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….