What I Took Away From the Panel

I really enjoyed the panel of Greek Life affiliates during our last class! It was very engaging and I found myself wanting it to last longer. I could relate to a lot of what the panelists were talking about. For example,  when Jordan spoke about apathetic older members, I really understood why some of our seniors do what they do.

The advice that the panelists gave us at the end of the session was very meaningful to me, so I thought I'd repeat it on here :)

1. Cultivate love
2. Have a tough conversation
3. Contribute beyond what the structure tells you
4. Show up
5. Make memories
6. Don't give up
7. Be excited
8. Know your values and be your values
9. Lose yourself in the service of others

Some great words to live by! I definitely took their advice to heart and plan on using it in my own life.

Something that Sharelle said that stood out to me was that we need to hold our members accountable for their actions. She basically told us to start calling people out when they are doing something wrong. So many problems get brought to her attention because no one stopped them along the way. In our chapter meeting tonight, one of our alum said that "it is hard to watch wrong things happen from the sidelines, but it is even harder to stand up and do something about it."

The guy from Farmhouse (I'm sorry I forget his name) spoke about how OSU has so much potential to increase it's Greek Life. A lot of the conversation was focused on the negative aspects of sorority/fraternity life, and I was glad to hear that he believes in the potential of OSU Greek Life. He also mentioned quality over quantity, which is very important and sometimes overlooked. Many people seem to be focused on increasing our numbers, but we cannot do this at the expensive of quality people.

Overall, I took a lot away from this panel and really enjoyed hearing from different members of the Greek Community.

CAN'T WAIT FOR MIRROR LAKE JUMP TOMORROW!!

GO BUCKS!

OATH

An oath is giving your word to something.
Always upholding something.
Making a promise.
Swearing to do something.

When I joined Pi Phi I took an oath to uphold our values. Not just for that year, not just for my college years, but for life. Upholding that oath is a true test of character. Choosing not to stay true to your promise, or oath, is betraying your sisters and your chapter as a whole.

On March 18, 2010, I swore to be forever faithful to the wine and silver blue, the angels of Pi Beta Phi. 
That is an oath I will forever carry in my heart, something I know never to forget. 

The Greek community as a whole sometimes forgets the oath that we made. It sometimes get thrown to the wayside in place of more "pressing" issues, such as a recent drama in the house, or a controversial change made. But an oath is something we can always look back on. In staying true to my oath, I allow others to depend on me and trust me. I expect my sisters to hold me accountable to the oath I made, and I know I am responsible for sticking to my word. 


An oath is something that makes the Greek community unique. Not all organizations have their members take an oath. Maybe this is part of the reason Tyler always tells us that our organizations are some of the most relevant to today's society. 

Incongruency

Okay...so to go a little more in depth on incongruency in Pi Phi and in the OSU Greek Community.

In Pi Phi specifically, we have at least 2 tg's and a date party/formal every quarter. On top of that we have plenty of pre-games with frats, usually every other weekend. However, we usually only have one or two main philanthropy events a quarter. Fall quarter, Pi Phi really only does one philanthropy event, Dodge the Arrow. We put a lot of time and effort into that event, but unfortunately that is really our only one.

We pride ourselves on NOT HAZING! I couldn't be happier to say that I was not hazed when I joined Pi Phi. However, we tell our new members that they are not allowed to pre game before any tg or date party until they are initiated...and that sets them apart from everyone else and singles them out. We have reasons for doing that, but ultimately the new members are asked to do something that all of the actives do not have to do (refrain from drinking before any social events).

On the weekends, Pi Phi's can most often be found at the O Patio, and on Thursday nights, some Pi Phi's can almost always be found at bars downtown. I wish I could say that about another day of the week, such as on Fridays Pi Phi's can always be found at The Boys and Girls Club, but unfortunately I cannot confidently say that.

All things considered, Pi Phi does a good job of being congruent with our values. But we could be doing a GREAT job with just a little more consideration of some things.

Our Mission

Pi Phi's Mission Statement is...
The Mission of Pi Beta Phi Sorority for Women is to promote friendship, develop women of intellect and integrity, cultivate leadership potential and enrich lives through community service. 


Pi Phi's are both congruent and incongruent with our mission. 


We are congruent when we...
do community service hours, and recognize those who have completed the most hours. 
serve on Exec Board.
get good grades.
don't take shortcuts; do things the right way. 
attend chapter dinner/chapter meeting every Monday.
actively participate in other chapter's philanthropy events. 
are loyal to our sisters no matter what.


We are incongruent when we...
talk behind each others backs.
cheat on homework.
half-ass our community service projects.
speak negatively of other chapters on campus.
skip class.
only attend social events.


One example of being incongruent with our mission statement is when girls say they will do something and then don't do it. Sticking to your word is really important in group settings because other people count on what you say. 


An example of when we are congruent with our mission is when we have 100% attendance at a sisterhood!


In my opinion, Pi Phi does a pretty good job of being congruent with our values. Of course there is always room for improvement! We could improve our congruency by not letting social events get in the way of our academic success. We should always remember our priorities, even when distractions get in the way (boys, tg's, shopping, watching tv, etc.)


Happy Halloween!
Chelsea

Paying It Forward :)

Two nights ago, a group of girls and myself went to see President and Mrs. Obama on the Oval! While we were standing in a huge long line, a woman approached us and handed us green tickets. We had no idea what a "green ticket" meant, but we were told to go to the front of the line. We walked straight through security and were lead to a special VIP section right in front of the stage! We were less than 100 feet from the podium. The event turned out to be a lot longer than we expected, but it was amazing to see President Obama and Michelle right in the middle of our campus. They yelled "OH" into the crowd and got a very warm "IO" welcome back. John Legend performed three of his most popular songs with a grand piano on stage. It was a night I will never forget, that's for sure!
When we were leaving the event, shortly after President Obama had begun speaking, we walked past people standing at the very back of the crowd. We passed our green tickets along to them and they too got to go straight to the VIP section of the audience and hear the rest of President Obama's speech. It really made them happy to have our tickets, and my friend Sam said "We just paid it forward!" So I thought I would share it on my blog :) 


Happy Homecoming Week!
Chelsea

Ronald McDonald House Charities

I chose this organization because I am currently doing a project on it for my Comm 367 class, so it's on my mind a lot. Probably everyone has seen those boxes in all McDonald's restaurants where you can donate your change to Ronald McDonald House Charities. This organization has become a world renowned success since it was started 30 years ago. 


Just a few facts:


1. Ronald McDonald Houses are places for terminally ill children and their families to stay while they are receiving treatment. 
2. There are 6 houses in Ohio alone (about 300 worldwide).
3. They serve over 100,000 children each year
4. Families are never turned away from a Ronald McDonald House (even if they have no money)
5. They have over 30,000 volunteers and employees


Ronald McDonald House Charities values...


-Children
-Family
-Life
-Support
-Generosity


Watch this video and see what you think!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wOCFS6SyzE


(sorry I had to put that link in because it wouldn't let me embed the video for some reason)


In reading about this organization and watching videos about it, it is obvious to me what their values are and that they live by their values everyday.

My Values

Things that I value...
-Family
-Honesty
-Friendship
-Serving Others

Those are just some basic ones. A quality that I really value in others is being able to stand up for what you believe in and what matters to you. Strong people are just attractive to me from all aspects.
Values make up the backbone of ones personality, and they are something that belong to you. They can be shared, but your values are ultimately yours. Values are what motivate you to do things. Values play a huuuggeee role in leadership, which is what this class is all about!

Pi Phi instilled values in me that I will carry for the rest of my life. We learned a lot about them in our new member period, and all of Pi Phi's values really meshed with my already existing ones. That's part of what drew me to Pi Phi from the beginning. My mom was huge on values while I was growing up and she always wanted my sisters and I to create our own values, not just "use" hers, which I think is really great!

That's all for now
Love,
Chelsea