AFLV Connections Winter 2013

CONNECTIONS the MAGAZINE

of AFLV

global

Good

SERVICE IMMERSION EXPERIENCES

VOL. 5 / ISSUE 021 / WINTER 2013

tracy MAXWELL

AN HONEST CONVERSATION ABOUT HAZING Tracy believes one of the best things we can do about hazing is to talk about the problem openly and honestly. In her college keynote, she tells real stories of hazing, its harms and the impact on both hazers and their victims. She frames the issue from a variety of perspectives and motivates everyone on today’s campus to come together to move their community forward. A national leader on the topic of hazing, Tracy urges students and staff to take an active role and avoid being bystanders on this vital campus issue.

(303) 745-5545 • info@campuspeak.com www.campuspeak.com/maxwell

Fraternity Men 04 Preparing for a Global Society

Kaye Schendel & Justin Kirk · Delta Upsilon Fraternity

Connections is the official publication of the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values. The views expressed by contributors, authors and advertisers are not necessarily those of the Association.

AFLV encourages the submission of content to: Carol Nickoson • Editor connections@aflv.org Submit advertising queries to: Lea Hanson • Director of M & C lea@aflv.org 970 • 372 • 1174 888 • 855 • 8670 info@aflv.org Connections Magazine is published by AFLV for our member subscribers four times each year.

Submission Deadlines:

Spring 2013 • Greeks & Government • Feb 18 Summer 2013 • The Power of One • June 24

Send address corrections to:

Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values 123 N. College Ave. • Suite 250 Fort Collins, CO • 80524 970 • 372 • 1174 888 • 855 • 8670 info@aflv.org

Creative Director • Layout & Design Steve Whitby • CAMPUSPEAK, Inc. steve.whitby@gmail.com

Editorial Board Andrea Battaglia • Drury University Kristen Darnell • Teach for America Larry Long • Michigan State University Neil Stanglein • Virginia Commonwealth Viancca Williams • University of South Florida

Photo Credits 04 / Grippe 12 / Benicce 16 / Complize 19 / Particula 20 / Jacketier 24 / Jaeschko Cover / Carrat 30 / IS2

Member / Fraternity Communications Association

Delta Upsilon Fraternity has always balked at the all-too-common phrase “but we’ve always done it this way” – they even have an open initiation ritual which we think is pretty cool (don’t believe us? Check out www.deltau.org/nosecrets). Fraternal headquarters are always looking for ways to take service and philanthropy to a new level and DU is paving the way. The non-secretive fraternity is sharing with us its secrets for starting the DU Global Service Initiative. Kaye and Justin share how the idea to start the GSI came about, the impact on participants following the first trip to Negril, Jamaica, and why global service experiences are in the future for fraternal organizations.

in the Hearts 08 Connecting & Minds of Others

Matthew Dempsey · University of Connecticut Who better to speak to the value of a service immersion trip than someone with experience? Matthew’s experience during AFLV’s El Salvador immersion trip has had a profound impact on his life and lens through which he views the world. Highlighting the power of storytelling for connecting with others, Matthew expresses just how incredible learning outside the classroom can be.

12 Improving Greek Philanthropy Steve Good · Greeks for Good

Fraternal organizations always tout the importance of philanthropy (even when our actions don’t match). Steve is challenging our members to be better at it. And we couldn’t have an issue about doing good for others without including a contribution by Steve Good. Just look at his name – how can he not be part of this issue? Steve has developed tools for our members to be better at and more informed about serving our causes. He wants you to think differently about philanthropy and so do we.

Great Divide: 16 The The Difference Between Philanthropic

Fundraising and Civic Service Engagement John Hatfield · Kansas State University We all know sororities and fraternities support philanthropic causes. We serve local, national and global communities. John has worked with fraternal organizations for as long as many of our readers have been alive and he’s learned a thing or two about philanthropy and civic service. Exploring the history of philanthropy and service in fraternal organizations and across the U.S. and theories that support the impact of service on member development, John explains how fraternity and sorority members can make a greater impact on the world if their focus on doing good is shifted from philanthropy to civic service.

COLUMNS

002 // Letter from the Editor 020 // Taking Action: Alternative Spring Break 022 // Facilitation 411 024 // Sorry, We’re Not Sorry 025 // From the Road: Sigma Phi Epsilon in Greece 026 // Busted!

029 // One More Thing

AFLV // 001

I don’t consider myself a “global” person. I’m not very well-traveled. I set foot outside North America for the first time in November at the ripe age of 31.

Over the last three years I’ve listened to the stories of sorority and fraternity members at my institution upon returning from a monthlong service trip to Lesotho, Africa. I’ve read blog entries and heard recounts of fraternity and sorority members who have attended AFLV’s immersion experiences in Tuscaloosa and El Salvador. I’m watching my colleagues who work for fraternal headquarters teach students about leadership, ritual, and service during trips to Honduras, Greece, and New Orleans. These stories leave me proud, envious, but at the same time, ashamed.

I feel proud because these students are demonstrating the values of our organizations in global venues. I’m envious because I never had the opportunity to take part in experiences such as these. And I’m ashamed because these students are spending their summer, spring, or winter breaks making an impact on the world and I spent my breaks working as many hours as allowable by law.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean that to imply that working to support oneself is not an admirable way to spend a break from college. But 10 years later I have to wonder how much I could have learned while immersed in an unfamiliar culture, all the while serving someone other than myself? As a student, I had never really considered the value of studying or even traveling abroad, nonetheless taking a trip to a domestic location or developing country in need.

Now, as a campus professional, students will every so often ask me “if you could go back to college, what would you do differently?” Knowing now what I didn’t know then, my response is always “I would have studied abroad or participated in an immersion experience. “ Hands down.

Letter from the Editor

Fraternal organizations have long laid the foundation for teaching college students about the importance of philanthropy. No question, philanthropy is important and an essential way of helping others. But so is hands-on, direct service. Now fraternal organizations are helping pave the way for more students to participate in service and cultural immersion programs. Participants are not only learning about serving and appreciating others through these programs, they are also given the opportunity to demonstrate fraternal values in environments often unfamiliar with the purpose of our organizations. It’s almost commonplace.

When I was a student 10 years ago immersion experiences were not as common or accessible as they are today. Now there’s access to networks and resources that don’t allow for excuses to not participate.

This issue of Connections focuses on the impact of immersion experiences and their rapid growth in the fraternal market, as well philanthropy and truly educating our members about its significance. Fraternity and sorority members are educated and often privileged; not necessarily privileged by wealth but by our opportunity to be educated inside and outside the classroom. I challenge you to use that privilege for good. It’s our obligation as members to give back.

Editor Connections Magazine @CarolNickoson 002 // connections // 2013 • WINTER

C

CONTRIBUTORS John R. Hatfield • Kansas State University John Hatfield directs civic service programs for Kansas Campus Compact. John has been involved in leadership development with fraternity and sorority members for 20 years. He is a member and facility advisor of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and House Director for Beta Sigma Psi at Kansas State University. John received the 2012 Chapter Advisor of the year for K-State. His is a conference speaker and presenter on issues of sorority and fraternity life, leadership and masculinity.

Steve Good • Greeks for Good Steve is a graduate of Iowa State University and Xavier University (MBA). Following college, he began his work with Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. Steve traveled as a leadership consultant, directed the Fraternity’s expansion efforts, led the organization’s leadership conferences and membership education, and currently oversees the Fraternity’s communication/ technology efforts and its Iron Phi philanthropic initiative. Steve is also the Founder of GrassrootGive, a consultancy that creates grassroots fundraising programs for nonprofits. He’s currently working with the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values on their Greeks for Good program, a fundraising and educational platform for fraternity and sorority philanthropy. Steve lives in Ames, Iowa with his wife Tillie, son Calvin and rescue dogs Lex & Leena. He spends his free time cheering on his Cyclones, going on running adventures via Megabus, blogging (http://www.stuffmydogdoes.com, http://www.agoodrun. com), advising the Iowa State Dance Marathon and Iowa State chapter of Phi Delta Theta and checking experiences off his bucket list.

Kaye Schendel • Delta Upsilon Fraternity Kaye is the Director of Global Initiatives for the fraternity, responsible for coordinating international and domestic service immersion trips for members and partners as well as developing a global education curriculum. Prior to her work at DU, she worked at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse for 12 years as the Assistant Director of University Centers.

Kaye serves as National President for her sorority, Sigma Sigma Sigma, and Vice President for the Center for the Study of the College Fraternity. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Psychology and a Master’s degree in College Student Personnel and Administration. Her passions include golf, reading and travel. She and her husband, David, live in West Salem, Wisconsin with their pug, Rocket.

Justin Kirk • Delta Upsilon Fraternity An initiate of the Boise State Chapter, Justin Kirk has served as Delta Upsilon’s Executive Director since May of 2007 and was named Executive Director of the Fraternity’s Foundation this spring. Under his leadership, DU’s membership has grown by 61% and implemented new initiatives including the DU Emerging Leaders program, the award-winning Global Service Initiative, and an Advisors’ Academy.

Justin currently serves on the boards of the Center for the Study of the College Fraternity, Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors, and Synergos, an association management company. He is also a past board member and Vice President of the Fraternity Communications Association.

Matthew Dempsey • University of Connecticut Matthew Dempsey is a senior, studying Special Education at the University of Connecticut.

Matthew has led a fraternity and sorority alternative break to Indiana, is starting a program called Greeks Against Sexual Assault at UConn and was the former Chapter President of Beta Theta Pi. Matthew will be joining the staff at Beta Theta Pi’s Administrative Office as a Leadership Consultant in Oxford, Ohio this summer.

Preparing Fraternity Men for a Global Society Kaye Schendel & Justin Kirk Delta Upsilon Fraternity

At the 2010 AFA Annual Meeting, Delta Upsilon’s Global Service Initiative was honored with the Excellence in Educational Programming award.

What went into building this initiative?

“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.”

Oliver Wendall Holmes

Big ideas come in the strangest of places.

When the leadership of Delta Upsilon Fraternity decided to plan a journey to take members on a developmentally impactful trip across the globe to serve a struggling community, the idea definitely germinated in a strange place – at an interfraternal friend’s wedding on the beaches of Negril, Jamaica.

Upon implementation, this big idea has already transformed the lives of students and several communities in a developing nation. However, it has also transformed the strategic direction and focus of an international fraternity and its members.

It is spring break 2009. Kaye Schendel, then the Assistant Director of University Centers at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is coordinating an alternative spring break for 26 students in Negril, Jamaica. Jeremiah Shinn, then a staff member at Indiana University, is getting married at the same location and had with him many friends, including Delta Upsilon’s Executive Director Justin Kirk, DU Board member John Duncan, and another DU staff member. And that’s when it happened. Upon hearing Kaye talk about the UW-La Crosse service trip, someone wondered aloud why such an experience couldn’t be replicated for members of a national fraternity. From that conversation, the Global Service Initiative (GSI) was born.

Schendel became interested in alternative breaks during one of her earlier vacation visits to Negril, Jamaica that happened to coincide with spring break back in the states. She was dismayed as thousands of American college students demonstrated the least tasteful, but most predictable, versions of themselves. They drank excessively, demonstrated disrespectful behavior toward the Jamaican people, and exhibited a general disregard for the beautiful environment. She returned from that trip motivated to show the Jamaican people that not all American students were the next generation of “Ugly Americans” and to show her students that places like Jamaica could be viewed in ways other than through the bottom of a bottle of Red Stripe beer. She sensed an opportunity to show students a side of Jamaica that few see from their all-inclusive resorts and booze cruises; an impoverished, but prideful and hospitable people.

The alternative spring break has become a popular choice at campuses as students across the country are choosing to spend a week building schools, fences, and painting over partying. According to The Corporation for National and Community Service, 3.2 million college students dedicated 307.3 million hours of service in 2009. Approximately 27% of all college students volunteered in 2009 which is a significant increase over previous years.

There are a variety of reasons why alternative spring break experiences are desirable to students. Alternative spring break programs are a growing form of service learning. In fact, many students may have already participated in some form of spring break community service program in high school. Because many students had a positive experience in high school, they are looking for a similar experience in college. These trips provide an affordable way to have a meaningful experience, participate in service projects, and see a new part of the world or country. Campus Compact, a coalition of 1,100 colleges and universities committed to fulfilling the civic mission of higher education, says the number of schools offering alternative break volunteer opportunities in 2009 is 67%, a 16% increase from 2002 (www.compact.org/about/statistics).

According to Schendel, most alternative break trips start the same.

Students, many of whom have never left the country, some of which have never left their home state, are in disbelief as they drive through the streets of this new world, and see the conditions in which people live. Some are a bit afraid, wondering what they have gotten themselves into. But by the end of the week emotions are flowing on the bus ride back to the airport as no one wants to leave. It is a week that changes lives; the students, the Jamaican people, and trip leaders.

Why this Experience is Relevant to Delta Upsilon

For Delta Upsilon, the idea of a global service trip is the mobilization of International President Bernard Franklin’s message and emphasis on preparing Delta Upsilon members for success in an ever-changing global marketplace, in alignment withthe Fraternity’s foundational value of advancing Justice. The initiative received unanimous support from the Fraternity’s Board of Directors in the summer of 2009 and the pilot trip was planned for May 2010.

As we embarked on this journey, we asked ourselves how this type of program was relevant for Delta Upsilon. What is the value-added to our members? Dr. John Dugan, assistant professor, Loyola University of Chicago, said it best, “The service orientation of fraternities and sororities should also be stressed and connected more directly to leadership. Educators should help chapters to understand the differences between philanthropy and community service, while pressing students to personalize their individual commitments to broader society” (Dugan, 2008). We needed to take our members out of their comfort zone and create true learning around leadership, philanthropy, diversity, and community service.

006 // CONNECTIONS // 2013 • WINTER

Our Service

The 2010 Global Service Initiative included eight students, and four staff members. The seven-day experience served three primary entities in Jamaica: Tafari Youth Club: This boys and girls club in the hills of Hanover Parish in the Cave Valley District helps to provide education and mentoring for kids and draws the community together to work toward a common goal of making things better for them and their children. We partnered with this club to learn, grow, and enhance education by building a bathroom, a kitchen and a stage as well as painting the club.

Ketto Primary School: An early education center for students of the Ketto, Jamaica area. We partnered with this school to work with students, replacing a dangerous barbwire fence in the playground area with a chain-link fence and replaced rusted swing sets to enhance the quality of education for the children at this location.

St. Mary’s All Age School: Located in St. Elizabeth, this parish for many years has been listed as one of the poorest in Jamaica. We partnered with this school to help ensure compliance with government regulations and avoid closure for 200 students by helping to teach literacy skills, repainting the inside of the school with colors that stimulate learning and development, and building a fence to keep individuals from stealing the school’s only water supply.

Creating an Educational Experience

While service was important, equally vital were the intentional conversations around global issues and the importance of service. So often, fraternal members participate in service activities without a vehicle to maximize the learning opportunity. This educational experience was created with the experiential learning concept at the forefront. The essence of experiential education was captured by the philosopher John Dewey, who argued that “events are present and operative anyway; what concerns us is their meaning.” Experience happens; it is unavoidable. The problem for fraternal educators is how to make meaning out of member experiences. In its purest form, experiential education is inductive, beginning with “raw” experience that is processed through an intentional learning format and transformed into working, useable knowledge. The curriculum focused on action-responses, hierarchical competition and physical service with the following themes: > Building Brotherhood and Community > Pre-Conceived Ideas > Perception and Perspective > Community Advocacy > Globalization, Health Care and the Economy > Male Socialization and Masculinity > Gratitude for the Challenges of Life This environment set the stage to build upon an already evolving curriculum and introduce service learning, extend cultural immersion, and connect to our member’s academic curriculum Students developed cultural competencies and a deeper understanding of the challenges facing nations of the world.

Upon the trip’s conclusion, the students completed the Global Perspectives Inventory, an assessment used to measure a person’s global perspective. Results indicated that participantsreported being able to evaluate issues from several different perspectives (4.38/5), will continue to expand their cultural/international learning because of the GSI (4.25/5), and reported they will immediately invest what they have learned at the GSI back into their chapter (4.78/5). These results highlight our organizational relevance to offering members the opportunity for direct service and global education within our chapters and their broader communities.

Beyond Spring Break: The future of GSI

Delta Upsilon is actively identifying ways to make our undergraduate experience more relevant by envisioning a new framework for the 21st century founded upon social innovation: brothers actively and effectively serving their communities and the world, solving problems, and connecting their service to a larger global effort.

What began as a simple idea among friends on the beaches of Negril, Jamaica, the GSI has transformed Delta Upsilon and its strategic direction. Global service is now just one component of the organization’s Global Initiative, which also includes Global Learning, Global Networking, and Global Challenge.

The Global Initiative has created enthusiasm throughout the organization. The President’s message in DU’s Quarterly magazine about the global movement has generated three times as many letters as past issues, with the great majority being positive. After showcasing the GSI at the summer Leadership Institute, chapters began raising money for building projects in Jamaica. For instance, the North Carolina State chapter committed $3,000 to build a cafeteria at the Ketto Primary School. An alumnus who travels abroad extensively recently endowed a scholarship for a member to study abroad each year.

In December 2011, Kirk and Schendel returned to Jamaica and met with community leaders in Negril to map out a five and ten-year strategy for rebuilding the communities and next May, the fraternity will return with 20 students, nearly tripling the number of the pilot year. A domestic alternative spring break trip is planned for next March, The fraternity’s long-term vision is for every member to participate in a global experience as a result of their DU membership.

While local road side clean-ups, working with at-risk youth, and fixing houses still have their place in the fraternity experience, these domestic experiences must be complemented with initiatives that help our members become more globally aware and prepared to meet the challenges of the future. The world around us is changing at a rapid pace, and for fraternities to remain relevant, we must fundamentally change the fraternity experience. Our conversations and education around core values must now include global competence if we want to be relevant 21st century organizations. As fraternity/ sorority leaders, we must commit to providing experiences that will challenge our members to consider a new path to success.

References Dewey, J. (1997). Experience and education. New York: Touchstone.

Dugan, J. (2008). Exploring relationships between fraternity and sorority membership and socially responsible leadership. Oracle, 3(2), 16-25.

It is amazing how our most elaborate and intensive experiences can lead to some of our most basic and fundamental realizations. It has taken an unlikely trip to a foreign island with 13 of my brothers, my campus’ Greek advisor, and one DU staff member (both of whom, despite being affiliated with other Greek organizations, have been incredibly supportive of DU’s mission) to understand a few of the simple truths that lead one down a truly fulfilling and rewarding life path.

Simply by pursuing one’s passions an individual can create a life that provides both purpose and a drive to achieve great things. However, by also actively seeking opportunities to serve causes related to their passions one can develop commitments that rival their desire for personal success.

These are the beginnings of a truly rewarding life.

To work towards a greater good, in the absence of ego and selfish motivations, we enhance the lives of others as well as our own. Much like the advice many of us receive throughout our life to do something you love and you will never work a day in your life, if you can find a cause you truly believe in your life will never fail to have purpose.

To quote an article we read after our first day on this beautiful island, “Service is renewing. When we serve, our work itself will sustain us.”

Austin Peck · California ’12

Connecting in the Hearts and Minds of Others

by Matthew Dempsey

An old man finally decided to share with his granddaughter why he had painted his initials into the wet-concrete years ago, that was now hard as rock and to forever remain. “I did not know how to make my mark on the world, but by placing my initials in a place that everyone could see would ensure that I would never be forgotten.” The granddaughter listened carefully and responded, “Grandpa, I could never forget you.”

While it may be cumbersome to think about, I often think about the impact that I have on the people in my life. Although it is impossible to measure the impact that we have on others, I frequently think if the things I do will have any bearing on my fraternity.

Will I have an effect on my University? My Community? My Family? The world?

This notion that I had the privilege to make a difference in somebody’s life was the inspiration for me to sign up for the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values’ (AFLV) Immersion Trip to El Salvador last year. Of course, I wanted to help people who were not born into a country that had running water, a surplus of food at all times of the day, and a multitude of technology around us, which we often take for granted. Of course, I wanted to fundraise to help buy supplies that the project called for, and to come back and share the knowledge I had learned. However, through all of this, there was a selfish thought that I wanted to make my mark somewhere on the world, and AFLV gave me the opportunity to do just that in El Salvador.

When thinking about making my mark through service, I had to think about what kind of impact I was able to make. I had to think about the things that I already have, the things that I take for granted. As a white male in the United States, at an institution of higher education, the amount of privileges I have been afforded thus far in my life are innumerable. In fact, there are so many of these little gifts that I have received that I could not even name all of them if I sat down and tried.

Once I sat down and thought about what has been given to me, whether we call them privileges, blessings, or just attribute all of these things to luck, it helped me realize the reason I wanted to give back. One of my goals was to provide service to the people of El Salvador so that one day, they will be able to have the comforts that I have had in my life.

Unfortunately, I only have the ability to see through my lens. I will never be able to fully understand what it means to be a war veteran from Poland, to be a factory worker in Michigan, to be a woman, or to be a young boy in El Salvador named Carlito. This young boy, Carlito, who was just old enough to begin forming complex sentences (which was perfect for my level of Spanish), shared with me that one day he wanted to live the life of the people that he saw on the TV. He asked me why he was not given all of the things that he saw the people on the TV have. Why he couldn’t have the camera that was used to take our picture and why he did not have a phone to call his abuela whenever he wanted. As hard as I thought, I could not answer his question. At a loss for words, I shared, “I don’t know, Carlito.”

This is the point in my life that I became to value stories. I became infatuated with learning about the lens that other people have. There are seven billion people on Earth and I only have the privilege of seeing through my own lens, but through stories and connecting with others, I am able to widen my lens and begin to see and understand more of the world. While stories are a way to begin to understand someone else’s perspective, it has become clear to me that service to others is the next step and is so essential in broadening the lens with which I see the world.

In a conversation with Carlito’s mother, my narrow view of the world showed, when I shared that “us Americans” are all members of fraternities and sororities. In sharing “us Americans,” I was referring to the group of students on the Immersion Trip, but she slowly and modestly shared, “Somos Americanos, también” (We’re Americans, too). El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America, and I had managed to ignorantly disassemble the connection that she saw between us. While an innocent mistake, at what point does this naïveté become unacceptable?

While the woman did not know she was sharing with me a deep lesson about connecting with others. After she shared that my language excluded her from a community she belonged to, I apologized repeatedly, but what she shared with me I will never forget. She put her hands out and opened them and shared, “You share with your hands open. You are willing to learn. That’s the important part.”

Metaphorically, I have begun to approach new scenarios with my hands open and ready to learn about other’s stories. Additionally, by the transitive property, if I believe in learning other’s stories and what others have to share, I have to be open and willing to share the pages of my own story. Just as I will never get to fully understand the life of a factory worker in Michigan, others will never get to understand my lens of a white fraternity man at an institution of higher education.

whole other world that he was not given. Is it inspiring for others to know that at least some of the people that can be seen on TV living a glamorous life actually care?

I have come to realize that this act of approaching scenarios with hands open is something many organizations ask their members to do. Whether it be called approaching life with a spirit of inquiry, a devotion to the cultivation of the intellect, or lifelong learning, they all get to the point of approaching connections with others as an understanding that there is always something to learn and there is always room to grow as a person. I was able to come to El Salvador with an open mind and learn so much from the individuals there.

While I have been able to learn from books and from many professors, they were able to teach more things about life than I could ever learn from a book.

3.) Could this just be a tease that volunteers arrive, begin “to understand” what it might be like to live without a cell phone or a laptop, to encounter a language barrier, and to eat food that might be out of your comfort zone, only just to leave when the reality of the situation sets in?

From the moment Carlito asked me why he could not have all of the things that I had in my life, it made me stop and think about the value of the service we were doing versus how far the money would go if donated on its own. What if every dime that we used to fund the trip was given to the locals to provide the work and supplies that they needed?

Regardless of the exact cost of the trip, the amount of money spent on every hour of my work was undoubtedly substantially higher than the cost of paying somebody local a fair wage to do the same work.

At what cost do the scales balance between sending folks to another country to do service as well as to widen their scope of the world, and ensuring that the people of these other places are getting their basic needs met? I know, without a doubt, the experience of helping to build a school for the youth of a small village in El Salvador has forever changed my life. Through my experience serving others as a global citizen, I have managed to feel a sense of connectedness that makes me feel as though I have an obligation to give back to the communities around me. However, on the other hand, there are many sets of hands that are more skilled and more qualified that would get the job done at a cheaper and more efficient rate, which would grant the students the school they needed that much faster.

With this dilemma proposed, it is important to think about why the immersion trip was created in the first place. Three of many reasons come to mind: 1.) Was the goal to give back to the community through meaningful service? Will the work that I did in another part of the world create an impact that will interrupt the status quo and give the future generations an education and the basic needs that are required?

2.) Was it to educate sorority women and fraternity men about being global citizens? Will the participants of the trip go back to their communities changed and willing to share what they have learned with the people around them? Will they internalize the importance of service and give back to their own communities who need the help?

3.) Was it to share with the people of El Salvador that there are people of privilege who care and wish to give back? Just as Carlito shared, he has seen something on TV that has opened his eyes to a 010 // CONNECTIONS // 2013 • WINTER

Perhaps the goal was all of these things, but what is the perception of the people of El Salvador?

1.) Could the money to send a group of college students to El Salvador have been used to stimulate the local economy so that they could begin to create jobs and make a long-lasting impact on their own community?

2.) Could these individuals just have traveled to a local city that needed the help? It is not true that the only people who need food are on the other side of the world. Why is there this compelling factor to travel to another country?

These scenarios are not to be cynical, but rather to, perhaps, share the lens with which others may view our act of service. How can we be sure that the individuals that we encounter will not have that disparaging view, which may appear to be an act of pity? Connecting with others with open hands and connecting in whatever way you can. Sitting down and learning their alphabet, learning how to play dominoes and taking a vested interest in the lives of others. Not just with those that we may be serving, but in life, knowing that your interactions are authentic, true, and caring. Coming to the table with hands open, willing to learn and seeing others as a source of knowledge is what can start to break down that feeling of pity. We all have things to share that you have not heard of before, and it is about learning and teaching those things to others with whom we connect.

One day, I hope to reconnect with Carlito (who will probably go by Carlos by then) and see the school that I was able to help build the foundation on. I, of course, will question if I have made an impact and a difference on the community, but until then, I can take the handful of things that I have learned from my immersion experience and apply them to all parts of my life. Of the many things I have learned, to sum up three, they would be: 1.) Remember that the knapsack of privileges we carry around everyday has an effect on the way we see the world and how others see us.

2.) Remember everybody has a story to share and there is something for you to learn.

3.) Approach every situation with hands open and ready to be challenged.

Through all of the dilemmas that I have shared, I have unquestionably changed for the better. This trip changed my life and set me on a lifelong trajectory to give back to the communities around me.

Beyond my own experiences, I know very few people who come back from an immersion trip and do not feel overly compelled and obligated to give back to those around them.

Practically anyone could have gone to El Salvador, learned to use a shovel and do the work that I did. Personally, the impact I try to leave is that in the hearts and minds of others. Maya Angelou put it best, when she said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Service is an amazing way to give to the communities around you, but learning and sharing stories with others is the truest form of connection that you can have.

Considerations for Planning a Service Immersion Trip So you’re excited about the possibility of a service immersion trip but don’t know where to start or how to bring it to your fraternity and sorority community?

When answering this question, think about things like expectations of participants before and throughout the experience, explaining how and what they need to prepare for the trip and helping them understand their role while at the site.

Here are some ideas for what to do: Work with someone within your Community Service and/or Civic Engagement department at your institution to arrange this! Bring the following with you to this meeting: > An explanation of why you want to do this (consider what your motivation is and how this will benefit participants) > Ideas for sites (as you think about sites, remember to keep in mind safety and whether the site has someone local who can help arrange logistics) > How participants will be selected to attend, including university employees to serve as trip advisors > When you want the trip to take place > What potential costs will be associated with the trip for both the institution and participants Once you’ve begun a partnership with your institution to bring the service immersion experience to reality, consider the following: > How will you recruit participants for the experience? > How and when will you orient participants to the experience?

> How will this be a learning experience for participants? How will they reflect on the experience while they are there (in other words, will participants be expected to journal, blog, or have discussions throughout the experience)?

While at the site, make sure the following is taking place: > Everyone is safe and things are going according to participant, institutional and site expectations > Participants are reflecting throughout the experience and in some way having discussions about what they are learning and how they are growing as a result of the trip > Participants are taking care of themselves while also immersing themselves in service > The site is being enhanced by the presence of the participants and you’re making a difference > Have fun!

Upon return, do the following: > Have participants and any staff evaluate the experience > Get together with everyone to do a final wrap-up session where you get to do final reflections about the experience and discuss any follow up that needs to take place > Discuss with your Community Service and/or Civic Engagement department the next service immersion opportunity

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Untangling

Good the

Improving FraternitY & Sorority Philanthropy

BY UNDERSTANDING IT Steve Good • GrassrootGive

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I remember the moment like it was yesterday.

There I was, an 18-year-old member of Phi Delta Theta standing in the middle of the Great Hall in the Iowa State University Memorial Union with hundreds of my fellow Dance Marathoners waiting for the event’s fundraising results to be unveiled.

We had just spent the last 15 hours dancing, sweating, standing, learning about overcoming obstacles, and meeting the children of the Children’s Miracle Network, whom we had just supported through our fundraising efforts. We had accomplished something. We had done a little good in the world.

We had raised funds to help others with terminal illnesses, and most importantly, we had just learned about the power of philanthropy.

At the time, I had no idea this particular moment would have such a lasting impact on my life. To be frank, I wouldn’t be typing this article or working on the things that I work on if I wouldn’t have had that experience. My membership in Phi Delta Theta at Iowa State led to me signing up for Dance Marathon and the experience continues to be a highlight of my life as a fraternity man. My story is not unique though. Philanthropy is integral to the fraternity/sorority experience. Odds are, when you hear the pitch of why one should join a fraternity or sorority you will most likely hear about this thing called philanthropy.

This article is not about all the good things fraternities and sororities do within the realm of philanthropy, it is about how we can become better at helping others. Over the last eight years, I have learned there are a few key factors that are holding fraternal organizations, campus communities, chapters, and individuals back from truly becoming philanthropic. Our intentions are wonderful, but our impact can be drastically improved.

Let us first start by looking at the definition of philanthropy. One of my favorite definitions of philanthropy is this: “philanthropy is about giving of yourself, whether it is with money or your time. All you have to do is care about something – an organization, a cause or a mission – and give something of yourself to support that which has touched your heart.” There are a few key takeaways from this definition. You can be philanthropic by both raising funds AND engaging in service, but ultimately you must care about a cause, connect with it, and take action to be philanthropic.

With that definition in mind, we, both students and advisors, need to ask ourselves the following questions:

Are we using philanthropy for selfish motives?

Being recognized by others for being philanthropic is not a bad thing, but when it is the motive for doing it, change needs to be made. So how do you identify the motive of your philanthropic efforts? If the answer to any of the following questions is yes, a new approach should be considered: > Does your organization align itself with a charity of choice without investing in or providing programming that develops this relationship? > Does your community have a dollars raised, events hosted, or service hours compiled requirement in order to improve statistics to be used during recruitment? > Does your chapter do philanthropy to socialize, win awards, or check a box?

Through our philanthropic efforts, our stories will be told and seen by many, but true motives also shine through when the motives are not good ones. We must go into philanthropy with a giving mindset asking how we can make this world a better place rather than how can this help us?

Are we aligning members with causes that are important to them?

We all have things that are important in our own lives. The things that are important to us drive our priorities and the attention, time, and resources that we give to them. When it comes to causes that we support, this is an extremely personal decision. For me, I support Iowa State University, Phi Delta Theta, The ALS Association, and the Humane Society because of my experiences. I am more likely to engage in philanthropic activities associated with causes I care about than activities associated with causes to which I have no connection.

So how does this affect philanthropy within the fraternity/sorority world? The majority of philanthropic activity at the undergraduate level happens at the chapter level. Throughout the year, our chapters do something as a group to benefit a cause. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, but I have to imagine that within each chapter, there are individuals who would be more passionate about supporting a different cause based on their life experiences. Many of our chapters select their cause based on what others tell them to support.

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Fraternity and sorority members will become more philanthropic when we create an environment that allows the flexibility for individuals within groups to select the cause that will drive them to be more engaged. I am not suggesting the removal of chapter philanthropy events, rather, I am suggesting two things: 1) Having a discussion as a group about why you support what you do, and 2) Encouraging individuals or small groups to go beyond the chapter’s philanthropic events to connect with causes that are important to them.

From an organizational standpoint, we should not become upset if our members choose to support a cause other than one of our partner charities. We should be proud that they have aligned themselves with causes that are important to them. They will ultimately become more philanthropic because of this.

Are fraternity and sorority members making a connection with a cause and learning about it?

The most effective philanthropists have a strong connection with the cause they support and are extremely educated about its mission. If I could identify the biggest area of improvement for fraternity/sorority philanthropy, it would pertain to connecting our members with the causes they support. As mentioned above, aligning individuals with causes they care about is the first step, but no matter what cause is selected, we have to create opportunities for members of fraternal organizations to learn more about the cause they support. Once this is accomplished, the next step is to use philanthropic events or activities to educate others about or connect them with the cause.

Without an initial understanding of what one is supporting, it is challenging to achieve the latter.

Ways to connect with a cause include: > Having a conversation with somebody who is affected by the cause > Inviting a speaker to a chapter meeting to discuss the cause > Developing educational materials to pass out to those who attend your events > Researching a cause and sharing what you find to others > Sharing stories about the impact of the cause that you support > Giving a presentation at a chapter meeting to help others learn about the cause

Are we focusing on the philanthropic event or the cause that we are supporting?

Let us look at an analogy: fraternity/sorority recruitment.

Over the years, we have learned that effective recruitment happens when it is executed year-round at the individual or small-group level.

Yes, we still have formal recruitment periods, but our most effective chapters are building relationships with potential members throughout the year and they are not doing it solely by inviting people to large-scale events. Recruitment over the course of one week seems rushed and relationships are unable to be properly developed.

Now think about fraternity/sorority philanthropy. There are many parallels here. The most philanthropic fraternity and sorority members are philanthropic year-round. They may host and attend largescale events throughout the year, but they are making the most progress by serving and supporting the cause throughout the year on their own or with a small group of people. Whether it is through volunteerism, other clubs, working part-time for the cause, infusing the cause into school projects, or individual fundraising efforts, the point is that a year-round approach develops more philanthropists.

To uncover whether the chapter is focused on the philanthropic event or not, ask one simple question to the philanthropy chair.

What are your goals for the year?

Those who are focused on the event might say: > To create an event that we can do every year, > To create an event that is recognizable on campus, or > To get more people to our philanthropy events.

Those who are focused on the cause might say: > To help more of our members understand why it is important to support the cause, > To educate our community about why it is important to support the cause, or > To raise more money in order to make a greater impact toward the cause.

Are we raising funds effectively?

Each year, fraternity and sorority members raise millions of dollars for a variety of great causes. A component of being philanthropic is the raising or giving of funds to help support the mission of the cause one supports. While the cumulative number of dollars that fraternities and sororities raise varies depending on whom you ask, I am going to make the argument that we could double that number each year if we focus on two specific components of fundraising.

Reduce costs – Fraternity/sorority philanthropic events have very high costs. How much good are we doing charging $5 to eat a meal that costs us $3 to serve? High costs means less dollars granted to the cause that is being supported and ultimately less impact being made through one’s philanthropic efforts. There are differing opinions about what an acceptable cost per dollar raised should be, but the national average is approximately 20 cents of cost per dollar raised. Personally, I think we should strive for 10 cents or less per dollar raised. To do this, the first step is to identify what costs you might have associated with your philanthropic activities or events.

Once the costs are identified, you can begin to think about how to either reduce these costs or find someone else to cover these costs.

Business sponsorship is a way to drastically reduce costs, but we are not doing it enough. To succeed with business sponsorship, a pitch will need to be developed and you will need to demonstrate the value to the business for their sponsorship. You will also gain a valuable experience in the world of sales.

Expand fundraising reach - When discussing fraternity/sorority philanthropy with advisors across the country, one frustration is stated over and over again – the pass the hat mentality of fundraising within the fraternity/sorority community. Fraternal organizations supporting other fraternal organizations in their philanthropic efforts is a great thing, but it becomes detrimental to our potential if we are only marketing to and reaching other members. If we are only reaching other fraternity or sorority members, philanthropic efforts are stalled as the same pool of participants and donors are approached time after time. The solution is to broaden your pool of potential donors and participants. This can be done through the power of the internet. The internet allows each of us to share what we are passionate about with the world. It opens doors, strengthens our voice, and most importantly within the world of philanthropy, gives us the opportunity to make a greater impact for the cause that we are supporting. Online, peer-to-peer fundraising technologies, such as AFLV’s Greeks for Good program, coupled with social media platforms are revolutionizing the way we raise funds and have the ability to strengthen our philanthropic work as a community.

Understanding where we can improve helps us take action. Given everything stated at this point, here are a few specific things you can do to help improve fraternity/sorority philanthropy:

Make philanthropy a priority Philanthropy is something we always talk about, but is often an area that we do not invest time and resources in to develop. Philanthropy done right will develop compassion within the fraternity/sorority community. Greater compassion ultimately results in improved decision-making and awareness of the right thing to do in any given situation. The good works of our members will be noticed by others who want to do a little good in this world. These are the people we need within our community.

Focus on motivated individuals It is much easier, and more effective to get a small group of philanthropists moving in the same direction than an entire chapter, community, or organization. Focusing on motivated individuals is an approach that takes time to permeate a larger group, but it is much more manageable. Focus your attention on developing the philanthropic traits in your most motivated peers, students or members and then share their successes with others within your community.

These individuals will set the bar and others will want to reach it.

Help make the connection with causes Focusing on this piece of the philanthropic puzzle has the greatest potential for positive change. Without the connection to the cause, fraternity/sorority philanthropic events are simply events. We must encourage and help facilitate opportunities for fraternity and sorority members to learn about the causes they are supporting. Doing this will drastically improve our results and our impact. Search for local opportunities to make that connection by asking people who are affected by the cause your organization supports to speak to your members to tell their stories.

Evaluate how philanthropy is rewarded How we reward philanthropy drives how fraternities and sororities do philanthropy. I think it is worth repeating. How we reward philanthropy drives how fraternities and sororities do philanthropy. As an example, I recently spoke with a fraternity man who admitted that his chapter was guilty of dumping out full cans of beverages in order to get more cans for a can drive. In this case, the number of cans collected determined who was most philanthropic. I would argue that the measurement here might have determined who was the least philanthropic. Competition to win awards is fierce within the fraternity/sorority community, so we have to be careful about the measure used to reward philanthropy. For example, measuring impact made, strongest connection, best awareness campaign or most inspirational story will create more philanthropists than measuring most money raised, most hours served, or number of events. The awards process is another great place to recognize those individuals, who are leading the philanthropic way within the community or organization. In the end, awards should not drive why we do philanthropy, but if positioned right, they can help shift the mentality of what philanthropy really is.

Twelve years after my first philanthropic experience at Iowa State University, I had the opportunity to return to watch future generations fall in love with philanthropy, just as I did. The moment, and subsequent joy that one exudes, after realizing that he or she is a philanthropist is what drives me personally. More importantly, it is a moment that we need to replicate as many times as possible within our community. If we do this, our community will become an even greater producer of compassionate leaders within this world.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

The Great DividE

The fraternity and sorority community has a rich heritage of philanthropic involvement dating back to Pi Beta Phi’s pioneering of a The difference social welfare project in 1912, establishing a settlement school in between philanthropic the Appalachian highlands of Tennessee. Since then, every fraternity fundraising AND civic and sorority has energetically adopted and raised thousands of dolservice engagement lars for national non-profit organizations committed to helping those John R. Hatfield in need, such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (Delta Delta Delta), Habitat for Humanity (Beta Sigma Psi), Victims of Domestic Violence (Alpha Chi Omega), Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (Sigma Chi and Sigma Alpha An example of interEpsilon), Building Strong Girls (Gamma Phi Beta), Emerging Youth Leaders, Global national civic service Poverty, Social Justice and Human Rights Initiatives (Alpha Kappa Alpha) and UNICEF engagement would be Phi (Phi Iota Alpha).

Delta Theta’s partnership with AFLV and the Heart for Honduras summer overseas project Fraternities and sororities have spent countless hours organizing and leading fundraising in Honduras. Delta Upsilon’s Global Service events, significantly influencing university communities, states and the nation. In recent initiative offers members opportunities to years, fraternal organizations have been moving toward civic service engagement that engage in direct service in developing nations actively engages members, using their skills and talents. over winter break each January. The fraternal community is the largest network of volunAdditionally, some chapters have moved toward establishing ongoing relationships in teers in the U.S., with members volunteering their civic service. For example, Sigma Alpha Epsilon at Kansas State University provides over 10 million hours each year. Giving and a local grade school with men to help coach or referee games, mentor academics, chapserving is a hallmark of being a member. It eron events, help with reading and be on call for any needs that might arise. Kappa Sigma is an aspect of our heritage, our DNA, our just started an International Day of Service, assisting local communities, serving meals uniqueness, and our respect. The fraterat soup kitchens, charity donation drives and building homes. The Greek Affairs office at nal community has never been silent about Texas A&M University organized an all-fraternity/sorority Greek alternative spring break things that matter. trip called Aggie Greek Service Trip, where members come together in solidarity to influence and impact the greater good for those less fortunate.

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Our philanthropic heritage of fundraising through the decades Philanthropy is the desire to promote the welfare of others, especially expressed by generous monetary donations to good causes.

Voluntary, organized efforts intended for useful purposes toward those in need are a hallmark of the fraternal community. Through the years, the organizing of sport Athlons (volleyball, bowling, dance, etc.), t-shirt sales, information booths, homecoming projects, or involvement with campus ministries like The Navigators, Campus Crusade, and Inter Varsity to raise philanthropic funds and heighten awareness for those less fortunate has secured millions of dollars and helped thousands of people. As Margaret Mead stated, “A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.” Our chapters consist of small groups of people who have been and are currently creating innovative ways to be the change agents for our world.

Benefits of Philanthropic Fund Raising: > Promotes awareness of a financial need > Involves students in a fund raising project > Heightens awareness through an event > Impacts others through meeting a financial need > Provides money for ongoing research > Exposes participants to non-profit organizations > Provides leadership development in learning how to organize an event All of this is to be commended, congratulated and celebrated!

It meets a need and should never be abandoned.

On the other hand, the downside of having fun events, t-shirt sales and information booths to raise money, is the lack of personal engagement, meaningful involvement and leadership development experiences for fraternal members. It can promote a subtle philosophy that giving money solves the need or is the only answer.

Civic Service Engagement Service learning joins two complex concepts: community action, the “service,” and efforts to learn from that action and connect what is learned to existing knowledge, the “learning”. Civic service involves a sense of personal responsibility citizens should feel being a part of a community. Civic participation (volunteerism) involves identifying, addressing and finding solutions for the good of society. Structured experiences, with critical reflection on service, helps engage students to better understand issues of social injustice and equip them to be change agents. The primary goal of higher education is to develop civic-minded citizens with the skills and capacities to lead our communities and nation (e.g., Dewey, 1916; Brown, 1977; Astin, 1996; Eyler & Giles, 1990; Colby, Ehrlich, Beaumont, & Stephens, 2003; Hurtado, Engberg, & Ponjuan, 2003). This is the type of fraternity and sorority member we desire to influence and replicate.

Historically, in the U.S., civic service can be traced to the creation of the extension education programs from land grant institutions in the 1860’s, the New Deal work programs, immigration education and the organizing of women’s, civil and gay rights movements, as well as, the influence of Christianity. Additionally, the Peace Corps movement created by John F. Kennedy in 1960 challenged students at the University of Michigan to serve their country for peace by living and working in developing countries. The current AmeriCorps and Teach America programs initiated by Presidents Bush and Clinton, which challenge college students to do the same in the U.S., are rooted in the pedagogy of service learning. Civic service, as a concept and practice, is deeply rooted in America’s past, present and future.

Benefits of Civic Service Engagement: > Enables understanding and conviction through participation > Engages the holistic person, including their heart, mind and emotion > Awakens skills and talents for present future involvement. > Provides reflection for deeper learning, application and understanding

> Gives vision for a lifetime of service Alexander Astin’s involvement theory states that the amount > Teaches responsibility of student learning and per> Provides a sense of value and self-worth sonal development associAn aspect of our > Values selflessness and thinking of others ated with any educational program is directly proGreek DNA is to nurture > Promotes volunteerism portional to the quality growth in academics, > Fosters empathy, compassion, care and kindness and quantity of student character, brotherhood, involvement in the pro> Links theory and practice sisterhood, service & leadergram. Astin (1996) high> Creates deeper civic consciousness ship development for lights the importance of > Promotes experiential learning peer group interaction the greater good for college students sucof society.

Connecting the fraternity/sorority college student with commucess and notes that service nity civic engagement to enhance their leadership and academic is one way to develop peer development is an effective pedagogical strategy. Research states relationships. Astin and Sax that university students who participate and engage in civic service (1998) and Vogelgesang, Ikeda, activities earn a higher GPA, have a higher retention rank and are Gilmartin, and Keup (2002) further more likely to earn their college degree. They also are more effective found that service learning is positively associated in critical thinking and communication skills advantageous for the with student retention and the likelihood of completing a degree. workplace.

And they show increased interest in becoming personPhilanthropic fundraising does little for our men and women. We ally and professionally involved in future community enhancement owe our members more. We need to be committed to their personprojects (A Promising Connection, Campus Compact, 2010). al, professional and leadership development. It is our responsibility, as chapter advisors, house corporations, alumni boards, house directors and national leadership offices, to be intentional and lead in this endeavor.

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An aspect of our Greek DNA is to nurture growth in academics, character, brotherhood/sisterhood, and service and leadership development for the greater good of society. Historically, many colleges were founded on the principle of facilitating civic leadership knowledge and skills (Rudolph, 1990).

Bowen (1977) contended that “higher education should equip students to discover what is right in society, as well as, what is wrong” in order to become intellectually connected to their communities and to develop the skills and abilities to engage in positive change.

Does this value pale when compared to social events? When push comes to shove what values take precedence and why? One muses over what type of environment we have created and what type of student it recruits.

How do we define student success relating to those involved in the Greek system? Are we developing men and women of moral character, leaders with skill, vision and critical thinking that will influence not only our diverse culture but the world? Shifting our philanthropic endeavors to include more civic service experiences will nurture and build more civic minded servant leaders, having a greater impact on our world. 76% of all representatives and senators belong to a fraternity and 40 of 47 U.S. Supreme Court Justices since 1910 are fraternity men. More than 85% of student leaders on approximately 730 campuses are involved in the Greek community. Bill Clinton (Alpha Phi Omega), Elizabeth Dole (Delta Delta Delta), George H. W. Bush (Delta Kappa Epsilon), Condoleezza Rice (Alpha Chi Omega), Martin Luther King, Jr. (Alpha Phi Alpha), Ronald Reagan (Tau Kappa Epsilon), General Richard Meyers (Sigma Alpha Epsilon), Warren Buffet (Alpha Sigma Phi), Ann Moore (Pi Beta Phi), Jerry Yang (Phi Kappa Psi), Neil Armstrong (Phi Delta Theta), Eli Manning (Sigma Nu), Alice Sheets Marriott (Chi Omega) and Thurgood Marshall (Alpha Phi Alpha) are all Greek affiliated. Will the next generation of leaders come from sororities and fraternties?

Civic service engagement is supported by David Kolb’s experiential learning theory. Kolb’s theory involves a learning style model that has 1) reflective observation, 2) abstract conceptualization, 3) concrete experience and 4) active experimentation. While I was at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, I took several Greek students on four to six week summer trips to Zambia. We spent several months before our departure learning about Zambia’s culture, fundraising, reflecting on articles about leadership and stewardship and participated in bonding exercises as a team.

On location, philosophy turned to reality, as concrete experience took center stage. Some of our most memorable experiences took place in our reflective observation times together at the end of the day as we shared honestly and authentically from what we had just experienced. This is the place where personal transformation occurs, lifetime commitments and convictions are pounded out like metal on the anvil. The place where one comes face to face with the 018 // CONNECTIONS // 2013 • WINTER

truth that with privilege comes responsibility. You cannot replicate this in a bowling Athlon fun night at the student union back on campus raising funds for MS followed by a social drinking event where many get intoxicated.

I witnessed the same transformation when I took students to the inner cities of Chicago and St. Louis. Students had to live in crowded accommodations for sleeping and rest rooms, worked long and hard days clearing out condemned buildings, read with grade school children after school got out, helped with sports and figured out healthy fun nights with teens. Issues of injustice and poverty became real.

John Dewey’s educational and social philosophy theory includes learning from experience, reflective activity, citizenship, community, and democracy (1916).

Service learning trips to inner cities connect to Dewey’s theory.

“A small group of The disequilibrium these two experiences (Zambia and the inner cities) created with thoughtful peopl students was fascinating to hear and obcould change the wo serve. It was a sacred time for us. A time Indeed it’s the only th of reflection, not from the fraternity or that ever has.” sorority house, but from the place of injustice. These are times that invigorate me MARGARET MEAD and make me proud to be Greek. I am involved with a community that wants to make a difference and is a part of something bigger than them. But sadly, I find this Greek ethos has been diminished, lost, or replaced with social events taking center stage instead of being a piece of the Greek college experience.

“Until the great mass of the people shall be filled with the sense of responsibility for each other’s welfare, social justice can never be attained.” Helen Keller Reflection from what ones sees, feels, smells, touches and hears is priceless. It has the opportunity to fill one with a sense of responsibility for each other’s welfare. Our true character surfaces quickly in these real situations. Character development can be shaped in these teachable moments if you have the right leader, ask the right questions and guide personal discovery before giving insight.

Learning to say no to yourself, being last, taking the position of a servant or seeing first hand, by being with the people, what it means to be downcast, discouraged and hopeless can be monumental in personal growth. Mother Teresa said, “let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.”

This cannot be replicated in selling t-shirts in the student union for breast or prostate cancer, even though that is needed and valuable.

These are the events that have the opportunity to shape young men

and women with lessons for a lifetime, like realizing they view the world through a U.S. centric lens and how unhealthily those lenses influence us. I thought I was going to help and influence Zambia but actually Zambia helped and influenced me more. I became a different and better leader, father and person because of Zambia. I am indebted to the people of Zambia.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter,” Martin Luther King Jr. May we be a fraternal community that does not become silent about the things that matter. May we fulfill our mission and calling of developing young people in moral character, spirituality, civic service, academics and leadership, significantly impacting our nation and the world.

I pose the following questions: > Do we understand the difference between philanthropic fundraising and civic service engagement? > How do we engage, embrace and encourage our active chapter members and national leadership to adopt civic service engagement pedagogy with best practices? > Are we strategic in our leadership development aside from the yearly, one-week leadership institute, and how can civic service be a part of this development? > How can we better equip future leaders in issues of public policy, injustice, civic service, personal responsibility and global and cultural awareness? Is this even on our radar?

l group of ful people ge the world. he only thing ver has.”

> Why do we struggle with a negative “branding” given by outsiders observing our fraternal community and how can civic service engagement at home and abroad curb this perspective? > What are we passionate about? What causes align with our passions?

References

RET MEAD

Astin, A.W. (1996). Involvement in Learning revisited: lessons we have learned…

Journal of College Student Development, 37 (2), 123-133.

Astin, A.W., & Sax, L.J. (1998). How undergraduates are affected by service participation. Journal of College Student Development, 39(3), 251-263.

Where can you learn from the best & meet others who care about creating safe homes for our students?

Bowen, H.R. (1977). Investment in Learning: The individual and social value of American higher education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Colby, A.M., Beaumont, E., Ehrlich, T., & Corngold, J. (2007). Educating for Democracy: Preparing students for responsible political engagement. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Cress, C.M, Burack C., Giles, JR. D., Elkins, J., Stevens, M., A Promising Connection, Increasing College Access and Success Through Civic Engagement, Campus Compact, September 2010 Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and education. New York: The Free Press Grantmakers for Education. (2010). Promoting college success: What we know and what we Should do.

Retrieved August 17, 2010, from http://www.edfunders.org/programs/listevent.asp?id=297 Hurtado, S., Engberg, M., & Ponjuan, L. (2003). The impact of college experience on Students ‘learning for a diverse democracy. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of

The 2013 Fraternal Housing Conference

Higher Education, Portland, OR. Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Moore, L. V. (Ed.) (1990). Evolving Theoretical Perspectives on Students. New Directions for Student Services, 51.

Rudolph, F. (1990). The American college and university: A history. Athens, GA: University of Athens Press Stanton, T.K., Giles, Jr. D, Cruz N. I. Service-Learning: A movement’s pioneers reflect on its origins, practice, and future. Jossey-Bass 1999 Vogelgesang, L.J., Ikeda, E.K., Gilmartin, S.K., & Keup, J.R. (2002). Service-learning and the First-year experience: learning from the research.

Zlotkowski (ED.). Service-Learning and the first year experience: Preparing students for Personal suc-

Boston, MA June 20-23, 2013 Register online at: HouseDirectors.org

cess and civic responsibility (pp.15-26). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

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020 // CONNECTIONS // 2013 • WINTER

HanginG drywall in New Orleans & building playgrounds in Savannah

Taking Action: Chapter-sponsored Alternative Spring Break Eric Hallal · Sigma Alpha Epsilon · Virginia Commonwealth University

One of the most rewarding experiences you can have as a member of a fraternity or sorority is to participate in your chapter’s community service activities, which are meant to help those less fortunate outside the walls of your alma mater.

As a member of the Virginia Chi Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, I participated in two different Alternative Spring Break (ASB) trips.

ASB is an opportunity for college students to participate in community service projects at locations around the country, or world rather than heading to the beach or on a cruise for spring break. At the start of the 2010 academic year, our chapter decided we would plan and execute our own chapter-based Alternative Spring Break Trip.

I choose to participate in Alternative Spring Break because I wanted to spend my spring break giving back to those less fortunate to me.

I wanted to help those who had everything, and now have nothing because of natural disasters, medical issues, financial struggles, or other factors. I wanted to be able to give my time and energy to these communities so they could be continued to be revitalized and help them move forward. I also wanted to participate to show the people we worked with that there are people who truly care about them, their families, and their communities.

As a fraternity man, and more importantly as a citizen, it is important to give back because it allows you to step into someone else’s shoes and to help understand the struggles they are dealing with on a daily basis. It allows you the opportunity to live and experience what they deal with every day. It allows you to appreciate what you have and understand that life may not always go as planned. Giving back also allows you to give your talents and expertise in areas to help others, such as construction, education or gardening.

In the spring 2010, 12 members of the Virginia Chi Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana where we partnered with an organization called Camp Restore. Through camp Restore, we served many different organizations and people in the Lower Ninth Ward. As many houses in the Lower Ninth Ward were damaged as a result of Hurricane Katrina, we spent the first three days of the week remodeling two homes. Both homes sustained water damage as a result of the hurricane. We plastered new dry wall, re-painted both the inside and outside of the structures, planted new shrubbery around the outside of the homes, and brought in new furniture for the homes.

The next day was spent at a local elementary school, where we tutored and mentored the children and spent time cleaning up inside and around the school. The last day was spent at the New Orleans Battlefield, where we spent the day picking up trash and derbies left over from the Hurricane, as well as planted new shrubbery along the entrance to the battlefield.

One story remains with me from New Orleans that really helped me understand what these people endured during Hurricane Katrina.

While working on the battlefield, which contained 12 to 20 feet of water during the Hurricane, we met a park ranger who remained near the battlefield during the hurricane. The park ranger stayed during the storm and said rescuers were not able to get to the neighborhood. He had 14 neighbors) staying in his house because his house was only under seven feet of water, leaving his second floor available.

In the spring of 2011, I participated in another Virginia Chi Sigma Alpha Epsilon ASB trip with 17 chapter members. We traveled to Savannah, Georgia and partnered with the YMCA of Great Savannah and the Salvation Army. The first two days were spent mulching their children’s playground area, planting new flowers and vegetables in their community garden and spending time mentoring and playing with the children. The second part of the week was spent at a local Salvation Army Shelter, where we tore down an old wooden fence that went around the property and replaced it with new wooden fence posts. We also spent time talking with members of the community who were staying at the shelter.

I recommend every fraternity and sorority chapter and member to participate in an Alternative Spring Break Program. Or, better yet, challenge their chapter to plan their own! It allows members to create life long memories with each other while helping those less fortunate. It allows you to utilize and showcase your talents while helping others, and most importantly, it showcases the fraternity/ sorority experience.

FACILITATION 411: RITUAL & VALUES Brittany Ankeny · Missouri State University Alpha Sigma Alpha · brittany@live.missouristate.edu

Our founders created organizations based upon a set of values, along with a shared ceremony that connects all members within our organizations. The initiation ceremony and our values set us apart from other student organizations.

These things encourage members to reflect on why they joined their organization and why they stayed in the organization. This brings about the idea that our values and ritual are the heart of the organization, keeping us bound to our fraternity or sorority and our brothers or sisters. These activities will ask members to decide whether they are living their values or living a stereotype. Each member should participate in the discussion and reflect upon their own membership, how they can contribute to the chapter’s success, and how they can help to contribute to another member’s experience.

The goal of each of these activities is to create motivation, organization awareness, and membership review. Members will complete activities and discussions allowing for reflection on their behavior and how it violates or upholds their organizations values. It is important to note that these values are significant in everyday life, not just throughout college; members should reflect on how they plan to continue upholding these values post college. Individual reflection should demonstrate how the chapter as a whole exemplifies the organization’s ritual and values and provides a clear picture as to what can be improved upon.

022 // CONNECTIONS // 2012 • FALL

TERMS

WHAT TO DO: DISCUSSION

Ritual is a private ceremony creating a national bond between organizations

Lead the discussion with these questions:

Values are the tenets set forth by your organization members promise to uphold

LEARNING OBJECTIVE To have a better understanding of your ritual and values and how to implement those into everyday life.

FACILITATOR CONSIDERATIONS IMPORTANT! Make sure members understand that activities are not meant to be a competition to see who can remember the most or who grants the most significance to ritual and values.

Explain why this is important for the individual members and the chapter as a whole.

Applying this individually and as a whole, as well as to life after college will allow for a member to find more than one connection.

Encourage members to be open and honest. Some members may not know all of the organization’s values or remember important things about their ritual. This process will allow them to see where they should invest more time into within their organization.

Do not expect that everyone will enjoy this exercise or will become a brand new contributing member from these activities.

Encourage each member to find one thing that is positive that they gained from these activities.

HOW TO GET STARTED Gather chapter members Divide participants into groups of 5-8 people

SUPPLIES

> What does your ritual mean to you? > What are your organizations values?

What do they mean to you? > How do you live your values and ritual every day? Provide examples > Is there someone within your organization that lives your values and ritual the most? How do they do that? > Do you think your organization as a whole holds the values and ritual to a high standard? > What are ways you as a member can contribute to the chapter by exemplifying your values? How can your organization benefit from each member acting in accordance with the values and ritual set forth by your organization? > Create goals for your chapter, long-term and short-term, to increase the presence of values and ritual.

Chapter Discussion Questions 4-7 should be written on a poster size post-it note to share with your chapter members. Have each member go around and look at the groups answers Have your chapter come together to discuss the small group discussion. Was there something you got out of it? What did you think? What stood out to you?

In what ways does your chapter succeed in displaying your organizations values?

Create goals as a chapter to implement values and ritual

WHAT TO DO: OUT-OF-THE-BOX ACTIVITIES The activities listed will provide a beneficial way to strengthen the student’s perspective on diversity, inclusion and new experiences: Have pictures of your founders or famous alumni. Match up your organizations values with what you think they represent or did represent for your organization.

Make a video with members discussing your organizations values, why they’re important, and how your chapter exemplifies them.

Make the video fun by modeling it after a popular TV show.

Badge Drop Have 6-8 members volunteer to put their badge in the middle of a sheet and then hold a piece of the sheet, using both hands.

Read off situations that go against your values. When a member holding the sheet has acted in a way that violates an organization value, one hand has to let go of the sheet.

Eventually each member will more than likely have let go of the sheet and the Badges/ Pins will fall to the ground. This demonstrates that if members do not hold up their values their organizations will fall.

Create your own ritual week or values week!

PLAN FOR SUCCESS People get more out of experiences that they enjoy. When leading or participating in diversity training, make sure it is an event that helps students change their perspective in a safe, beneficial way. Allow students to have the opportunity to do what they want with the information, it may take days or months or years for them to grasp the concept.

> poster size “post it notes” (allows for groups to share afterwards) > marker

ACTIVITY TIMING Discussion: Topics should last for 5-10 minutes each.

Activity: Plan an hour or more for participation in each out-of-the-box activity.

ASSESSMENT Assessment is necessary after activities to see that members gained something beneficial from the experience. It also allows them to put in writing what they learned, discovered, or found interesting. Distribute surveys to the members for them to assess the activities as well as write down any activity ideas they have for the future. Consider creating and passing out a ritual and values quiz to see how much your members know after the discussion and activities.

Suit filed against fraternity, Francis Marion over hazing McLeod Law Group filed a lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of Daniel McElveen who was seriously and permanently injured on October 23, 2011 during a hazing incident at Francis Marion University.

The victim was repeatedly beaten during the fraternity’s “Hell Night” initiation process for Phi Beta Sigma’s Francis Marion Chapter, according to Florence County Sheriff’s Office deputies.

He was hospitalized for eight days at McLeod Regional Hospital and as a result of the incident nine men were arrested in connection to the brutal hazing by the Florence County Sheriff’s Office.

“Our investigation leads us to believe the University turned a blind eye towards Phi Beta Sigma despite the fraternity being implicated in numerous hazing incidents including a $97 million lawsuit which was filed against Phi Beta Sigma as a result of alleged hazing that took place at its Prairie View A&M Chapter outside Houston Texas,” Attorney Mullins McLeod said.

“Daniel was the second person in our family to go to college and his being accepted and attending Francis Marion was one of the greater memories of my life. We were proud of the achievements he was making and we thought Daniel joining a fraternity would further enrich his college experience; however the brutality that took place against my son has forever scarred him and has become one of the worst experiences our family has ever suffered through,” the victim’s mother said.

The victim filed the suit against Phi Beta Sigma fraternity International, the Pi Chi Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity International and Francis Marion University for claims of Negligence, Battery, Assault and Outrage.

Now, for the record, we’re not necessarily advocating suing people and we’re not going to get into the details of whether or not the facts of this situation are accurate or not accurate.

What we ARE saying is that no one should be sorry for not being sorry for standing up for themselves and saying, “NO!” when they are mistreated, abused, assaulted…. Hazed.

Victims are all too frequently made to feel scared or guilty for going forward. This needs to end.

So, here’s our message we’re not the least bit sorry about: If you’re being victimized say something. Stand up for yourself.

And don’t be sorry about doing so.

REFERENCE: Continuous News Desk (2013, January 15). Suit filed against fraternity, FMU over hazing. Retrieved online from http://www.carolinalive.com/weather/story.aspx?id=848087#.UPb9dSc8CSo.

SORRY, We’re Not Sorry

This is a shout out to fraternal members, chapters, councils, or communities that have opted to do the right (albeit unpopular) thing. These people have stood for what they believe in - their fraternal values - despite the fear or reality of being ostracized or ridiculed. You’ve heard the saying “what’s popular is not always right and what’s right is not always popular.” It’s the truth.

These people have got guts; they’ve owned their values.

024 // CONNECTIONS // 2013 • WINTER

FRO FR OMO OM THE THEOROO RO ADO AD Sigma Phi Epsilon Develops Balanced Men in Greece Last June, the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity hosted its 12th Tragos Quest to Greece. The program is named after past grand present Bill Tragos and provides participants the opportunity to learn about Greek history and culture, while strengthening their understanding of Sigma Phi Epsilon’s ritual, forming closer ties with other members of the fraternity, and learning about themselves. The program promotes the fraternity’s goal of developing balanced men.

Sixteen undergraduates and five mentors were selected for the ten-day excursion. These participants were led by a professor from the University of Crete, as they visited famous landmarks such as the Temple of Apollo. According to Archie Messersmith, who served as one of the mentors and advises the Illinois State University chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon, a memorable experience was visiting Delphi. Delphi is known as the presumed location of where the Oracle of Delphi told prophecies. The ancient Greeks also considered Delphi to be the center of the universe. It was in this sig-

nificant location, atop a cliff overlooking the city, where the group engaged in the fraternity’s ritual. Messersmith described the activity as an emotionally overwhelming event that few people have the chance to experience.

Before departing for Greece, participants were assigned readings. The readings enabled the participants to engage in discussions about ritual, self-improvement, masculinity, and having a positive impact in the world. According to Shane McKee, Member Development Manager for Sigma Phi Epsilon, the participants greatly enjoyed the discussion about masculinity. The discussion helped the men develop a better understanding of themselves as men. Based on the positive feedback from the participants, McKee intends to incorporate the topic into the curriculum of future trips.

You can read the full article in Illinois State University’s Daily Vidette: http:// www.videtteonline.com. For more information about Sigma Phi Epsilon’s Tragos Quest, go to: http://www.sigep.org/leadershipevents/quest/.

BUSTED: ARE WE HONEST WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR STRENGTHS & STATS? “The overall GPA of sorority and fraternity members is greater than the GPA of all other undergraduates!”

We would bet anything that this very fact is used in every single recruitment round that occurs across the US. Why should you go Greek?

Our GPA of course!

Having a high GPA doesn’t entice you?

How about one of the other fantastic reasons cited in this infographic?

This image has been popping up all over social networking sites lately and it gloats the very same statistic (without citing any sources, of course) as well as other common claims that are used to explain why someone should consider a sorority or fraternity as a viable way to enhance their overall well-being and essentially, positively impact their lives.

Some examples: “Greeks raise more money for charity” (than whom, we ask?)

“Sorority and fraternity members have a higher graduation rate than nonmembers “ “There are sorority and fraternity members that have been President of the United States, cabinet members and astronauts.”

“Nearly all the CEOs of the 50 largest corporations in America are Greek.”

Most of these claims are exaggerated (for the real facts, check out http://www.nicindy.org/ press/ or https://www.npcwomen.org/about/ annual-reports.aspx) and are unfortunately touted as truths without any citations to their sources. Not surprisingly, we don’t go touting any not-so-positive claims, even those for which we can cite sources.

026 // CONNECTIONS // 2013 • WINTER

True Stats about Fraternity & Sorority Life: Fraternity members at UI find themselves in legal trouble more often than other students But, lucky for the sorority and fraternity community, there is a new statistic to add to this list:

“Fraternity members at the University of Iowa find themselves in legal trouble more often than other students.”

Why should you go Greek? To get arrested, of course!

“Sigma Alpha Epsilon, the University of Iowa fraternity that was closed by its national headquarters this week for hazing, had the highest rate of member arrests and citations in the UI Greek system for the past two years.

The UI Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter had 27 percent of its members cited or arrested for non-traffic related crimes in Iowa City in the 2011-12 academic year, the highest rate among all UI fraternities and sororities, according to data tracked by the Dean of Students office.

In 2010-11, Sigma Alpha Epsilon had 26 percent of members cited or arrested, tying the house with Sigma Phi Epsilon for the highest rate in the Greek system, according to numbers provided by the university to The Gazette Thursday.

The arrest or citation rate for all UI fraternities was 9.9 percent last academic year, and for UI male undergraduates it was 7.9 percent. The rate for female undergraduates was much lower, 4.4 percent.

The UI Dean of Students office collects statistics on crimes in Iowa City, except for traffic tickets, involving students using data from the Iowa City Police and the UI Police. The information is tracked by student categories, such as gender, Greek houses, dorm residents, those eligible for honors programs and athletes, to give UI officials an idea of trends over many years.”

A whopping 27% of SAE members at UI were either cited or arrested in the past year. That’s a higher rate than one citation or arrest for every four members of the organization. One in four. Ridiculous. Chapters struggle to get one of every four members to show up for a Sunday morning service event. It’s hard to get one of four members to attend study sessions once a week, and it’s not usually easy to get one of four members to apply for a position within the organization. However at the University of Iowa, one of four members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon received a citation or was arrested by the police! What an accomplishment.

In the case of SAE, the statistics are outrageous and the chapter was presumably not able to change on its’ own. Closing down SAE was by far a necessity on the UI campus however the sorority and fraternity community still has a lot of work to do in order to turn around on this path they are heading, or should we say partying, down. The community needs to come together and discuss the true meaning of being a sorority or fraternity member. The values that are represented by a set of letters needs to be brought to the forefront. Our fraternal founders did not start their Greek letter organizations in order to throw raging ‘stripper parties’ and cause chaos for university police. The sooner University of Iowa students (and, we’ll challenge, students at other institutions) begin embracing their fraternal values, the sooner they will see a decrease in how frequently members are finding themselves Busted!

Busted!

Stupid Things That You Have Done Lately The goal of Busted! is to call attention to an event, situation, or practice that has actually occurred and utilize it as an experience that others can learn from. Actions such as these do nothing but reinforce the negative stereotypes of today’s fraternities and sororities.

Embarrassed? Then knock it off.

If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.

Be a problemsolver.

We’ll show you how.

The Novak Institute tackles the challenging public health problem of hazing in a totally unique way, focusing on prevention rather than just response.

Nationally recognized faculty teach a prevention framework based on proven principles that are grounded in research.

The Institute is designed for professionals, volunteers and undergraduate and graduate students as individuals or interdisciplinary teams involved in or with college and university student organizations.

It created a direction and a sense of hope that this is a problem that can be addressed directly and successfully from a position The Institute helped me think of caring. critically about the attitudes - Howard Foltz, Greek Alumni Council, and environments conducive Lehigh University to hazing, develop strategies for recruiting anti-hazing allies and champions, and Truly the best enact changes to the way I professional speak with organizations and development colleagues about hazing. experience I have had.

-John DiSarro, Fraternity/Sorority Life, University of Rochester

- Fred Dobry, Risk Reduction, Sigma Nu

June 5-8, 2013 University of Kentucky

Be a part of the national movement!

Early registration: $675 by April 19, 2013 Registration after April 19: $750 Registration Deadline: May 10, 2013 Students: $650 $400 discount for interdisciplinary teams of five or more with a senior administrator or staff member Scholarships available

For more information and online registration, go to www.HazingPrevention.Org Another quality program of

AFLV is a Champion Sponsor of the Novak Institute for Hazing Prevention. For sponsorship information, visit www.HazingPrevention.Org and click on the Sponsor Donate Volunteer tab.

(According to the United States DEPT. of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics)

26.8% 64,300,000

of the US population volunteers.

people volunteered their time for a cause last year.

The more education you have, the more likely you are to volunteer!

42.4%

College Graduates High School Grads

of US women volunteer

of US men volunteer

31.8% 30.6%

No HS Diploma

9.8%

42%

of people who volunteer got involved after being asked to help.

41% started out by approaching a group on their own.

Early Twenties

19.4% According to the Department of Labor, Americans in their early 20’s are the least likely group to volunteer.

It’s up to you to make that change!

Source: United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (2012, February 22). Volunteering in the United States, 2011.

Retrieved December 31, 2012 from: bls.gov/news.release/volun.nr0.htm

18.2%

Where do Americans Volunteer?

RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION EDUCATION OR YOUTH SOCIAL OR COMMUNITY SERVICE

% 25.7 % 14.3%

23.5%

33.2

29.9%

45-54 Year-Olds

of

QUICK Statistics about Volunteering in the USA

before you go and look at the back cover of the mag.

35-44 Year-Olds

g

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one more { thing we know you’re near the end, but we’d love to tell you

69%

volunteer for just one organization or cause.

19%

are involved with at least two groups or causes!

51 HOURS

is the median amount of time we spend volunteering each year.

Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values PO Box 1576 Fort Collins, CO 80522-1576

Start seeing the whole leadership picture with your eyes wide open.

The Leadershape InstituteŽ challenges participants to lead with integrity™ while working towards a vision grounded in their deepest values. Participants explore not only what they want to do, but who they want to be.

This summer, AFLV is partnerng with LeaderShape for two sessions.

Mid-America: July 15-20, Lawrence, Kansas West: July 22-27, Los Angeles Will you open your eyes to possibility?

Scan this code to find out more.