in life, we all can improve. I think tonight is a good example when I was disappointed with the commitment of our chapter. Tonight, we had a sisterhood event with Alpha Xi Delta, and unfortunately, we had a poor turnout. I think we probably had 10-12 KDs at the event where as Alpha Xi Delta had about 20-25. Now, granted I did not literally count each individual at the event, but I feel that the ratio was 5-6 Alpha Xi Delta's to 1-2 Kds. So ok my math is a little off, but anyways to me this is discouraging.

From a chapter perspective, these are responses I believe would be expected:

1. We had dance team at the same time so X members were unable to attend. YET, how many women are on dance team? Probably 20-30. hmm still leaves about 70 plus members

2. X members had to study. True, we are at school to perform in the classroom, but what about time management. Did you sleep in today? or did you waste an two hours watching tv? The event was only 1 hour. You couldn't spare that. Maybe a study break...

3. Other obligations. Can't really argue that:)

But, lets look at the flip side....

How many members show up to an alcoholic event with a fraternity? How many members went to formal last weekend? How many more members were free to go out last Saturday night?

So what about this:

1. Maybe prioritized better and studied that Saturday night or studied more on Sunday? Now, granted who studies Saturday night? but, still i think it goes back to time management and prioritizing. We all can make time for things if we plan.

So how many women were at formal? probably >80% of our chapter. Granted big event and ton of fun but being a member of kd is more than just the social events involving alcohol. We made an Oath to uphold the values of our sorority. Below I have included our Creed to illustrate what we believe in:

Kappa Delta Creed

May We, Sisters in Kappa Delta, strive each day to seek more earnestly the honorable and beautiful things. May We each day through the love of those within our circle, Learn to know and understand better those without our circle. May the diamond shield that guards our love find us each day Truer, Wiser, More Faithful, More Loving, and More Noble.

So above illustrates what we believe in, and I think one thing to highlight is the part that says "May we each day through the love of those within our circle, Learn to know and understand better those without our circle"

Some people may read that and think hmm conceded? Kd has their own circle. but it is not meant like that it is about being committed to the women in our sorority and all kds and being so close and knowing what we stand for ourselves that then we can understand others better. So does that mean we do not understand ourselves? since we do not take the time to understand others?

I do think this incident is a concern for our chapter as another thing that makes me so mad is when people say they want to do certain events to win chapter of the year. UGH! It drives me nuts! We should strive to do things b/c we want to know others more and grow as individuals and as a chapter by better understanding others (hmm interesting how that is a reflection of our creed....) We should do things to grow as individuals--more service, more sisterhoods, more events and more activities about personal development. I truly believe that being apart of a sorority is about developing as an individual and becoming better individuals, better sisters/brothers. I also believe that sororities/fraternities provide this opportunity through the close relationships that we develop so that we can support each other and grow as individuals.

So I do believe that things need to change within Kd so that we can become a better sorority and change these weaknesses into strengths. I think this all goes back to Ritual we need to understand who we are and what we believe in so that then we can live our Ritual and teach others (our new members and other Greeks) and then expect it from others. I also know that I am not a perfect kappa delta and am not at every event!

LONG blog... maybe to long.. but keep going b/c I do love Kappa Delta, and the POSITIVE cannot be omitted.

1. I love Kappa Delta for the women that our in our chapter. Many of my best friends are Kappa Deltas, and they have made my college experience the best ever. These women will be my bridesmaids; they will be my best friends beyond our four year experience; they will be the ones I call when I get engaged, who I call when I am sad or excited; they are the ones I will go on trips with. They are not just my friends they are my SISTERS. and that is what Kappa Delta is to me it is my FAMILY away from HOME! When I think about being a senior, it makes me so sad b/c I live in my house and all i can think is how much I am going to miss my sisters next year. We are all going different directions, and it breaks my heart b/c I am going to miss our late night talks, girls nights out, just having a friend down the hall to get advice, friends to laugh with, cry with, become better people. It makes me cry b/c things are going to be different next year. Yes, we will all keep in contact and visit but it is just not the same. I cannot imagine not living with my best friend next year and not having the ability to just come home from class and not see her:(

2. Kappa Delta has helped me grow in all aspects of my life. I a better leader b/c of Kappa Delta. I have a PASSION for SERVICE b/c of Kappa Delta and being Greek. Kd provided me with opportunities that I would not have had had I not joined my sorority. I remember when I applied to be on our Exec Board to be PHA delegate, and I did not get the position, and all the seniors came up to me and personally sat me down and say we did NOT vote for you. I was first thinking well thanks good to know... but then they said we did not vote for you b/c we believe you can do more for the community. we think you should apply for PHA and with their encouragement and support I did. Where would I be if they had not done that? would i have applied for PHA? I really am not sure?

3. I am proud of many of my sisters. Their actions inspire me to be a better person, better leader, better sister. I can think of many selfless acts by my sisters, and it is the small things that make me think wow I am so glad you are my sister. I remember freshman year I did not have a ride to church in Worthington and my friend would always drive me! That's a sister!

4. One thing that KD prides itself on is SISTERHOOD, INVOLVEMENT, and ACADEMICS. My favorite of these is sisters, and I have really seen this this year. We are close, and I love how I close to the younger members and not just my pledge class. I love how we all can just sit downstairs together and have fun together.

Ok so before I write the longest blog ever I am going to go on to the next question! In short, yes, we can be better, and yes, I plan on saying something in chapter next week about how we need to reevaluate what we value and make sure we are being the best women we can be, but at the same time, I am going to say that I am proud to be a Kappa Delta b/c to me, KD is family!


What are the strenghts of your council and in what ways does your council need to change?

Strengths of our Council. Well, this kinda goes along with Tyler's blog about words. How do we really define Council? PHA as a whole? the representatives that come to PHA meetings? I think you all mean Panhellenic Association as a WHOLE b/c together we make up the COUNCIL.

So Strengths:

1. I think this is hard b/c i just see so many areas to improve, and b/c I do not feel that we are a COMMUNITY yet and that makes it hard to really know are strenghs b/c we do not know each other. I see strengths in individual chapters such as those that demonstrate their commitment to service and those that continually demonstrate success during recruitment. But, I guess this question is really hard for me b/c I feel like we really do not know each other well enough to know our strengths as a COUNCIL. yes, we meet the standards of excellence but do we just do that b/c it is a requirement? I am inclined to say yes....

So since I am struggling to define our community; maybe you do mean PHA as our exec board, directors, and delegates...

1. I think our strongest attribute is the trust and relationships that we have started to develop. I do feel that we are a really close council and I love that! I really think we talk every day together!

2. We are committed to change, and we have already started to demonstrate this by changing how councils operate.

3. We are passionate about the community. We care about the direction we are headed in, and we want to help our community grow as well as help the individuals within it grow.

WHERE DO WE NEED TO CHANGE:

1. We need to figure out how to engage the community. How can we get everyone excited about being apart of PHA and not just her individual chapter. This is a huge problem.

If we can help everyone understand that they are not just X chapter but apart of PHA then hopefully start to create more COLLABORATION among the chapters and promote positive change.

2. Though I think we are in the process of changing this, we need to develop our council so that we are promoting personal development among the women. How is what we are doing making them better individuals? better prepared for the future? how are we making them aware of our values and how are we holding them accountable?

3. More ORGANIZED and better PLANNERS. we are working on this too, but how do we get people to meet deadlines each time. Follow-up is key but this is still a working progress...

What are the strenghs of our community and in what ways does our community need to change?

Community Strengths:

1. We have 4 strong councils this year and I believe this is the perfect foundation to strengthen our community

2. Strong Brother/Sisterhood; unfortunately this is a weakness too as we need to extend this to outside Chapter letters

3. We are value-based; again a weakness, we need to start PRACTICING these values DAILY!!

4. We are PROUD. I think people wear their letters so much b/c they love their organization. Again, we need to help them start loving the COMMUNITY and not just their CHAPTER. However, it is a STRENGTH to be apart of an organization you love!

5. We all took an OATH to our organization, and our commitment is for lifetime. This distinguishes us from other organizations...

WHERE TO CHANGE:

Slightly mentioned above, but again...

1. We are value-based lets start living it!!!

2. We are a community not just chapters; we need to collaborate and get to know each other better. We need to stop stereotyping and start supporting each other!

3. ALCOHOL! We need to stop making this the focal point and instead be more responsible and hold others accountable

4. HAZING! breaking people down to build them up... THAT IS THE WORST THING I HAVE EVER HEARD! that is not how it works! we should be helping our members GROW and become better people through providing them with opportunities to grow and supporting them!

So i know that is long, but i think those are some loaded questions and there is a lot to say about them!

Good thoughts but wish you could see the pictures!

A Birth Certificate shows that we were born
A Death Certificate shows that we died
Pictures show that we lived!
Have a seat ... Relax ...
And read this slowly

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I Believe ...
That just because two people argue,
It doesn't mean they don't love each other.
And just because they don't argue,
It doesn't mean they do love each other.

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I Believe ...
That we don't have to change friends if
We understand that friends change.

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I Believe ...
That no matter how good a friend is,
they're going to hurt you every once in a while
and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe ...
That true friendship continues to grow,
even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.

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I Believe ...
That you can do something in an instant
That will give you heartache for life.

I Believe ...
That it's taking me a long time
To become the person I want to be.

ATT1292972.jpg

I Believe ...
That you should always leave loved ones with
loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe ...
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

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I Believe ...
That we are responsible for what
We do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe ..
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

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I Believe ...
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done,
when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences.


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I Believe ...
That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I Believe ...
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down
will be the ones to help you get back up.

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I Believe ...
That sometimes when I'm angry
I have the right to be angry,
But that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe ...
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had
And what you've learned from them and
less to do with how many
birthdays you've celebrated.



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I Believe ...
That it isn't always enough,
to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I Believe ...
That no matter how bad your heart is broken
the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I Believe ...
That our background and circumstances
may have influenced who we are,
But, we are responsible for who we become.

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I Believe ...
That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret.
AS it could change your life forever.

I Believe ...
Two people can look at the exact same
thing and see something totally different.




I Believe ...
That your life can be changed in a matter of
hours by people who don't even know you.

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I Believe ...
That even when you think you have no more to give,
When a friend cries out to you -
you will find the strength to help.

I Believe ...
That credentials on the wall
do not make you a decent human being.

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I Believe ...
That the people you care about most in life
are taken from you too soon.

I Believe ...
That you should send this to
all of the people that you believe in, I just did.

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'The happiest of people don't necessarily
have the best of everything;
They just make the most of everything they have.

and that’s my words of belief's for today ...

Internet troubles and AFLV:)

OSU buckeyemail isnt working right now so I thought I would blog about this weekend and how much fun it was!!! It was so much fun to get to hang out with everyone and get to know everybody more! I had a blast and am so excited for this year! We have a great group of leaders on all four councils! There are definitely some things that I will not forget about this weekend...

1. Minglesticks. enough said.
2. Cranberry shots with our advisors. Poor example... Tyler and Maggie
3. STEP SHOW!! We have to participate in the variety show!! I think my moves are definitely legit:)
4. Bus ride!
5. "Get in my snuggle..."
6. Minglesticks
7. Leeches
8. Eating Chicken every meal. I love chicken!
9. Taking 3 lbs of food from the hotel for lunch, sam...
10. Hanging out with all of you!!! Think we need a reunion! have withdrawls from AFLV!!

When I was listening to the other Big Ten schools talk about their communities, I was thinking, yes OSU is not perfect, but I do feel that we are ahead of many of the big ten schools!!! Cant wait till this year! Its gonna be awesome!!

I think it would be really cool if we did participate in the StepShow and even get some of the younger kids that do step like the little kids that Sharrell teaches to be in our stroll!

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...

I am so ready for bed! What a fun day, but so tired! Excited for tomorrow, but the benefit of sleep cannot be denied!
NIGHT!!

So what is an Oath and why did we take them?

Thinking 3 years back when I pledged myself to Kappa Delta I know I did not really understand what was going on when we signed our oath. I knew what I envisioned that my experience would be like making new friends that I would one day call my sisters and opportunities to serve my community as well as serve as a leader. Yet, an oath? What was that back then? To me, I think I just thought I was becoming a member. Yes, I knew it was for life, but what it meant to me then has changed so much over time. Still, I have a life commitment to Kappa Delta, but it is a commitment that means so much to me. My sisters in Kappa Delta are just like my family. They mean so much to me. Coming back from my tangent, what is an oath?

An oath is a promise, it is a commitment, it is in essence a contract as we discussed in class. After our discussion, I do believe that the oath that we all made does distinguish us from all organizations. Even today, at AFLV the gentleman speaking spoke about our Ritual and how that separates us from other organizations. The Oath that we made to our organization consists of all of the ideals that encompass our Ritual. For me, I made an Oath to Kappa Delta that I would be a member for life and that I would commit to our ideals of sisterhood, service, scholarship, leadership, and reaching our potential. I made an Oath to "honorable, beauty, and highest" Now at first I used to misinterpret the beauty part of the promise that we made, but I get it know. It is not beauty in the physical sense but beauty from within--the beauty of one's heart and that beauty can be seen through one's actions.

So in sum the Oath that I made meant that I would be a Kappa Delta for life who committed myself to obtaining to the best of my ability our ideals each and every day. To me, an Oath is a challenge. Yes, once you sign it you can just forget about it, or you can accept that challenge and strive each day to obtain these ideals. Though we are not perfect, by holding ourselves accountable to these ideals we will become better people, and as better people, we can lead the change that we are striving to achieve.

PHA!!

One of the goals of the Executive Board of PHA this year is to really help the other members at our meetings to understand the purpose of PHA and what our role is in the community as well as how we can help create a better community.

Last week, we started by dividing up the women into groups to discuss a portion of the Mission Statement. So this week, after first looking at what our purpose is and what we state that we stand for we are having a discussion by Jeff Pellitier about Values/Ritual.

We, as Exec, thought it would be smart to frame our Executive meetings around our PHA meetings; thus, we discuss a portion of the upcoming PHA meeting at our Exec meeting so we will be prepared to help facilitate or lead the discussions at the PHA meetings.

So values.... What do I value and how do they fall within the PHA Mission Statement:

1. I value my faith, my family, and my friends.

I value integrity, honesty, discipline

I value hard work and working to make a difference

I value helping other people and staying healthy

I value responsibility and high standards

I value opportunities and learning

I value the small things in life.

In our PHA Mission Statement, we state that we value:

1. scholarship
2. friendship
3. service
4. mataining high standards
5. health
6. diversity
7. strive to live
8. community

Even though I have kinda blogged about this before about how I feel that our community has a lot of things that we need to change and other things that we do well; I think that we are taking the first steps by the discussions that we are having in class and the initiatives that we are taking within our councils.

Where did all those cows come from?

So yesterday I guess b/c of the weather "the milk man" was unable to deliver any milk to our house! Well, I have to have milk everyday! That is all I really drink: water, milk, and grapefruit/OJ in the morning... So I was a lil upset when I came back from class, and there was no milk!

When we were in class yesterday, I was complaining to Amanda how we did not have any milk, and that I was seriously gonna go buy some for the weekend. She responded,"We have plenty of milk at the Alpha Xi Delta chapter; we will donate some to the Kds." Now, I was not gonna steal their milk, but later, in the night after class, Amanda texted me and said they had extra cows at their house..... So have being pursued by her and Kristen (another Alpha Xi Delta) I walked over, and they donated 2 gallons of milk to our chapter!

Now, maybe you are thinking that is no big deal; it is just 2 gallons of milk. I disagree. Amanda could have ignored my comment and just told me to go buy some or not reach out to me a second time to come get milk. So to me, I am thinking this is a step toward COMMUNITY... one chapter helping another when they are in need or just need some milk:) Kinda like when neighbors talk about borrowing a cup of sugar. We are neighbors here in the Greek community so we should want to support each other in everything we do whether that is a risk management program (Tri Delta this Monday, Feb 8th) or Delta Sigma Theta's event on Feb 18th).

Either way, it was some much fun to come back to KD with milk and hear everyone be so impressed with the ladies of Alpha Xi Delta's act of kindness. They were genuinely impressed and appreciative. I feel like it is the small things in life that mean the most.

So where did those cows come from? our sisters down on 15th..

LTR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"What are you secret thoughts of Ritual?"

Well, I guess my secret thoughts about Ritual are that its not really a SECRET! Yes, everyone has their own ceremony, and unique things that its individual chapter does. Nonetheless, I think that the foundation that Ritual was founded on remain the same for all of organizations. If you looked at everyone’s Creed, you would see a lot of similarities especially the VALUES!!! Maybe, I should not say all, but I am pretty confident that we all share similar values—we value brother/sisterhood, service, academics, leadership, personal development, and generally, some where in the Ritual or Creed it eludes to becoming better people!

So I guess the biggest SECRET about my thoughts about RITUAL is, yes, there are differences among our RITUAL, but in the end, I think they are more ALIKE than DIFFERENT.

My other thought about RITUAL is that Ritual should be practiced DAILY. Like the video we watched said, Ritual is not a performance; it is a WAY OF LIVING. Ritual should not be HIDDEN; it should be SHARED with others within and outside of our community. Maybe, we do not share every detail, but we share the PURPOSE. What Ritual means to us? I think once we are able to really appreciate our Ritual, and what it truly means we can start to incorporate it into our lives and then share it with others, and finally, we can expect it from them!

One thing that I learned from UIFI that I loved was the saying below:

LEARN IT.
LIVE IT.
TEACH IT.
EXPECT IT.

The big saying at UIFI was LTR!!! (LIVE YOUR RITUAL)!

So, again, my secret thoughts are that RITUAL should not be a SECRET!!!

What kinda of power do you have? Soul Power:

So I love the inspiring youtubes, and I love Remember The Titans! What a good movie! I like what Denzel Washington says about Change and then how he says, "If we don't come together, right now, on this hallow ground; we, too, will be destroyed. Just like they were."

So maybe Greek Life wont be destoyed today, tomorrow, or a few years, but if it doesnt change maybe someday what we all loved so much won't be here? I am so sick of talking about change; it is time we stop talking about it and just do it!





Leading with courage and without fear. Which means they do what is right, not what is easiest.

Where are we?

We, as Undergraduate Members of Women's Fraternities, stand for good scholarship, for guarding of good health, for maintenance of fine standards, and for serving, to the best of our ability, our college community. Cooperation for furthering Fraternity life, in harmony with its best possibilities , is the ideal that shall guide our Fraternity activities.

We, as Fraternity Women, stand for service through the development of character inspired by the close contact and deep friendship of individual Fraternity and Panhellenic life. The opportunity for wide and wise through human service, through mutual respect and helpfulness, is the tenet by which we strive to live.

So many of you might know what the above paragraphs are from; many of you probably do not. Above is the Creed for the Panhellenic Association. As an Exec Board, we wanted to discuss our Creed with the women on council as we feel that if we do not know what our organization stands for and believes in we will be unable to lead our community in the right direction and provide the best programs and opportunities to promote the development of our members. So what is in the Creed.... It looks pretty straight forward, right? but when you read the ideals that we pledge to uphold. Are we the ladies of the Panhellenic Association really upholding these values?

Yes and no we are.... I guess it is easiest to go in order:
1. Scholarship: Yes, we do hold a higher GPA average than non Greeks but are all our members performing to their best ability? Are we providing the resources to encourage academic success? Are our standards high enough?

2. Good Health: Hmmm... I am not so sure we have got this one down. Drinking and sex surrounds the stereotype of our community, and even our own members stated that when we asked them about Ritual. How do we change this? How do we help our members be more responsible? We always have the speakers come in and give their personal story; though these are heartfelt, how many members take it to heart? Many leave saying that won't happen to me....

3. Maintenance of fine standards: Again, unfortunately, I feel that we fall short. Yes, we fulfill the standards of excellence requirements; key word, requirements. Do we do these events b/c we have too or do we do them b/c they are required to be in good standings? We need to appreciate diversity, and not just send 75% of our members to get the check mark by diversity event completed...

4. Serve our college community: Well, I do not think the Haiti Dinner can go unnoticed, and I know I am being a little skeptical and unsatisfied in this blog, but we talk about change and we preach that we uphold these standards, and I guess I just wonder when are we going to really? So yes, we have done things for our college community, but is it enough? I feel that if we really had made an impact on our college community more people would want to be Greek. They would be able to point out things and be like "oh yea, those Greeks did this or that for the freshman or for the University..."

5.Cooperation for furthering Fraternity life: Yes, progress is being made, but I still would not say that our community is truly valued based. And yes we are growing, but how do we are growing in quality not quantity?

6. Service: No. I do not think that many of us enough. Sure we have excuses: we have class, work, more class, meetings, org., chapter. but many of us are still able to make it to the tg on thursday night?

7. Development of character: I think by achieving all of the ideals of the community one truly develops his/her character. I dunno this is hard b/c yes I think that Greek Life is amazing and it definitely helps with character building, but have we developed each member's character? I know many of us do, but can we be content with many?

8. Friendship: I think this is the best attribute of the Greek Community. To truly develop friendships that we can call someone a sister or brother. BUT friendship should extend across chapters; competition and sterotypes still exist, and though competition is good. Isn't one of the main purposes of Greek Life reaching our potential and developing character? So if we talk bad about others or think we are too cool for another chapter are we being the best we can be? do we really have a lot of character?

9. Wide and wise: This one is kinda tough? I guess it depends on how you interpret it, but I am gonna take it as through our experiences we are growing in all aspects: intellectually, in our perspective of life, and our characters.

10. Respect, helpfulness: Not too much.. Similar to #8 we need to work on relationships across chapter lines and unfortunately, I can think of instances when I have seen a lack of respect for women of the same chapter...

So what was the point of this blog novel? For me, I really want to break down the Creed and see what we are all about, and now after looking at it, it is my goal to start to change the negative above into positive. To help others appreciate Greek Life and to provide opportunities for growth among our community, specifically, starting with our Council. I want us to understand what we believe in so we can put those thoughts into actions...

Stop and help or walk?

So if you have not read Amanda's post about our encounter with the woman in need last night you really should! Similar to Amanda, I was facing the same struggle. I wanted to help her, but I did not have any money with me. So what I was thinking was well you wait right her and I will run to my house to get you some medication for your son. Then, my next thought is wait I dont want her to see where I live. Just like Amanda said why do we judge? Why do we assume that someone is dangerous or has alternative motives that what they say?

Partly, I think it is society and how individuals act these days. In general, it is hard to really trust someone and beleive everything that they say, but I also think part of the skeptism comes from how people act on a daily basis. Integrity is lacking in our society, and generally, people just do what they want. What benefits them. Now, I am not saying everyone is like that; there are many people selfless individuals in our world. Unfortunately, I think we have more selfish people. We live in a society of always wanting more and never really being satified. Now, you might be thinking what does this have to do with the woman on the streeet?

I think it has everything to do with her. When approached by her, we perceived her story as the same one that we hear walking down High Street. "I don't have any money; can you spare some." Like Amanda said, how can we know they are going to really spend this money on the child who is sick or is it just for alcohol or drugs? Maybe we never will now, but I still feel like we should help them.

So this situation really reminds me of a discussion that we had in my Bible study last week. We were struggling with the same conflict and wondering what should we do? What does God want us too do? It reminded me of the Bible verse from Luke 12:48 that states,

"From everyone who has been given much, much will be required, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be asked."

Another tangent (to the longest blog ever!: One of my friends said at Bible study that she carries around peanut butter crackers and when someone as her for money she gives them some crackers. Or someone else said that when they saw an individual sitting on the street asking for money by Starbucks she bought him a drink when she got one for herself.

I guess what I am saying is though we may wonder what the individual's story is; maybe we should not focus on what we think their motives are but instead just lend a hand and help them whether that be with a couple of advil (if we were only lucky enough to have those with us last night!) or a hot coffee....

Big R, Little r

So I heard about the activity you all got to do last Friday, and it sounded like it was a lot of fun! I would have been curious to see what everyone said to you all!

So what really is Ritual? It is funny because after I became a member of Kappa Delta the meaning of Ritual for me changed. At first, I remmeber thinking that Ritual is suppose to be a secret that only Kappa Delta know about, but after having some real converstations about Ritual at UIFI, Ritual took on a different meaning. I realized that many of us share many similar aspects in our Rituals. Yes, the ceremonies are likely different, but the meaning behind Ritual is similar. To me, I see Ritual as an expression of what a sorority/fraternity believes in--sister/brotherhood, growth, development, and becoming better people. Why would we want to keep that hidden? We should want to share that with individuals outside of the community, and we should be acting out our Ritual daily hence the word "Ritual."

According to Webster, Ritual means "of or relation to rites or a ritual: ceremonial ; done in accordance with social custom or nomral protocol; AN ACT OR SERIES OF ACTS REGULARLY REPEATED in a set precise manner.

Yes, true, Rituals are ceremonies, but the part that I focused on in the defintion was AN ACT OR SERIES OF ACTS REGULARLY REPEATED. I think this is significant b/c I beleive that is how we should treat our Ritual. Kinda going off on a tangent with this, but I think it is important to realize that their are two types of Ritual Big "R" Ritual and Little "r" ritual. Little "r" rituals are the things that we do everyday--brush our teeth, get dressed, go to class, etc. More importantly though is Big "R" that maybe we just perceive as a ceremony but isn't more? I think it is; I think that Big "R" Ritual represents the values of our community-friendship, service, leadership, academics, personal development, reaching one's potential.

Big "R" Ritual should be treated like Little "r" ritual; it should be practiced in our daily lives. Each day, we should strive to Live our Ritual as then not only will we become better people we will be able to show others what Greek Life is really about.

Transitioning!!!

So after receiving emails from directors it is evident that we need to set higher expectations for our outgoing council. I know that the old council is ready to be done at the end of the year, but when individuals are not transitioned correctly or have to wait weeks before the former director will meet with them, it delays the progress of the incoming council, and instead, we spend time going back to transition individuals that we are not even as informed about as needed. I know that last year I was not even transitioned.... This just is not fair to the incoming councils who are excited for their new positions and ready to start!

So I would say this will be one of my goals for the councils to properly transition the next council so they can start the first of the year:)

Your Very Best...

So I really like the motivational videos... I have seen this one before, but I thought it has a lot of relevant messages to leadership from perseverance, believing in one's self,always giving it your very best, to the influence that one individual can have on others. Brock Kelly was a leader for his football team, and if you ever watch the movie that this clip appears in you, you would see that he did lead his team to win games that they never thought they could win.

How do you keep the good ones in?

So I met with an young women yesterday who just joined the Greek community, and based on recent conversations with other new members in her class, she is not sure if Greek Life is for her. She was teary-eyed when I spoke with her, and she was conflicted on what she should do. She thought she was joining a community that was committed to service, academics, and who valued quality friendship. I tried to share with her that many of us face the same challenge and how she is exactly the kind of member that we want in our community, but I am not sure if that is enough. I only met with this individual for an hour, and I could already see her as the President of her respective chapter or even council. But how do we keep her apart of the community? These are the individuals that we need more of... So anyone have any ideas of what might keep her around???

I tried to explain how she could make a difference in our community, and that the ultimate goal is to recruit members that just do not perceive the drinking aspects of Greek Life. I guess that when you see again that we need to start with our recruitment. Recruit for quality not quantity!

CHANGE:)

So I wanted to blog about this last week as we were talking about change, but I feel like we are going to continue to talk about change the entire quarter so I think it is still applicable. Anyways, you may be thinking 2pac how is that related to our community? Well, I think it does b/c it talks about how we need to change-change the way we eat, change the way we live, change the way we treat each other. All of these things are reflective of our world, obesity is everywhere,we are too consumed in our own lives, and we treat each other poorly and sometimes do not show each other the respect that we all deserve. So I guess this reminded me of our conversation b/c things must change in our community for us to remain national organizations across the country. When I was reading the articles for this week about fraternities/sororities current existence and how some universities have eliminated Greek Life. This just reaffirms that things must change if we want to be in existence in the future. Not that OSU Greek Life is a disaster, but it is clear by those articles, that some institutions believe that Greek Life is not necessary...

Values, values, values

What are your values and how do they define you? Where do they fit in terms of your council's values? In terms of the community's values?

My values are central to who I am and who I strive to be each day. I know I am not perfect, but whenever I have a decision to make, the first thing that comes to mind is what I value. A majority of my values are a product of the example my parents have set for me, but many are a product of the experiences and obstacles that I have encountered throughout my life. Honestly, I think that three things really stick out to me when I think about how I came to adopting a firm set of values:

1. Family: My parents constantly lead by example and helped us adopt a strong moral compass to live our lives by each day. Through their actions and expectations for us, I believe that I established a foundation for my values that I still practice today. I value my family and how close we are!

2. Starting in 6th grade I began playing golf; anyone who plays golfs knows that it is a game of integrity, discipline, and honesty (except when Tiger Woods plays.. ZINGER.. haha just kidding not really though he lost my respect). Anyways, I became extremely dedicated to the game, and I would practice from 7a.m. till 5p.m. or later everyday in the summer and then after schools till it got to late. Through all those hours of practice, I really acquired an appreciation for hard work and discipline. Then, when it came to playing, I learned about the value of integrity and honesty, but beyond these things, golf really kept me out of trouble. In high school, I remember being pressured to drink, and I always would either be able to avoid the situation b/c I was traveling to a golf tournament or had the strength to stand up for what I believed in b/c I had acquired that discipline and was focused on achieving my goals.

3. Then, I got to college, and my faith really grew. I always believed in God, but at school, it became a personal choice to go to church every Sunday. Back home when I was younger, I think I went to church b/c we went as a family and b/c I felt like it was the right to do. Yet, at college, I joined a bible study, and I went to church b/c I wanted to be there. I wanted to know more about God and be a better Christian. Over these last four years, I have learned even more about myself through my faith. Love. Compassion. Joy. Hope. Serving others. Are just a few things, but through my faith, I feel that my values have only grown stronger and helped me grow as a person.

So I know that is a lot about what I value--family, integrity, honesty, compassion, unconditional love, do the right thing in all things. I think that all of my experiences and challenges that I have faced have helped define me as an individual and only helped me develop stronger values.

In respect to the councils values, I have sorta eluded to those above by talking about striving to do the right thing in all one's actions and to reach one's full potential, but I have not mentioned other aspects that I believe both the council and community "say" that we value such as friendship (I would be lost without my friends; they are like family!), service, scholarship, personal/professional development (both of these, though not stated exactly as so above, I value too!).

To wrap up my novel, I would say that my values are congruent with both the council and community as in life I believe that I strive to reach my full potential in all aspects of my life from being a good friend to serving my community.

LAST PLAY...

So I was thinking today about being a leader, and how much courage it really takes. Courage to try something new, courage to test the status quo, courage to lead and hope others will follow or lead with you. I know that I feel like my courage and strength is being tested as I take on my new position on PHA, and I guess I was feeling a little overwhelmed and wondering is this gonna work? Can we really do this? So I needed some inspiration. I was not looking for the YouTube below; I was looking for another one that I have seen before, but this one came up, and I am glad I watched it.
Maybe every phase doesn't apply directly to our community and the position or the potential that we have, but what about these ones....

"No one can define me, no one can tell me what I can achieve."

"I will believe where all those have doubted before me."

I will never falter, I will never lose focus as long as there is hope in my mind and my heart still beats."

"No one will stop me from my goal."

Those are only a few... So were aren't playing a football game, and there is not per say "LAST PLAY", but in a sense, there is a "LAST PLAY." It is not today or tomorrow in reference to our leadership positions in our community, but in a year, we will pass our positions on to the next leaders, and that will be the "LAST PLAY." So will we have made a difference, will we have lead our community in a better direction, will we have lead with integrity?

friends....

So we are still sitting at the Union finishing up PHA stuff. We are all tired and ready for bed, stressing about the upcoming week wondering if we are ever going to go to sleep... Then, when I really think about it, I think about who I am with and those are some of my closest friends. yea we are tired, but i feel like its the moments like these that you remember down the road. the nights when you stay up late with your friends and laugh about stupid things and make the memories that last forever. i think this is one right now... i dunno really where i am going with this besides saying that we should cherish the moments we have with those that we care the most about...

PHA LOVE!!!

So we had our first transitioning meeting of the quarter for PHA, and I am so excited! I cannot wait to work with the entire council! I feel like it is going to be a great year, and I cannot wait to see what we do!!!

The Bridge Builder...

Hey all,

So Tyler passed this poem along to me, and I thought it was applicable to us all as we are all establishing the foundation for the Councils to come....

THE BRIDGE BUILDER

An old man, going a lone highway,
Came at the evening cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim-
That sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned, when he reached the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.

"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim near,
"You are wasting strength in building here.
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way.
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
Why build you the bridge at the eventide?"

The builder lifted his old gray head.
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."

-WILL ALLEN DROMGOOLE

PB and Js....

Why did we choose to start a class about Fraternal Change with a service project, and what did you learn about yourself and your peers as a result of our shared experience today?

There are several reasons why I believe that we started class with a service project; however, the most immediate purpose I believe was to help us create a community among our class. Service is a unique and rewarding experience that individuals are able to complete together. I cannot really put it into words or explain how it happens, but I do think that when one completes service with others they become closer. Not really sure if it is due to the feeling of doing something good for others or just that it creates a comfortable atmosphere to talk with others. Either way, I believe that the opportunity to participate in service together, especially at the start of the quarter, was extremely beneficial for our four councils. It enabled us to get to know each other for the first time and to build relationships that will hopefully continue to grow over the course of the quarter and year. For me, I really enjoyed getting to meet the other council members. My partner was Leo, and I thought it was crazy how our stories of where we lived were backwards! I always think it is crazy when I hear that people are from Tennessee since most students at Ohio State are not from Tennesee.
In reference to the theme of our class Fraternal Change, I think that we began with service since service remains a pillar of our community. Nonetheless, though our founders valued service and espoused it as one of our ideals , personally, I feel like we could do more for our local and extended communities. Yes, we all complete service throughout the year, but do we do it because it is a requirement or do we do it because we want to help someone in need? I do believe that some individuals do partake in service for the right reasons, but I also think that we all cannot say the same thing. So that is where I believe the movement of Fraternal Change begins. We need to lead the change to help our members recognize that our community is a valued-based organization and that service remains an intrisic aspect of our community. Thinking about our experience from Friday it really makes me think we could utilize service as a means to strength our community. Not only would we be serving those in need, but we would be developing stronger relationships among our members and helping them see the power of service and how making a difference can be as small as making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to as large as stopping hazing that still plagues fraternities and sororities… Though I already love service, I think that after reflecting on the experience I acquired a better understanding of how service can help lead the path to Fraternal Change.

Recruitment??

So we started recruitment today for PHA, and thinking about what we discussed in class yesterday about creating a valued-based community I am starting to question if our recruitment process fosters our purpose as a community. We assemble a ton of women and allow them to meet each chapter for 20 minutes rounds on the first day to learn more about the chapters. This process continues with each round increasing in duration and learning more about the chapters, but how do we really know the individuals on a personal level and know that they are true in what they say and are not all just talk? I know that when I went through formal recruitment I loved my experience and chapter I joined, but it still makes me wonder how do we get the women that join to really understand that they are joining a valued-based organization? I knew going in that fraternities and sororities valued brother/sisterhood, service, philanthropy, leadership, and academic success, but no one ever explicitly said you are joining a valued-based community... Maybe that is understood? I do not really think that though...

I really am not sure if we display that enough. Yes, we share with them our philanthropies that we participate in and how we succeed academically, etc., but what about the other side of our reputation. We still hold the reputation of college students who spend too much time drinking... Though drinking typically encompasses college life, I do not think we just want to recruit individuals because they know how to have fun. Again, I do not think that every chapter does that, but we still have chapters getting in trouble for these behaviors.

I guess what I am wondering is how do we foster the development of a valued-based community if we are inherently not always recruiting members that truly uphold these values? Or maybe part of the challenge for us is to determine how we can create a New Member Development Program that focuses on the values of our community and expectations as members?

A little about Me.... Once a BlogHater....

Who am I, why am I in my Fraternity/Sorority, and how do I feel after reading this Blogabus in its entirely?

Well, I guess I should start out stating that I am not a Blogger, and I am not going to lie I was not exactly jumping for joy to start blogging. However, I guess one thing about me is that I am flexible and keep an open mind so I guess Maggie and Tyler are going to crack us all, and we are going to be Bloggers….

It is funny to think about “Who You Are” since as Maggie and Tyler stated times are always changing, and for me, I feel that individuals are constantly changing and growing. Nonetheless, if someone asked me who I was, I would begin by sharing the importance of God, family, and friends in my life. Through college, I have really grown in my faith and developed a relationship with God that keeps me grounded and committed to my values.

I am extremely close to my family, and even though I love Ohio State, at the end of the day, I am still a homebody! I always look forward to going home to see my family and just spending time with them whether that is going to dinner or just hanging out at our house. I have met some of my best friends at Ohio State and have so many fun memories at school that although we will all keep in touch once we leave Ohio State I know that leaving my friends will be the hardest part about leaving Ohio State.

It is crazy to think that I am a senior this year and how fast time flies! Through college, I know I have changed and developed as an individual in all aspects of my life, but my values have not changed, and they remain an intricate part of who I am.

I feel like a lot of Greeks have a similar story of how s/he never expected to join the Greek community, and I would say I was the same way. I never really thought I would join Greek Life, but my brother, who was a founder of Alpha Tau Omega at Ohio State, really encouraged me to give it a shot. Just after one round of recruitment, I was so excited and interested in going Greek. It had everything that I ever thought I would want out of college—friends, service, leadership, etc. I was so thrilled to join Kappa Delta in the winter of my freshman year, but everything was not what it seemed when I entered. I was upset that drinking played such a large role in the community, and though I do not care if others drink, I did not really want to be associated with a community that was defined by drinking…

So anyone who knows me knows exactly where this story is going and that is to my experience at UIFI. I will not go to in depth as my blog literally could be pages long, but UIFI really taught me what being Greek was about—living one’s Ritual daily, serving one’s community, developing lasting friendships, and succeeding academically and as individuals. UIFI showed me that I could make a difference, and I perceived that through the act of service. Due to my experiences at UIFI, I have developed a passion for service that has helped me appreciate the value of service, but more importantly for me, service really helped me develop a stronger faith and relationship with God. So I guess I am so passionate about Greek Life because it truly has helped mold my experience at Ohio State from the friendships I have developed and my passion to service to developing as a leader and even changing my career path! I am in the fraternity/sorority life because I want others to realize what Greek Life offers and help us make a better community.

After reading the Blogabus, I would say my initial reaction was this course is going to be a challenge but also an opportunity to grow as an individual. I am excited to get to know all four councils more personably and see what we can do in the future. I loved watching the YouTube videos especially the one on Creativity; they are inspiring:) I guess one more thing about me is that I am detailed-oriented and always write too much, and it is probably a good thing I do not blog regularly (besides this class) as I would be blogging all day….