Thursday, January 28, 2010

What we're up against....

I know I just posted like 20 minutes ago, but I just came across something I think you all should read. We talk a lot about how your role as a council member has an impact on not only your council, but also the entire sorority and fraternity community. What you do as council members has the potential to affect the experiences of all community members, which is a lot of responsibility, but also a great opportunity.

I was looking at some things from my alma mater (Miami) and I came across an article published in their "Greek newsletter", published for and by members of the community and delivered to chapter facilities and sorority suites. This idea has a lot of potential for sorority and fraternity leaders to provide insight and inspiration to their fellow community members, write personal testimonials about experiences in the community, and enlighten new members on what is ahead of them. I was really excited about the concept, then I read what they had to say, and my heart sunk a little bit.... This is an excerpt from one of their front page articles "Raise a Glass"....

Being Greek is more than just wearing letters, it is about being understood. The bonds we are forming and the memories we make each week embody brotherhood and sisterhood. The spring semester in the Greek community is the best time of year; pledges celebrate their new bids and begin to learn about their chapters while upperclassmen become nostalgic as they become bigs and grandbigs. I hope you are all beginning to realize why these years are referred to as, “The Time of Your Life.”

It has a good beginning, right? Keep reading....

When else do you live with your friends, have only moderate responsibility and party like there is no tomorrow. This semester I propose a toast, “Let’s raise a glass to being Greek, this is truly the journey of a lifetime. Here’s to teaching young fratstars that Ed Hardy is not acceptable attire, here’s to showing them how to pull all the stops and sing boy band songs for serenades. Here’s to the cuties that hold the signs during POTH because they can’t dance, here’s to getting Belltower To Go after the bars close. Here’s to the seniors living up their last semesters and here’s to Fratlinburg, Tennessee. Live dangerously and stay thirsty my friends”

In case you want to know more about the community, the students provided some insight by writing articles like: "Reason #65 I love Miami: FRAT"; "Bro-Mackin': Why Rush Sucks"; "Booze, Tunes, and Hotties"; and "The Sh*t your SOUL should have told you" (which addresses things that first years should be told at orientation including- the art of the dance floor make out, the purpose of owning a 'fracket', a jacket that you don't mind losing when you spend the night at a fraternity house, reasons to invest in a jersey, and how to get into bars underage)..... I realize much of this is a joke. But I read this and can't help but wonder, is it really a surprise why people think our organizations are irrelevant? If this what community members are saying ABOUT THEMSELVES, what are other people supposed to think?

Don't get me wrong, the paper had a lot of really great stuff too about the importance of recruitment, memories from being a new member, and passing the torch of leadership- but all of that gets lost when the word FRAT appears a hundred times on the front page alone. I think this says a lot about the sorority and fraternity community nationwide.... the wonderful things we do and the values we stand for are completely lost and overlooked because the stereotypical, negative things that we might find entertaining and ridiculous are what make the headlines, even in papers published by our own members.

I know you are not Miami. And I know you don't have such a paper, but if is going on within a community like ours, not far from where we are, I can't help but think about what we are up against. We want to change the world and make farternities and sororities relevant again, where do we start? How deep does this issue go?

Just some food for thought.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to each and every one of you! It was so great to install each of you tonight, I felt very privileged to be a part of your official transition into office. Tonight was so inspirational and I left feeling really great about this upcoming year! Sharrell was right, you all have big shoes to fill, but I believe in all of you! Sorority and Fraternity life is a wonderful opportunity for growth and development and I sincerely hope you all take advantage of what lies ahead of you. I was so proud of all of you and so excited for what I know is to come :)

A couple of you asked me to remind you all what the badge symbolizes that you all were given tonight- I figured I would post it here as a reminder of what you took an oath about this evening. We will talk about the importance of oath over the next couple of weeks. But think about what your chapter's oath means? Do you live it every day? The oath you took tonight is equally as important and we hope it becomes part of your daily lives. How will you live it every day? How will it become part of everything you do?

So, as a reminder:

THE COUNCIL BADGE IS AN EIGHT SIDED GRECIAN SHIELD OF RED ENAMEL BEARING:

FIRST, THE BEEHIVE: THE GREEK SYMBOL OF COMMUNITY;

SECOND, THE EAGLE: THE GREEK SYMBOL OF LEADERSHIP;

THIRD, THE TORCH: THE GREEK SYMBOL OF SCHOLARSHIP AND REPRESENTING THE FLAME.

BENEATH THOSE THREE SYMBOLS, A BUCKEYE GROWING INTO A BUCKEYE TREE, SYMBOLIZING THE WORK OUR COMMUNITY
DOES IN TURNING YOUNG, UNPOLISHED MEN AND WOMEN INTO GROWN, RESPONSIBLE, ENGAGED CITIZENS.

BENEATH THE TREE, THE DATE 1878, SYMBOLIZING THE YEAR OUR COMMUNITY WAS FOUNDED,

AND FINALLY, THE GREEK LETTERS REPRESENTING THE PHRASE “UNITY THROUGH RITUAL.”

SURROUNDING THE BADGE, THE GREEK NOTATIONS FOR THE FOUR GOVERNING COUNCILS, REPRESENTING THE WORK EACH COUNCIL DOES TO HOLD EVERYTHING IN THE MIDDLE TOGETHER.

I cannot wait to be a part of this journey with you. Congratulations!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Here's to the crazy ones...

If you have never seen this video (its one of the original Apple commercials), please watch it!

I think its very inspirational and reminds me how important it is to think outside the box, even if people think you're crazy....

...Because the people who think they are crazy enough to change the world, are the ones who do....

And if you want more inspiration, I reccommend checking out any of Apple's old commercials- they have a few that are very applicable to our roles as leaders in the sorority and fraternity community and as members of this class; they focus on the importance of staying relevant and thinking differently, things we need to always be reminding ourselves to do. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USn5t5nQWU8

Monday, January 11, 2010

Pay it Forward

We made it through week 1, proud of you all!

I really enjoyed watching you all pay it forward in class on Friday, it is great to watch people give back to the community! I hope you all enjoyed the experience as well, you helped feed a lot of people! It takes a special person to pay it forward- like in the movie clip, everyone thought the idea was too out there, too idealistic, but all it took was one person (or in our case, a group of people) to think it is possible, and change can happen. The clip we watched in class was inspiring and it made me really understand the need for selfless people in the world who are willing to give to others, help others, and work for others for no reason other than a willingness to give. It was so great to listen to all of you explain what "paying it forward" means to you and your partners... It is so clear to me and Tyler why you are all in your positions- you are willing to give part of yourselves for the greater good and sacrifice some of your time to make the community stronger, more values based, and more relevant. We need people like you!

I challenge you all to keep the boy that sees dead people in mind.... As a 12 year old, he sees the need for good in the world and the need for people to selflessly help others. Although the setting is very different, you are in the same position; to give to your councils and your community and although you might not immediately see the imapct or receive any kind of payback, but you are making a real difference! And just like the 12 year olds thought it would never be possible, so what? Isn't it worth a try?

I have been really impressed with everything I have read so far, keep it up!!

This week Tyler and I will be introducing the Social Change Model and its relationship to the sorority and fraternity community. The readings are listed on the blogabus!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Who, Why, and How....

Hello again!

Tyler and I already mentioned that we are in this with you all, so here I am, telling you a bit about who I am, why I joined a sorority and why I am still in the field, and how I feel about this class.... I addressed much of this already in my first post, but I will explain a bit more here...

Who Am I ?

We already know I am a 2nd year Master's student in the Higher Education & Student Affairs program here at Ohio State... But I will start with my earlier years...

I grew up in Solon, Ohio (a suburb of Cleveland)- I am not a Brown's fan, but I grew up with the Cavs. I love NBA basketball and have been a loyal fan for most of my life. I am, however, completely and totally incapable of playing the game. I have lived in the same house most of my life with my mom, dad, and younger brother (he's 21) and our pets. My family means the world to me and even though I am 24, I still look forward to going home to spend quality time with my family. They are my biggest support system and I would never be where I am today if it wasn't for them these past years! My friends from home are my second family, we have been together since high school and I live for our reunions! I went to college a couple of hours from home at Miami University (in Oxford, Ohio), and it changed my life.

I started college wanting nothing more than to move back home, be with my old friends, and go to school with them at Ohio State (ironic, huh?).... I was miserable, to put it lightly, and was weeks away from leaving campus. I had a pretty challenging roommate situation and I thought moving would help. Turns out, moving helped me find some closer friends, but I still wasn't happy. I felt lost, left out, and without anything to call my own. Its funny how things change, because my time at Miami was easily the best four years of my life to date, and I encourage you all to make the most of your undergraduate experience, it truly is a once in a lifetime chance. So what changed? What moved me from the quiet girl who was ready to pack up and move back home to the woman I am today, ready to lead other students through their own higher education experience? I am sure you all guessed where this was headed, and you are correct... Recruitment,.

Why I Joined a Sorority?

I think I have pretty much laid the foundation for this, but I went through recruitment because I felt like I had nothing left. I figured, why not? Things couldn't really get worse, so a few girls from my floor and I registered in late October, and spent the first semester preparing as a floor, along with our GLG (Greek Life Guide) to go through recruitment in January. For those of you who know anything about Miami, you know that Sorority and Fraternity life is a huge part of the campus... Nearly 40% of our undergraduate students are a member of the Sorority and Fraternity community, and letters are essentially all over campus. I figured, people in this community seem to have a good time, I'll give it a shot. And I thank myself everyday for pushing myself into the unknown.

I went through recruitment, and in all honesty, things did not go as I had expected. I pride myself on being a confident, outgoing, and fun-loving person, I think I am easy to talk to, and I love being around people (hopefully you all agree!). I expected to have "good luck" during recruitment and not be cut from chapters. Side note: Recruitment at Miami is pretty serious and a bit cut-throat... If you ever want to know more, please ask!

So I was cut from more chapters than I had expected, but the one that I felt most comfortable in from the beginning kept re-appearing and I realized about 1/2 way through the process that I knew where I belonged. The day I became a Chi Omega was one of the best days of my college experience, but was also incredibly scary and confusing. I literally had no idea what I had just gotten myself to- no one in my family was Greek, except for a few cousins.

You all know what it is like to find where you really belong, so I will skip all of the details of why I stuck with Chi Omega and why sorority life changed who I am, and instead tell you the positive things in my life that would not be here was it not for my lifelong commitment to Chi O and her values...

1. My best friends
2. My career in student affairs
3. My on-campus leadership positions
4. My commitment to the fraternal movement
5. My appreciation for sisterhood
6. The Chi Omega symphony- for those of you who attended UIFI: Ohio State, you might remember that still brings tears to my eyes...
7. My mentors
8. Learning to live with new and different people
9. Pride for who I am, what I am a part of, the letters I wear, and what I stand for....

The list could go on forever; the point is, Chi Omega and the Miami University Greek community changed my life.

How do I Feel About This Class?

I don't really think its fair for me to answer this. Obviously Tyler and I are a bit biased, seeing we designed much of it..... But I am excited, and I cannot wait to learn with all of you. This is definitely the most creative class I have ever been a part of, I am really looking forward to combining technology, leadership, fraternity and sorority, personal commitment, council goals, and group dynamics into one experience. I think this is going to be a learning experience for each of us, and I hope you're ready to change the world!

See you tomorrow :)

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Welcome!

Hello!

For those of you who don't know me yet, let me tell you a bit about myself....

My name is Maggie Heffernan, and I am a 2nd year Master's student in the Higher Education and Student Affairs program. I graduated from Miami University in 2008 with a degree in Psychology and decided to pursue my Masters in Higher Ed because of the powerful impact that co-curricular activities had on my own college experience and development. I know I am who I am today because of my involvement in campus activities, including orientation and fraternity and sorority life! My experiences as a Chi Omega helped to define the values that I live by on a daily basis. I am in this field to challenge fraternity and sorority men and women to make the most of the unique opportunities available as a fraternity or sorority member. I believe, when done correctly, fraternity and sorority life can be the most relevant experience on a college campus; students have the chance to learn about leadership, service, development, and change. Unfortunately, the college fraternity and sorority are not always valued for what they have to offer and instead are considered detrimental to student development. I am ready for us to work, as a team, to make fraternities and sororities the most relevant organization on this campus!

I work as a graduate assistant in the Student Wellness Center (come visit, anytime!) and I am a practicum student in the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life. Last year, I worked with Greek Week, and this summer I was a facilitator for UIFI: Ohio State. This year, I will be co-advising all four councils with Tyler and co-teaching EDP&L 270! Tyler and I are so excited to have this opportunity with all of you this quarter and I cannot wait to get started!

The blogabus for our class is posted on Tyler's blog, so be sure to take a look at that so we can jump right in on Friday! I am really looking forward to getting to know each of you this quarter and working alongside each of you to transform the face of sorority and fraternity life at Ohio State.

See you Friday!

Maggie