Asa phoenix vol 92 no 2 spring 2006

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What an exciting time it i in the history of Alpha igma Alpha! The Alpha Sigma Alpha Foundation i celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

For th e las t 20 years th e Foundation has existed through ge nerous donation that have supported members through ed ucational programs, philanthropic endeavors and cholarships. And now through the Circle of Strength initiative, members can help substantiate the Foundati on further. The Foundation can do more than just fund scholarships, it can fund leader hip initiatives, District Day programming, speakers, programs dUJ;ng national conve ntion and the Emma Coleman Frost Leadership Development Institute.

The Foundation board understands that our bread and butter comes from every donation we ge t. Any fou ndation, in order to operate, needs unrestricted funds. Evei)' do llar really does make a difference.

One member came to me to say that she was won;ed th at she did not fit into the Foundation 's master plan thro ugh th e Circle of Strength since she could not pledge th e minimum amount a year. I explained th at th e minimum requirement to j oin th e Circle of Strength is to pledge $500 per year for the next three yea rs. This commitment gives th e Foundation a sense of finan cial securi ty to make bette r plans for supportin g sorori ty programs. But the Foundation actively seeks donations at any giving level. Eve I)' do llar really does make a difference and wi ll help us reach our goal of$1,200,000 in unrestr-icted pledges by 2008. The Foundati on is excited about eve1y donation we receive.

You are a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha for life. If you can ' t stay connected to the organi za ti on through vo lunteering or through j o ining an alumnae chapter, you can stay connected through giving a donation to the Foundation. G i,~ n g a donation to the Foundation is ano ther way to give back to what was once (and hopefully still is) an importa nt part o r yo ur life.

If you wo uld like to learn more about the 20th an niversary and our pecial celebration plan for the 2006 national convention read th e story on page 12. ow is definitely the time to help us reach new heigh ts of succe s.

Please consider givi ng a donation in honor of thi ve•y special ann iversa1y. jane Oles-41!1.v ki Shennan, TH Foundation Chairman jo @columbus.IT. com SPRING 2006

FEATURES

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Blogging What is bloggi ng? Learn more about one of th e fastes t growing forms of communicati o n in this centwy.

6 Advantage One member ex plains th e pressures to be thin and wh y we a re so obsessed with o ur body image.

9 Advantage points Useful tips for everyday living.

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The 2006-08 national council slate announced am inating Committee Chairman Debbie Sharp Craig, ZZ, explains th e process of selectin g a slate for Alpha Sigma Alpha's Nati o nal Council and ann oun ces the late of nominee.

14 PHOENIX OF ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA

Volume 92, Number 2

Spring 2006

DEADLINES Fall. ....... ....... ....... ... ... ........June Winter .... ..... ...... ..... ... September Spring ........ ..... ........... December Summer ..... ................. ..... March

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EDITOR Editor/ Director of Communications Teresa Boyer Fi shback, LlK tfishback@alphasigmaalpha.org

STAFF Senior Contributing Editor Nancy I.Z. Reese, BY niz_reese@comcast. net

Feature Writer

DEPARTMENTS

Tracey Kiefer, BK tracey_kiefer@ya hoo.com

Alumnae Editor

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News to note

Foundation news The Alpha Sigma Alpha Foundati on celebrates its 20th annive rsary this year. Read about the history and some special plans for this summer's natio nal convention.

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I Recruitment

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Collegiate and alumnae stars Featurin g accomplishme nts of Alpha Sigma Alpha members.

Boot Camp

Alpha Sigma Alpha's first, in vita ti on only, intensive recruitment program is a success.

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Read the latest news fro m the national organi za ti on .

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District news Read reports from th e district leadership, collegiate and alumnae chapte rs in Districts 6-9.

Making a difference The Delta Epsilon Chapter goes th e extra mile for a local philanthro py and m akes a differen ce in th e lives of area child ren.

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Nancy Inwood, EE inwoodb@hotmail.com

Collegiate Editor Tara Cardonick Holman , NN asa_advisor@yahoo .com

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS 9550 Zionsville Rd. , Suite 160 Indianapolis, IN 46268 Phone: 3 17-87 1-2920 Fax: 3 17-87 1-2924 Email: phoenix@alphasigmaalpha.org PHOENIX OF ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA (USPS 4 30-640) is publi shed quarterly by Alpha Sigma Alpha , 9550 Zionsville Rd. Suite 160, Indianapolis, IN 46268. Periodicals postage paid at Ind ia napolis , IN , and additional mailing offices. Produced

by Maury Boyd & Associa tes, Indianapolis. Š Alpha Sigma Alpha .

Send address changes, death notices and business correspondence to the national headquarters. Address all editorial correspondence to the editor.

POSTMASTER : Send address changes (Form 3579) to Phoenix of Alpha Sigma Alpha , 9550 Zionsville Rd .

Suite 160, Indianapolis, IN 46268 . Printed in the USA.

0N1HECOVER The 2005--06 lead ership consultants Erika Butts, EK; Amber Shave rdi , HH and Naydia Spears,

zn enjoying th eir las t day on the job.

I PHOENIX OF ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA

SPRING 2006

The what, why, when, where, how of the fastest growing forum for communication in the 21st century

BY TRACEY H. KIEFER, BK

Feature Writer jlogging. Dveryone seems to be doing ~ p<WPing up everywhere, their tcfi:s~ men, women, young, old, from every walk of life--even some popuiar cartoon characters (like Arthur and riend's Buster and Family Guy's Stewie) m to be jumping on the Slogging band~on. There are blogs for gardeners, for fanciers, for music fans, TV shows, ~ ~~laA:kJ:IllCkeJrs. for sports fans, for students, literally any hobby or topic imaginable! what exactly is a blog?

a self-proclaimed "window blogosphere," keeps u¡ack of stats. Recent stars indicated bUoWiinlt blog info, and it's changing !IIICirJWâ&#x20AC;˘.urm,

A blog can cover virtually any topic you can think of.

Why blog?

Some people use blogging in place of a traditional hand written diary or journal, to express the age-old desire to document daily activities. In some ways blogging can simply be seen as the newest form of a tradition that dates back hundreds of years.

Some people are drawn to blogging because of the anonymity. The idea of expressing your thoughts and opinions and posting them for the world to read, all while remaining relatively anonymous can be very appealing. Many bloggers are embracing the forum as an outlet to exercise freedom of speech. Such blogs enable the creators to create an online "soapbox" from which to discuss their viewpoints on various social and political topics.

Other people write blogs to stay connected. In some cases family members who are traveling overseas use their weekly blogs to keep in touch with family and friends back home during their trip.

Another important aspect of blogging is the abili ty for others to post comments to a blog, making it an interactive forn1 of communication. According to Wikipedia, "in the early 21st Century, blogging has quickly emerged as a popular and important means of communication, affecting public opin ion and mass media around the world."

When to blog?

With 24-hour a day access to the internet, blogging is an activity that people can do 24/ 7. Most bloggers seem to update their postings on a daily/ weekly basis, but there are literally no restrictions when it comes to how often you can post.

Whenever you're feeling clever, you can log on and share your thoughts with millions ( ok, so maybe several-depending on how popular your blog is) of anonymous readers.

Where to blog?

There are numerous different options for posting your blog. Some bloggers post on a personal web site. Others make use of a blog hosting service. Many people communicate in the blogosphere directly through postings to already existing blogs.

How to blog?

Well believe it or not, there are some rules.

If you are operating a blog with journalistic intent, the Handbook for Bloggers and Cyberdissidents, suggests that you operate under a code of ethics. The handbook also suggests that you keep your blog current, try to relay information fairly, write in your own vo ice and connect with and empower your readers.

Depending on your topic, you may also want to stay anonymous. There have been several cases in the media over the past few years where employees have been terminated for discussing workplace issues or activities on their personal blogs.

Agood place to start: If you are interested in setting up your own blog, check out the fo llowing resources for more information and links to: Handbook for Bloggers and Cyberdissidents http://www. rsf org/ article.php3 ?id_ article=15000 Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia http:/ I en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Main_Page.

SPRING 2006

Mirror; mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?

BY DR. MARIA K MALAYTER, XX Alumna Member "Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" says the Queen in the famous Disney classic Snow White. We, as women, have these types of words imbedded into our heads everyday. We pass billboards with beautiful, tiny women, we hear TV commercials and see magazine covers with all the solutions on how to be beautiful. It is not surprising to know that we are constantly concerned about our body image.

You might ask, what is body image?

Body image is a combination of how you perceive your physical appearance, how you feel about your appearance, how you feel about your body and how you think others see you.

First, let's have a serious conversation about Barbie. She's the beautiful blonde with a perfect figure with everything she ever wanted. She's got the townhouse, the Corvette and even the most eligible bachelor, Ken. Since Barbie had beauty and more choices than others in my house, Barbie smartened up and dumped Ken for GIJoe. Barbie could have relationships with anyone she wanted; she was the perfect woman. Will boys ever catch up to these types of pressures? In the past few years, recent articles have indicated changes in GIJoe 's body image, and he has been significantly increased in muscle size and definition. Now, the boys have a new body image to aspire to with the big new image ofGIJoe. How many men do you know are shaped like body builders with extremely defined muscles?

Overall, we are truly a disproportioned society. The media images are false representations of what everyday people look like. If we paid attention to Barbie and a typical mannequin's measurements, we would never really be perfect. Listed in the PHOENIX OF ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA

Average woman

Barbie

Store mannequin

Height

5'4"

6'0"

6' 0"

Weight

14Sibs.

101 lbs

Not available

Dress size

11 - 14

4

6

Bust

36 - 37"

39"

34"

Waist

29- 31 "

19"

23"

Hips

40 -42"

33"

34"

chart are the comparisons of the average woman, Barbie and a store mannequin.

How do you measure up to these standards? I certainly do not match up to the Barbie or store mannequin measurements but every day we see these types of images of our ideal for the everyday woman.

So what about Barbie's influence?

Women choose a variety of ways to meet their body image expectations. Unfortunately, these unrealistic measurements, airbrushed photographs in magazines and pressure to be thin create negative self-esteem and poor body images. Women obsess over comparing their bodies with o th ers which leads to low self-esteem, dieting, anxiety, depression and eating disorders.

What are the facts about women's response to their own negative body image? Over $32 billion is spent each year on weight control efforts, and a significant amount of paychecks are spent on finding ways to improve body image. The American research group Anorexia Nervosa & Related Eating Disorders Inc. says that one out of every four college-aged women uses unh ealthy methods of weight control, including fasting, skipping meals, excessive exercise, laxative abuse and selfinduced vomiting. The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders states that approximately 8

million people in th e U.S. have anorexia nervosa, bulimia and related eating disorders. The 8 million people with eating disorders represents about 3 percent of the total population or about 3 in every 100 people.

Culture and societal pressures are challenging female stereotypes. Assistant professor Lori Baker-Sperry, Western llllinois University, and Associate professor Liz Grauerholz, Purdue University, researched the impact offairy tales on women's self perception and body image.

They uncovered that the majority of fairy tales that have been passed on for generations feature young, beautiful p1incesses sending a message that physical attractiveness is an important asset women need to ach ieve and maintain. "These powerful messages that say women need to be beautiful may compel some women to seek beauty at the expense of other pursuits, such as careers or ed ucation," Grauerholz says. (Sperry and Grauerholz, 2003).

"Hearing these messages that were created by an old, patriarchal society may cause women, especially young girls, to withdraw from activities or careers, such as competitive sports or hard labor, because it is not part of being fem inine," Grauerholz says. "This continued emphasis on beauty is a way society controls girls and women. Women adopt behaviors that reflect and reinforce their relative SPRING 2006

powerlessness, which can lead to limiting a woman 's perso nal fre edom , power and control." (Sperry and Grauerholz, 2003).

"It' important to understand the messages our children receive about traditional gender roles, especial ly dllling a time when women are e ncouraged to be independen t and rely on their brains rath er than beau ty.

"Women today - de pite increasing independence for many - sti ll te nd to value bea uty and appearance. Wh y is it that attrac tive women and men are socially reward ed more th an unattrac tive peo ple?

From earl y childhood, giJ·ls ar e read fai•-y tale abo ut p1in ce ses who achieve vas t liches simp! because their beauty makes th em ' pecial. T hat' a powe rful message th at can inhibit yo un g wo men who feel th e do no t meet society's ex pe tation of what it mean to be attractive." (S perry and Grauerholz, 2003).

SPRING 2006

Body image is not o nly o n the surface, our body image also runs deep insid e and can relate to o ur own h ealth . In my own expe1ience, the way I feel has a sign ificant impact on my image of self. For man y yea r , I prided myse lf on having an excellent cholesterol score whenever I had my yearly ph ysical. About a yea r ago, my numbers for cholesterol crept over 200, a slightly elevated level, and was probably a sociatecl witl1 my love o f sausage and mushroom pizza with exu-a cheese. Th e doctor recommended d ietary change to d ecrease my choleste rol. I we nt overboard witl1 my di et. T he pizza \vas replaced with my new favorites of soybeans, le ntil so up and blac k bean patties. Proud of my lifestyle change, I recently returned to th e doctor for fo llow up blood work. T h e resul ts came back with a 43 point drop in chole tero l but revealed I was everely anem ic. I am ti ll worki ng with my do tor

to imp rove my health. Sometimes, there needs to be moderatio n of even th e health y things in life. I share this story as a means of refl ection for you to take extreme care whe n you make changes in your lifestyle and to always work with a profe sional for assistance.

A woman with a po itive body image has a realistic perception of h er size and shape, feels comfortable and proud of h er body. We need to support each o th er in loving who we are and th e body we keep.

The stereotypical model is unrealisti c, and we need to find new ways of supportin g real wome ns' body images instead of those placed upo n us by tl1e media . As I have been aging, I h ave been lookin g at myself through a new le ns. I acce pt th at I do n 't h ave a fl at stomach and now see that my belly might be an asset in taking a belly dancin g class. I ha"e a large r bust size than what can fit in a Victo1ia Secret bra but I see myse lf as voluptuo us.

So h ere is your final exam. Ga the r a few of your gal pals to complete the exam.

Now, each of you needs to look in th e mirror, a full-le ngth mirror. Each person 'A~ II respond to the questions and write clown th e answers.

Ask yo urself and th e o th ers, what are my positive traits? I happen to have a fabulous smile. That wou ld be on e u·ait I would wlite down. H ow could you d escribe yourself in posi rive te rms? I clescri be myself as curvy and vo lupl1.1ous. What truly are yo ur assets? What makes yo u unique and ultimately beautiful?

Write out th e answers o n a pi ece of paper and keep that sheet with you . Make sure yo u look at it every day and remember to suppo rt your gal pals in th eir new found bea uty. T he next time yo u look in the mirror say, "min·or, mirror o n th e wall, who is th e fairest of th e m all? YOU ARE! " In my final words of advice, be the love tlut you are. ow I am going to get myself a pizza!

Sources: http://www.purdue.edu/ UNS/ htrnL4ever/ 031111 . OrauerhoLz. taLes. htrnl

PHOENIX OF ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA

Class lectures to go Coursecasting: Students are embracing it; professors are debating it; and even corporate America is getting involved.

What, might you ask, is it?

Coursecasting, a derivative of podcasting, is a recording of a classroom lecture (and can include other audio, video and print material) that is uploaded to a web site for students to download and listen, either on their computers or those ever-so-popular portable music players.

Begun at a number of schools this past fall, the phenomenon allows students to listen to class lectures they may have missed or to review a lesson or other materials for a test or paper. An added attraction is that they can do this away from the school library and their computers by downloading the lectures to their portable devices and listen while they're doing laundry, exercising or walking across the quad.

Some professors are leery of the trend, as they view it as one more opportunity for students to slack off on attending lectures, especially those early morning ones. And there is skepticism in some quarters of the involvement of Apple Computer, Inc., which partnered with some (but not all) of the universities offering early versions of coursecasting. In January Apple begin offering its iTunes U to any college or university interested in the free service.

Online classes appealing to on-campus stu~ents And while we're on campus, it's worth mentioning another trend: on-campus students taking long-distance or online classes.

Whether it's to take a class they can't get any other way, to allow for greater scheduling flexibility or because they simply prefer to take classes online, students are taking advantage of classes offered through their university's longdistance learning programs.

According to a study by the Sloan Consortium, 2.4 million students took one or more classes online in 2004.

Over 60 percent of schools surveyed offer online classes. There was no data on the number of students mixing traditional and online classes.

PHOENIX OF AlPHA SIGMA ALPHA

With traditional classes taking advantage of new technologies like coursecasting (see previous entry), message boards, chat rooms and electronic filing of papers and online classes requiring students to be on campus one or two days a semester, the distinction between the two is blurring. In fact one college on its web site describes what it calls hybrid classes, which meet on campus for half the normal time of a traditional class.

End of an era STOP Using new technology to announce the end of an old one, Western Union quietly announced on their web site that the company would stop sending telegrams, effective jan. 27.

For those who never rece\ved them, telegrams were yellow slips of paper witl1 brief messages typed on them, often with the word STOP substituting for punctuation . The messages were transmitted over a wire using electric impulses.

Revolutionary technology when tl1ey began in the mid-1800s, telegrams were used to send important business and personal messages that couldn't wait on the mail. They were used extensively by the Defense Department to notify families of the death of a soldier in World War II. Wounded by increasingly cheap phone calls, telegram use fell off in the 1950s and most hand-delivery stopped in 1972.

The service, which reached its peak in 1929 with 200 million messages sent, will now be primarily remembered in scrapbooks and old movies.

What's a woman to do?

The Women's Health Initiative, the largest study of women over 50 by the National Institutes of Health, which found that hormone treatments increased the risk of heart disease and breast cancer, had some new, surp1ising results announced this February. But the results weren't clear cut, and many experts question the methodology. And no one, including study authors, is suggesting changes in current supplement or diet recommendations.

Calcium and vitamin D supplements: Calcium and vitamin D supplements provide only a modest benefit in preserving

bone mass and prevent hip fractures in certain groups but do not prevent other types of fractures or colo rectal cancer.

The study did find that women who consistently took the full supplement dose experienced a 2Y percent decrease in hip fracture and that women older than 60 had a 21 percent reduction in hip fracture.

But: Only 374 women fractured their hips during the survey, which was about half of what researchers expected.

This may have made it harder to draw conclusions.

Also, the women in both the calcium and placebo group were already averaging the recommended amount of calcium in tl1eir diet and via pills, which they did not stop dming the study. This meant that some women were taking twice the currently recommended amount.

And it didn't stop there. Half the women in the study were on hormone replacement and their average weight was in the overweight (but not obese) range.

Both of these factors are protective of bone health .

Low-fat diet: A low-fat diet does not significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, heart disease or stroke. There was a 9 percent lower risk of breast cancer, but the difference was not large enough to be statistically significant, meaning it could have been due to chance.

But: There was some concern by experts tl1at the low-fat diet group was unable to reduce their fat intake to the study's goal of 20 percent and that the diet did not distingt.iish between "good fats" found in fish, nuts, and vegetable oils, and "bad" fats like satmated fat and trans fat found in processed foods, meats and some daii)' products.

Estrogen: The study also reported in FebruaJ)' that for women who have had hysterectomies and therefore can take estrogen alone, esu路ogen does not increase heart disease and may even be protective in women ages 50 to 59.

But: The esu路ogen alone portion of the Women's Health Initiative was stopped ahead of schedule in early 2004 because of increased stroke risk among older women taking the hormone.

-Nancyl.Z. Reese, BY SPRING 2006

2006-08 Alpha Sigma Alpha National Count

BY DEBBIE SHARP CRAIG, ZZ Nominating Committee Chairman The Alpha Sigma Alpha nominating committee has been hard at work since September 2005. The committee reviewed the strategic plan, bylaws, national council governance model documents, nomination letters, personal resumes and conducted interviews of potential councilors.

The committee looked at skills and attributes and strategic plan issues facing the national council for the next biennium.

When looking at the governing board structure, we determined that all vice president positions are of equal value, authority and responsibility.

Any movement of national councilors in the vice president position is a lateral move. This viewpoint enabled us to look at each potential councilor and place them based on their skills and talents in the best position for the upcoming biennium.

The nominating committee is pleased to present the 200fK>8 national council slate to be voted on at the national convention in Cambridge, MAinJuly.

PresidentLori Scott, EE Senior Vice PresidentCindy Kelley, Bll Vice President of F"mance-Sharon Sterner, ri Vice President of CommunicationsDolly Loyd, B~ Vice President of MembershipKim Be nson, ~ -B Vice President of Membershipora Ten Broeck, BK Vice President of MembershipChristine Thomas, Ar

.t.aitar's ole: in the interest of space, only the Alpha Sigma Alpha experiences and college degrees are listed Jar each candidate.

To get a complete list of nominl'es' accomplislunents, please contact Director of Communications Teresa Bayer Fishback, .1K, at Lfishback@alphasigmaalpha.org for a cofr)• of the original news relea eon the nominee..

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SPRING 2006

President Lari Scott, EE Lori served her collegiate chapter at Emporia State University, KS, as standards chairman and president and was active in many campus organi zations. She graduated in 1983 with a bachelor of science in business with a maj or in acco unting and a minor in Spanish .

LOJ; has served her Greater Kansas City, Missouri Alumnae Chapter as vice president, Panhellenic alte rnate de legate and Panhellenic delegate. As an A'lA delegate to the Alumnae Pan hellenic Association of Greater Kansas City, she has served as treas urer and chairman of sorori ty info rmation.

A national officer for 20 years, she was a province director from 1985- 88, chairman of housing from 1988-92, chairman of colonies from 1992- 95, awards chairman from 1992- 94, national vice president of exten ion from 1995-2004 and nationa.l president from 2004-present. She served as the th ird alternate delegate to PC fmm 1995-2004 and was the Alumnae Panhellenics Area Advisor Coordinator for Region I from 2002-04.

Senior Vice President Cindy Kelley, Ell Cind j o ined the Beta Pi Chapter, Concord College, WV, and ser.red her chapter as pre ident, membership director and homecomi ng, intramurals and sisterhood chairman. She was honored by her chap ter with the Outstanding New Member Award, the Elizabeth Bird Small Award and the pire, eek, Attain ward.

Cindy graduated in 1993 with a bachelor' degree in business management and a minor in travel industry management.

Cindy served the natio nal organization as co nve ntion delegate 1992- 2004, chapter consultant 1993-94, province director 1994-98, colony development director 1996-98, extension committee 1996-99, chairman of colonies 1998-2002, natio nal vice preside nt of collegians 2002-04 and national vice president of membership 2004-06. She served as a facilitator at several leadersh ip development institutes, presented workshops at conventions and district days, participated in extension presentations and erved on 14 installatio n teams. Cindy is also a member of the Triangle Area Alumnae Pan hellenic Association.

Vice President of Finance Sharon Sterner, TI Sharon M. Sterner, ri, served her chapter at Rochester Institute of Technology, NY, as assistant treasurer, music chairman, public re lations chairman , alumnae chairman, chaplain and treasure r. She was the RIT Pan hellenic Association's first preside nt and served on the university's Greek Council as treasurer and vice president of sororities. Before graduating in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in marke ting manageme nt with a concentration in sociology, she received the chapte r's Elizabeth Bird Small Award and was named the unive rsity's Outstanding Greek Woman.

Fmm 1990-99, Sharon served in several capacities on the Epsilon u Chapter advisory board including chapter advisor. he held the offices of province directo•· from 1988-92, chairman of hou ing from 1992-94, chai rman of bylaws from 1998-2002, chairman of standards from 2001-03, contributing editor for The Yean Behind Us: A Histor;• of Alpha igma Alpha, and during 2003-04 was natio nal hi torian. In 2004 Sharon was elected national vice president of member hip.

PHOENIX OF ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA

Sharon enjoys three active alumnae chapter membersh ips with the Greater Rochester, Buffalo and Tampa Bay alumnae chapters. Since 1996, she has h eld the Greater Rochester alumnae chapter offices of chaplain , editor, n·easurer, vice president and president. Sharon currently serves as Alpha Sigma Alpha's d elegate to the Rochester Alumnae Panhellenic and holds the office of collegiate activities chairman.

Vice President of Communications Dolly Purvis Loyd, Bt. Dolly Purvis Loyd , a member of tl1e Beta Delta Chapter at tl1 e University of Southern Mississippi, served as secretary, rush chairman and vice president of her chapte r. She held th e office of alumnae region director fro m 1982- 92, national chairman of philanthropies from 1992-98 and national vice president of comm unications sin ce 1998 .

A longtime member of th e Hattiesburg Alumnae Chapter, Dolly has served as m e chapter president for 14 years. She was advisor for th e Beta Delta Ch apter eight year s and was colony d evelopment director for the West Alabama Colony. Dolly has served as a facilitator f01· several Leadership Development Institutes, presented workshops at conventions and District Days, participated in extension presentations and served on installation teams.

Dolly received her bachelor's d egree and her MBA fro m the Unive rsity of Southern Mississippi.

Vice President of Membership Kim Benson, t.N-B Kim Benson, ~N-B , is a 1991 graduate of GMI Enginee1ing & Management Institute (now known as Kette1ing University), MI, holding a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering.

She served h er collegiate chapter as membership director, chapter treasurer, Greek assembly/ Panhellenic representative and house steward . As an alumna, she has been a member in m e NY Metro, Greater Dallas, and curren tly tl1 e Laurel H ighlands Alumnae Chapter. She has held various positions in these alumnae chapters, including chapter president, secretary, editor, philanthropic chair an d convention delegate.

A national volunteer since 1994, Kim was a province director 1994-2000, finance coaching team leader District 7 from 2002-03, District facilitator Disn·ict 7 from 2003-04 and finance coaching team leader District 3 from 2004-present.

She has been a convention delegate from 1996 to 2004 and a presente r at several district days.

Vice President of Membership Nora Ten Broeck, BK Nora M. Ten Broeckjoin ed Alpha Sigma Alpha at Beta Kappa Chapter at Western Illinois University. She served her collegiate chapter as fundraising co-chairman, house manager and president.

She was involved in campus activities such as University Union Board, campus Pan hellenic Council and several honorary societies.

Graduating cum laude, Nora holds a bac helor's degree in mass commun ica-

PHOENIX OF ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA

tions wim minors in journalism and Spanish . Following graduation she traveled extensively as a leadership consultant for th e national sorority. In 1994 Nora · returned to WIU to earn a masters degree in college student personnel. She also earned a Master of Business Administration in 2005 .

For the past 14 years Nora has volunteered for me sorority se n~ng as a chapter advisor, housing corporation board member, leadership development institute facilitator, Phoenix staff member, national chairman and national council member.

She aumored The Tie That Binds: A Celebration ofAlpha Sigma Alpha and served as assistant editor for The Years Behind Us: A History of Alpha Sigma Alpha.

Locally, Nora is a member of the Windy City, IL Alumnae Chapter.

Vice President of Membership Christine Strapac Thomas, AT Christine Sn-apac Thomas, Alpha Gamma, is a graduate of Indiana Unive rsity of Pennsylvania, holding a bachelor's degree in home economics education . She received her master's degree in textiles and consumer econ omics with a minor in marketing from th e Un ive rsity of Maryland.

As an Alpha Gamma, Christine served her chapter as social chairman and recruitment event chairman. She was honored by her chapter with the Frost Fidelity Award.

As a member of the Washington, DC, Alumnae Chapter, Christine has held th e positions of secretary, u·easurer and editor.

Christine has volunteered for th e national organization since 1990 as Epsilon Tau chapte r advisor 1990- 98, nominatin g committee, programming committee , leadership development institute faci li tator 1999 and 2005, province director 19982002, Epsilon Tau fin ancial advisor 2002-04, District 2 finance team mem ber 2002-04, District fac ilitator District 2 2002-2004, and '~ce president of membership 2004-2006. She has also parti cipated in extension presentati ons and was a delegate at six national conventions.

SPRING 2006

11

NEW ___S_ __ f OUNDATION -------------------------

Alpha Sigma Alpha Foundation begins its 'Roaring Twenties!'

BY ROSEMARY CARUCCI GOSS, BTI Foundation Trustee Happy 20th birthday Alpha Sigma Alpha Foundation! Just as Ametica's Roaring Twenties were full of optimism, energy and risk-taking, the Alpha Sigma Alpha Foundation is starting its "Roaring Twenties" in a similar culture to move forward .

Through the Circle of Strength, a three-year initiative to Discover, Imagine, Dream, the Foundation board hopes to continue and increase support for the sorority's leadership programming, as well as for scholarships and philanthropic endeavors.

Twenty year ago, in 1986, the formation of this non-profit organization became a rea lity as a result of a few Alpha Sigma Alphas having a shared vision to support the educational, philanthropic and charitable interests of the sorority through a federally registered, tax-deductible, non-profit organization- The Alpha Sigma Alpha Foundation. The six women that made up the founding board of trustees were Bonnie Payne Koenemann, ZZ, chairman; Lois V. Beers, Bf; S.June Smith, KK; Diane Yencic James, HH; Rosemary Carucci Goss, BIT and Judy DeMasters Winter, ZZ. (Diane and Rosem ary are serving as trustees today.)

Because of the vision of th ese six women, the Foundation exists to help the sor01ity in many ways.

Through their optimism and foresight, the first Foundation expendintres made on behalf of sorority programming were the purchase of educational tapes and presentations on the subject of anti-hazing for th e 1988 national convention. In 1989 the Foundation worked in conjunction with the sorority to create th e Emma Coleman Fro t Leadership Development Institute, which continues today, to promote leadership educational training for collegiate members of Alpha Sigma Alpha. These programs offer members personal growth oppornmities to become women of poise and purpose and help create women who will grow into communi ty leade rs.

In 1990 the first Foundation scholarship was funded by Lois V. Beer , Bf, in honor of th e re-installation of the Beta Gamma hapter. In 1995 the orority transferred its Philanthropic Fund to th e Foundation to be used for member cholar hips. Thanks to many more generous members over th ese 20 year , those funds have continued to grow into more than 28 separately funded

Throughout the 1980s several sorority leaders had a vision, much like the founders had in 1901. Recognizing a need for a vehicle to raise funds for Alpha Sigma Alpha, the vision became a foundation that would enhance the sorority s educational efforts. After years of planning, the Alpha Sigma Alpha Foundation was incorporated in 1986. join Diane Yenic James and Rosemary Carucci Goss, early foundation proponents and current tmstees, for a ro'USing 20th birthday pwty on Friday, July 21, to celebrate the foundations success and look fonuard to its future. scholarsh ips, with a total e ndowment of more than $432,000 in January of 2006.

Many other programs have been funded through these 20 years beyond this quick hi torical overview. The Foundation strives to do more, but can only do so through the generosity of its membership.

Optimism is strong, as the Foundation's "Roruing Twenties" begi n! The Circle of Strength Campaign promises to build a stronger footing for long-term deve lopment and sorority support.

A 20th birthday party is planned for the 2006 national convention in honor of those members who have upported the Foundation and its efforts to support Alpha Sigma Alpha. The Foundation invites yo u to the celebration to help blow-out the 20 candles and to join in the "Roaring Twenties" celebration by joining our CiTcle of Strength to Discover, Imagine and Dream about continuing th e legacy of our beloved sorority.

Happy 20th birthday Alpha Sigma Alpha Foundation!

Be Supportive . .. at the 2006 A!A National Convention July 19- 23 Support the Alpha igma Alpha Foundation by donating items with a 10 minimum value for the Mid-Michigan Crown Alumnae Chapter's convention fundrai er. Indi vidual路 or chapters can donate Alpha igma Alpha related items, gift certificates or handmade treasures. For every item you donate you will receive a ticket to use in th e drawing.

The chapter will collect all donated items eluting registration and set up a funclraiser in the Emporium on Friday morning, July 21. Through-out the clay Friday, ou can buy tickets to ' tuff the bag' for your favorite items. The more tickets yo u put in the bag, the better our chance of winning.

B upporting thi activity, ou will be supportin g the ideals, progrrun and mission of the Alpha Sigma Alpha Foundation.

All proceeds will benefit the Alpha igma Alpha Foundation.

For mor infotmation contact ancy MacKenzie, Mid-Michigan Crown Alumnae Chapter, at nauntnancy@lwtmail. com.

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PHOENIX OF AlPHA SIGMA ALPHA

AIA ?olds first, invitation only, recrmtment training program

BY LEAH DOOLEY, AB District 8 Recruitment Coaching Team Leader Kansas City, MO, was hopping in January as 70 Alpha Sigma Alpha undergraduate members gathered to learn more about recruitment best practices. These undergraduate representatives were joined by an additional eight advisors and 10 Alpha Sigma Alpha facilitators. For over 36 hours these women participated in an intensive recruitment program created by CAMPUSPEAK called Recruitment Boot Camp. This program was led by Eliot Sokalsky, a lead facilitator representing CAMPUSPEAK. The weekend began by revisiting the values of Alpha Sigma Alpha. Participants then learned how to use those values to recruit women into Alpha Sigma Alpha who are already living those values on our campuses. At the conclusion of this rigorous weekend, all chapters left with the tools to help them succeed in yearround recruitment. Recruitment Boot Camp focuses on methods for organizing and improving recruitment on three levels: individual, chapter and system (Pan hellenic). The participants then learned the 10 steps to assist the en tire chapter with recruitment.

10 steps to SU((ess 1. One person is in charge of year-ro und

recruitment. In Alpha Sigma Alpha this person is the vice president of public relations and recruitment.

2. The chapter must post a "wish list" which includes the names of all women on campus they wish were Alpha Sigma Alphas. This list helps organize those wo~~n we want to get to know prior to giVIng out bids.

3. The chapter holds a bid discussion at every meeting. This does not mean they go through the membership selection process at each meeting. just that they discuss which women from the "wish list" that have not been contacted recently and take steps to continue getting to know those women.

4. The chapter posts th eir semester and yea rly recruitment goals for every member to see and understand.

5. The chapter coordinates regular skills training so that all members are comfortable talking about Alpha Sigma Alpha and the benefits of being a member.

6. The chapter includes recruitment in things they already do. For example, th ey could invite potential members to community service events, chapter meetings, sisterhood events, etc.

7. There are written expectations for recruitment shared with all members of the chapter. Each member knows exactly what she should be doing each week and month regarding recruitment.

8. Positive and negative incentive are established that reward members who are actively recruiting and hold tl1ose members who do not recruit accountable. Each chapter should be creative

and create incentives tl1at get members excited to recruit. This should go beyo nd fin es for not participating.

9. The chapter decides on measurable eligibility standards for women we are interested in offering bids to. Does each potential member need to have a certain CPA? Hold a leadership position in another organi zation?

Participate in athletics? Do community service already?

IO.Set up a team-based , organ izational structure for recruiting. Teams are established to help faci litate getting to know potential members in an informal , casual manner.

Each chapter that attended Recruitment Boot Cam p ended the p rogram havi ng created an action plan that will assist them with organizing their recruitment goals. Advisors, disu路ict facilitators and recrui tJnent coachi ng team leaders now have copies of the action plans from tl1e chapters witl1in their disu路ict so that tl1 ey can ass ist with fo llow-up. The chapters who have already implemented pieces from tl1 eir action plans are seeing significant results.

Eta Eta collegians and alumnae enjoy Recruitment Boot Camp.

PHOENIX OF ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA

SPRING 2006

13

Children have a memorable holiday thanks to the Delta Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Sigma Alpha 'As members of Alpha Sigma Alpha, we understand the importance of philanthropic work.

It is this work that often helps the less fortunate. '

1\idsPeare ta.ff 14

SPRING 2006

BY ANGELINE PISKORSKI, ilE Alumna Member The holiday eason has come and gone. Like most women, I secretJy ho ped someone would buy me new clothing, j ewelry, a new car, something for my house and other miscellaneous goodies.

Th is year, I secretJy hoped for tickets to see me Philadelphia Flye rs.

I know I ge t so caught up in shopping, decorating, cooking and getting ready for holidays that I tend to forget why we celebrate mem. Is it really about getting me best gift, h a,~ng the most decorated house or atte nding the nicest party? o!

To most of us tJ1e holidays are about spending time with family, gi,~ng that gift yo u kn ew would be so perfect for that special someone and for appreciating the j oy of tJ1e holidays. I work ~vi tJ1 children who don 't get to spend the ir ho lidays like tJ1at, but because of some very special Alpha Sigma Alpha members this year was different.

For the past fou r years, I have worked for KidsPeace, a 124-year-old charity dedicated to giving hope, help and healing to children fac ing crisis. During this past year, I became the program manage r of the KidsPeace Fo ter Care and Family Service program in Read ing, PA. As I got settJed into my position, my staff approached me and expressed their desire to give our clients a holiday to remember.

My staff understood that most of our foster parents needed to provide Christmas gifts for their own chi ldre n and any foster child in their care. Several of these families have as many as six child ren in their home. With that many children, it makes it difficult for our foster parents to purchase more than a few gifts for each ch ild.

At KidsPeace we work with many abused, neglected and depressed children who have experienced personal traumas and family problems. Most of our foster care clie nts have been removed from their biological fami lies through no fau lt of their own . These ch ildren are adjusting to a new ho me, new fam ily and a new school.

To many clients, this is the first holiday without their parents. After considering the desires of my staff, the po sibili ty of ass istin g our foster parents and tJ1e opportuni ty to bâ&#x20AC;˘-ighte n these childre ns' holiday I emailed my Alpha Sigma Alpha sisters for help!

In the beginning of December I ent an email to all collegiate and alumnae membe rs of the Delta Ep ilon Chapter at Man fi eld niversity, PA. I asked if anyo ne would be "intere ted in donating a gift to a child in c1; is." The response I received was tremendous. Several alumnae, collegiate members and our advisor (thank yo u Joe Mare co) , made sizable donations to KidsPeace Fo ter Care and Family Sen~ces. For one entire wee k I received at least two package each day. These package were full of game , toy , clothing, PHOENIX Of ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA

\

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,,

-

KidsPeace速

The National Center for Kids Overcoming Crisis

checks, art supplies, mm~ es and over 1,500 worth of Mary Kay prod ucts (Thank you Tammy Chimics) and much more. My staff and I were thrilled and excited for th e gifts our clients wou ld receive. We had so much fun deciding what gift would be most appropriate for each child. We were able to give our clients two or three gifts each !

Some of the extra items and monies we received were used for our annual holiday party. We kn ew this holiday party would far exceed previous years. We were able to spend a little extra money because of tl1 e generosity of Alpha Sigma Alpha members. We planned a party th at included family, food, fun and festivities. Our party was a huge success. The foster parents came Mth pot luck meals. During th e party there were no titles or labels, no "biological" or "foster" child differe nces.

We were all family and we celebrated like family. The party included a talent show, games, arts and crafts, karaoke, gifts and lots of food. The staff and famili es had a wonderful time. Our clients were able to be part of and celebrate th e u-ue meaning of th e holidays. They enjoyed time Mth th eir foster families and staff. They were grateful and excited for the gifts they received and ge nuinely appreciated the joy of th e season. For a few moments, these children were able to forget abo ut th e past and the crisis they endured. They we re give n the o pportunity to just be a child and enj oy the moment. l have never been so proud to be an Alpha Sigma Alpha as I was when I saw the sm ile o n a ch ild 's face after th ey received tl1 eir gift.

I would like to th ank Alpha Sigma Alpha. Your ge nerosity has proven to many people th at being in a sorority is not just a collegiate activi ty, but a lifetime commitment. It has sh own that members are nationMde, not just at one small town college. Each chapter an d each member PHOENIX OF ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA

make a difference! Thank you Alpha Sigma Alpha and th e Delta Epsilon Chapter for your act of kindn ess. Every donation , small or large, made th e difference in th e life of a child. May yo u tru ly understand the positive impact you had on the chi ldrens lives this past holiday season.

You showed great compassion , service and helped some very special children .

KidsPeace FCFS staff, foster fami lies, and clients would like to th ank all of the Delta Epsi lon Chapter, especiallyJoe and Maryann Maresco, Theresa Over Albury, Tammy J ohnson Ch imics, Kate Hi llya rd, J enny Fox, Chris Draper Babcock, April Carh art and Dana Peters Huber. Thank yo u from th e bottom of my heart!

As members of Alpha Sigma Alpha, we understand the impo rtan ce of philanthropic work. It is this work that often helps the less fortunate. Four yea rs ago, I accepted the position at KidsPeace \\~th the mission to help chi ldren in crisis.

Each collegiate and alumnae member kn ows that part of th e Alpha Sigma Alpha difference is o ur dedication to philanthropy!

If you would like more information about KidsPeace, about becoming a foster parent or if you Msh to help in another way please call 1-800-25-PEACE or visit www.kidspeace.orgor wwwjostercare.com.

KidsPeace has 63 centers across th e coun ty, we provide life-saving treatment to thousands of children every day and reach millions of fam ilies every year through prevention and public education outreach that helps kids avoid and overcome the kinds of crises that can strike any child. KidsPeace exists to give kids peace.

IS

TO

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Additional convention feature speaker announced

e

CAN

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Not too late to register for convention The 2006 Alpha Sigma Alpha National Convention ''~II be held the week ofJuly 19-23 in Cambridge, MA. lfyou have not yet registered to attend, you will need to do so by June 23, 2006. You can register by going to the Alpha Sigma Alpha web site and clicking on the convention logo on the front page. You '~II need to p1;nt out a copy of the regisu-ation and mail it or fax it to (317)871-2924 at the national headquarters office.

The Alpha Sigma Alpha national convention committee i~ pleased to announce the addition of a featured speaker at this summer's national convention . Dr. Marsha A. Guenzler-Stevens ,~11 speak on values-based decision making and the rising incidents of hazing and how to end this senseless problem.

Marsha has spent all of her professional career working in the field of higher education . She has worked in the areas of admissions, residential life, campus acti~ties, student affairs adminisu-ation, academic affairs and Greek Life.

She now serves as the director of acti~ ties and associate director of the Stamp Student Union, supernses the campus programs staff including: community sernce-learning, leadership Marsha A. Guenzler-Stevens programs, diversity program-ming, major campus events, the ational Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs, union programs, student government association and accounts, student organization registration and recognition, and several recreational centers.

Marsha ~II speak at the 2006 Alpha Sigma Alpha National Convention on Thursday, July 20.

Alpha Sigma Alpha welcomes new collegiate chapter The Theta Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Sigma Alpha was installed on March 25 at Schreiner University in Kerrville, TX. Look for a detailed story in the summer issue of the Phoenix.

Two new alumnae chapters installed The national council of Alpha Sigma Alpha is pleased to welcome two new alumnae chapters into the Alpha Sigma Alpha family.

The Three Rivers Alumnae Chapter in Pittsburgh, PA, was installed on Jan. 25, 2006. lf you would like to learn more about this new chapter contact Chapter President Jamie Brandon at asabrandon @yahoo.com.

On February 9, 2006 the Tahlequah, OK, Alumnae Chapter was installed.

For more information contact Krista Baird Peterson at bpkp1997@yahoo.com.

Three new staff members join Alpha Sigma Alpha team Erica Whitfield, ZY, has been hired as the event planner/ education Erica Whitfield coordinator for Alpha Sigma Alpha. Erica started work at national headquarters on March 22 .

Erica~~~ be responsible for pro~ding direction for and coordination of the sorority's educational program . This position includes

the planning, budgeting, execution, coordination and evaluation of all Alpha Sigma Alpha nationa! events.

Wendy Carson Erica can be reached by calling (317) 871-2920 or by email at ewhitjield@alphasigrnaalpha. org.

Wendy Carson joins the staff as the new finance / records adrninisu-ation staff person. Wendy's email address is wcarson@alphasigmaalpha.vrg.

In April Linda Lineback, XX, became a member of the Alpha Sigma Alpha staff as office assistant. Linda can be reached at !lineback@ alphasigmaalpha. org.

Bylaws available online for review The propo ed changes to the Alpha Sigma Alpha national bylaws are available on the AlphaNet side of the Alpha Sigma Alpha web ite. Convention delegate '~II be voting on the eat the national convention in July.

All members are welcome to look over the propo ed change . lfyou have any questions please email ational Bylaws Chairman lacey Bogumil at asabylaws@gmail.com.

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SPRING 2006

PHOENIX Of ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA

Georgette Belair,

~N

Georgette Belair, ~N, Kettering University, has co-authored a book for new product developers. "A Leader's Guide to Implementing Design for Six Sigma" details the journey from good product design to great product development.

"As I was implementing improvements in my organization, I noticed that there were real ly no guidance books to help me along. My colleague and I decided to make it easier for the next leaders to implement improvements in their organizations, by telling our story. I've been speaking at conferences for three years, telling my story and sharing my lessons learned . I thought I would write a book that coul d reach a broader audience."

Georgette currently leads new product development projects for Ethicon EndoSurgery, a Johnson &Johnson company. "It is just in my nature to look at a process and see how it can be improved, and I won ' t sit down unti l I see that people are happy with the improvements."

The book was published in April 2006 by ASQ Publishing.

Ge(ffgette Belair, L'JN

Claudia Exler Kubis, NN The Washington, DC, Alumnae Chapter rejoiced with Claudia Exler Kubis, NN, upon her retirement announcement, and they also bid her a fond farewell as she and her husband, Richard, moved to Leesburg, FL. Claudia attended Drexellnstitute of Technology (now Drexel University) where she joined Alpha Sigma Alpha during her sophomore year and graduated with a degree in home economics, fashion merchandising. She began her alumna ties with the Washington, DC, Alumnae Chapter when she moved to Ellicott City, MD, in 1989 and has been the chapter's vice president for the last five years.

One of her most memorable experiences witl1 Alpha Sigma Alpha was when she was asked by Chris Thomas, Epsilon Tau Chapter advisor at the time, to join the advisory board as financial advisor in the early 1990s. The challenge was working with a brand new chapter, and Claudia concentrated on working with collegians on financ ial training and fiscal responsibility. Without hesitation, she noted the best aspects of her position were watching the collegians mature individually while also shaping a new chapter.

Claudia's professional career has been in retail management- sales, purchasing and consulting for major department stores, starting in Philadelphia. She also worked at a private flooring company in Maryland. During her "retirement" Claudia is working as a mortgage loan processor in Florida.

Claudia Exler Kubis, NN

Stephanie Hurd, NN Stephanie Hurd is a star member of Nu Nu Chapter, Drexel University, PA. Stephanie is a biomedical engineering major, and she has held executive board positions of treasurer and president. Currently, she serves the chapter's nominating committee chairman, represents th e chapter as vice president of programming for PHC and is also the chapter's standards chairman.

Stephanie Hurd, NN

PHOENIX OF ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA

SPRING 2006

17

DISTRICT N

DISTRICT 6

GAMMA OMEGA , EASTERN !LUNO!S UNJVERS17Y

Collegiate

Chapter's philanthmpic project benefits Special Olyrnpics

81'./A UPSILON, !NOlANA STATE UNfVERSITY

Collegiate chapter has strong bonds with alurnnae chapter The members of th e Beta Upsilon Chapter, Indiana State nive rsity, consider alumnae to be a very important part of th e chapte r. The chapter has at least one meeting with alumnae each month . The alumnae meetin g held in March had a Mary Kay party th eme. This party helped members ge t to kn ow th e al umnae members bette r and we enjoyed trying some new makeup as well.

The Mary Kay consul tant who led th e party was o ne of o ur alumnae. Aften vards alumnae members treated us to pizza. j essica Gelarden

On Feb. 4, 2006 members of th e Gamma Omega Chapter, Eastern flli nois University, held th eir Alpha's Bowl p hilanthro py at Eastern Illino is' Marti n Luther Ki ng Union Bowli ng Lanes. Gamma Omega hosted a bowling tourn ament between eight fratern ities. The event raised $650. All proceeds from the event went to support Alp ha Sigma Alpha 's phi lanthropy Special O lympics.

Colleen Tapling

Alwnnae !NDIANAPOU S ALUII1NAE Ct-!APTER

Variety of activities keeps alurnnae chapter busy The Indianapolis Alumnae Chapter gath ered at Alpha

EW S=---- - -

Indianapolis Alumnae Chapter members pay a visit to the Alpha Sigma Alpha national headquarters office in Indianapolis, IN. Sigma Alp ha atio nal H eadquarters for th eir evenin g meeting in O ctober. The women agreed that th ere is just some th ing moving and inspiring about being able to walk aro und the h eadq uarte rs offi ce looking at th e picture , j ewelry, furn iture and mo re that has been do nated by members. Members enjoyed

snacks at th e d in ing room table th at was donated by Alpha Sigma Alpha 's Wil ma Wilson Sharp.

Me mbe rs met on Founders ' Day at Hollyhock Hills and celebrated as Na ncy Martin Will iams, XX, was celebrati ng her 50th ann iversary as a member of Al pha Sigma Alpha. Member Ruth Graddy Strickl and, BY, who could not attend, also celebrated he r 50th year as a membe r.

At th e Decembe r meetin g, membe rs exchanged Christm as o rnam ents and collected unwrapped personal item for th e mental health associati o n. February's gath e ring was making Vale ntine's for hut ins. Members joined

Collegiate members of the Beta Upsilon Chapter, Indiana State University, spend some quality time with area alumnae members dU1ing a Mary Kay jJarty.

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PHOENIX OF ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA

D I STR I C T

NEWS

Beta Nu Chapter members Brittany Saling, Whitney Woberton and Meghan Frandsen take the plunge f or Special Olympics in the cold Ohio River.

During one of the Psi Psi chapter's Clean a Park Day, mernbers Natalie Chandler, Chelsea Umbach, Jennifer j ohnson and Kristen Dwyer take a break f rom their hard work.

Richard Vonnegut fo r an o th er educati onal and physical walking tour of downtown Indianapolis in April.

Carol Battsj ohnson, XX

DISTRICT 7 Chapter advisors and th e advisory boards are a key part of any chapter's success. T he advisors in District 7 give above and beyond to the chapte rs th ey mentor. Thank you to veteran chapte r adviso rs: Zeta Rho , University of West Alabam a, Carole Welbo rn, ZP; Zeta Sigma, U nive rsity of th e Incarnate Word, TX, Traci Quinones, Z'L; Gamma Zeta, Unive rsity of Arkansas Monticello, Carole McGarr Efird, fZ; Beta Lambda, University of Cen tral Arkansas, Joy Langdo n, BA; Zeta Omega, Austin Peay State University, TN, Louise

Morales, Zfl; and Psi Psi , No rthwestern State University, LA, Paul Monteleone .

Welcome to this year's new chapter advisors: Epsilon Alpha, Southern Arkansas University, Sandra Patterson Smith , fZ; and Delta Upsilon, Un iversity of T exas at San Anto nio, Veronica Lozano, Z'L. T hank you to chapter advisors that retired at th e end of 2005: Beta Mu, H enderson State U niversity, AR, Pam Keaton Ligo n, BM; and Delta U psilon, University of Texas at San Antonio, julie Wo rthingto n, Ll Y. Anyone interested in advising for a chapter, please contact our District 7 Volunteer Recruitment and Placemen t Team Member Mandy Stark Yo ung, ZA, at rnstarkasa@yahoo.com.

Distri ct 7 had three chapte rs parti cipate in Recruitment Boot Camp(see story on page 13) : Psi Psi, Zeta Sigma

and the A'LA Colony at Schreiner University, TX. The advisors and chapter members appreciated this opportuni ty. The training is already proving to be ben eficial.

District Day was h eld Feb. 17- 19,2006, in Nashville TN. Ove r 130 members attended . Special recognition goes to: Heidi Freier, Ll Y, Distri ct Meeting Coordinator, the Music City (Clarksville, TN) Alumnae Chapte r, Beta Nu , Murray State University, KY, and Zeta Omega. T hank you 's to all th e presenters. The 2005 Outstanding District 7 Volunteer Deb Fields Dietri ch , BN, awarded th e 2006 Outsta ndin g District 7 Volun teers:J oAnn Sanchez Bordn er, f 'L, and Kristen Coo per Schwulst, BA. On March 25 th e T heta Epsilon Chapter was installed at Schreiner University, TX. The event was wonderful and members from th e Delta Upsilon and th e Zeta Sigma attended.

Distri ct Facilitator Trudy Higgins-Edison, B0 t_shrugged@hotmail.com.

Collegiate PSI PSI, NORTHWESTERN STATE UNJVERS/7Y, LA

A walk in the park turns into a philanthropic project for chapter Members of th e Psi Psi Chapter, Northwestern State University, LA, do as much as they can to help within the Natchi toches community.

During "Clean a Park Day" one Saturday during the semester, members worked for servi ce hours by cleaning up a park so that th e children in Natchi toches would have a clean and safe place to play.

Parti cipating in this event showed th e communi ty th at Alpha Sigma Alpha cares.

Heather Adams BETA NV, MURRAY STATE UNIVERSITY, KY

Beta Nu Members take the jJlunge for a good cause Braving cold and snowy conditions, Beta Nu members plunged into the Ohio River in an effort to raise money for Special Olympics. A total of 11 members sh owed their Alpha Sigma Alpha spirit by dressing up in ladybug attire and participatin g in the Feb. 11 Polar Bear Plunge in Paducah, KY. Donna Phillips

SPRING 2006

PHOENIX Of ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA

19

DISTRICT NEWS

DISTRICT 8 Collegiate ZETA BETA, UNTVERS/71' OF \VISCON. rN RIVER FALLS

Chapter fundraiser benefits cancer victims

Members of the Central Arkansas Alumnae Chapter enjoy the annual Founders' Day banquet on Nov. 8, 2005.

On Nov. 13, 2005 the Zeta Beta Chapter had a spaghetti dinner to raise money for a young woman battling cancer.

T his yo ung lady is the co u in of one of the chapter members. Members advertised for the event, cooked, cleared dishes and held a silent auction. About $1,500 wa raised to help support thi woman and her fam ily as she fights cancer.

Dorean Bocilenhauer

Alwnnae CH!CA CO NORTH ALUMNAE CHAJYTER

Chapter welcomes 10 new members

The Greater Dallas Alumnae Chapter members celebrate Founders' Day 2006.

Alunmae CENTRAL ARKANSAS ALUMNAE CHAPTER

Helping other is a way of life for alumnae chajJter Cenu-al Arkansas Alumnae Chapter members participated in several social and philanLhropic a Livitie during Lh e fall. In October, members attended Beta Lambda hapter's homecoming tea and ta ilgate part . The month of November was a busy mont.h for membe r . They first enjo ed the annua l hopping t.rip 1.0 B1-anson, MO and were then gue ts at Beta Lambda Chapter' Founde r ' Day banquet. The women also donated Thanksgiving food baskets to eli 路a bled adults of Independent Li\~ n g ervi c in Conwa ', AR. pan of the December

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SPRING 2006

activi ty, members provided gifts for th e Un iversity of Central Arkansas Angel Tree Proj ect and met at the home of Kacee Krumby Sims where th e women wok part in fellowship, food and played a fun game of" Diny Santa."

Susan Hic/1ey, BA CREt\TERDAU..ASA LUMJ fiE CHAPTER

Founders ' Day program a huge success far alumnae chapter The Greater Dallas Alumnae hapter celebJ-ated Found 1 ' Da on ov. 13 at th City afc off of Lover Lane in Dallas. This yea r a r c rd number was in attendan ce and included new alumnae members within a 120-mile 1-adiu . M mbers enjo >ed a

nice meal, qui ck meeti ng, door prizes and of co urse lots wonderful co nve rsations.

In December members met in Frisco, TX, to gather Toys for Tots. Members also eruoyed a va1;ety of Chrisunas goodi es and an omament exchange.

In this new year member look foJ'\vard to lots of fun and exciting a tivities such as making Easter baskets for a phi lanthropic project, a pool party, wine tasting, scrap booking and man y more f1.m dinn ers.

Wendy Partain

This has been an exciting year for tl1e Chicago North Alumnae Chapter. The chapter started witl1 a summer eve nt to welcome new members at the Bahama Breeze restaumnt. It certai nly made conversation a ' breeze' e ru oying food , laughs, music and fun. T here were more tha n 10 new members that decided to make Chicago orth th eir alum nae home. The chapter's you ngest legacy, the daughter ofJeniffer Neuses, BL,joined the cele bration as well. T he women from th e Milwaukee Alumnae hapter also joined this summ er celebration.

Christine j ohnson, rB CHICAGO WEST ALUMNAE '1-IAPTER

Great food, great fun, theme far chapter's many events hicago West alu mnae have continued to be active, health y and well-fed. The annual salad supper was held at th e home of usan J ames Legg, .Judy Zinger Davi , PHOENIX OF AlPHA SIGMA AlPHA

DISTRICT NEWS

BP, presented a chiropractor who gave the women health tips. The women also participated in a Special Olympics fundraiser ho ted by Nancy Cepuder Reagan , BP. The fundrai er was called Market Day Gourmet and more details can be found at Wli!W. marhetdaygourmel. com.

Founders' Day was celebrated at the home of Ellie Barnhard Prieve, BIT, in Woodridge. The Christmas philanthropic project was providing clothing items for Sharing Connections. Joyce Kroeger Shelton, <1><1>, was the hostess again, and we had great food.

Nancy L. Reagan, BP

/IULWA UKEE ALUMNAE CHAPTER

Al;A Foundation benefits from chapter's philanthropic efforts Milwaukee alumnae and friends traveled to Kenosha, WI, for a late July tour of the Jelly Belly Factory and lunch with the Chicago orth Alumnae chapter. The annual picnic was graciously hosted

by Ann Wollerberg Borowski , fE, in August. In honor of Founders' Day the Mi lwaukee chapter had lunch at the Milwaukee Ale house in the historic Third Ward. Katie Cernigliz, Z'l', shared upcoming wedding plans and the women caught up on everyone's busy lives.

Fundraising through the Boston Store Community Days progra m involved all chapter members and would benefit the AlA Foundation and local charities that serve women and children in crisis. The chapter ended 2005 by ki cking off the holiday season with dining at the "Dickens of a Christmas" celebration in Greendale, WI. Marylou Kulaszewicz Wendzinshi, L1Z

DISTRICT 9 Disu·ict 9 ended Febmary with another fantastic District Day. The Disuict Meeting Team went all out, turning the Holiday Inn in Lawrence, KS, into the Hollywood of the Midwest from Feb. 24--26.

Disu·ict 9 Day was kicked off with a pajama party consisting of a DJ, karaoke and a pe,-formance of Zeta Eta's recmitmentskit.

Saturday was filled with a variety of educational and fun programs, including a presentation by Kim George Carlos, Bl, on the wpic of women's health and her book, Nordic's at Noon, another program was on Integrity: the new core value, and a session on the impact that internet sites such as MySpace and Facebook are having on our organization.

On Saturday, attendees could also participate in tours of hiswric Lawrence as we ll as give back by donating blood at the Ame•;can Red Cross Blood Mobile. Saturday finished up with roundtable discussions and th e annual district meeting.

Sunday, disuict volunteers gathered for the annual vo lunteer meeting. This meeting is

a fantastic opportunity for the volunteers of our district to receive updates, work together to set goals for the year and to assist our newest volunteers.

Collegians who are graduating and have shown interest in volunteering were also invited to attend.

Disuict 9 is off to a fantastic start-feeling rejuvenated and motivated from another fantastic District Day. Shellry Coxon, Z~I District 9 Facilitator

Collegiate GAMMA GAMMA, NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE UNJVERSJTY

Recruitment Boot Camp program proves to be a success for chapter After four members went through the Recruitment Boot Camp, we had them teach the chapter successful ways to recruit new members.

Members traveled to Shattuck, OK, to stay with Secretary Taryn Evans' grandmother.

The sisters who attended the Recruitment Boot Camp taught members everything they learned step by step.

Shortly after the retreat the chapter recruited four amaz-

ing girls through informal recruitment, the most ever for the chapter. In August of 2005 tl1e Gamma Gamma Chapter held its third annual school supply drive. Members set up a table outside the local WalMart. As customers entered the store they were given supply lists and a b1;ef description of the philanthropy. Some people donated money so members were able to go to the store and buy supplies to complete the list.

All the supplies were then boxed up and sent to the S.June Smith Center.

Katy Ferguson ZETA ZETA, CENTRAL MISSOURI STATE UNTVERSITY

Recruitment efforts pay offfor chapter The Zeta Zeta Chapter of Alpha Sigma Alpha had a very busy start w tl1e academic year.

The fall semester began with a very successful recruitment period. The chapter recruited 15 new members and initiated th em in November 2005. The chapter collected over 65 cell phones for Special Olympics by involving family, friends and the entire campus. Twelve

Gamma Gamma ChafJter members sponser their third annual school supply drive.

PHOENIX OF ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA

SPRING 2006

21

DISTRICT NEWS

Zeta Zeta members traveled to Kansas City to Celebrate Founders ' Day with the Kansas City Alumne Chapter and other collegiate members.

National President Lori While Scot/, EE, is in the ftvnt mw, far left.

members trave led to Kansas City to th e Stephenson Apple Farm Restau ra nt to celebrate Founders ' Day o n Nov. 12, 2005. We shared this eve nt with the Kansas City Alumnae Chapter and ational Preside nt Lori White Scott, EE .

The chapter has one me mber on th e campus Pan hellenic council and two members on the Panhe llenic judicial Review Board. For d1 e spring semester th e chapter wi ll be having its annua l Sen io r Send-Off for graduates.

StefJhanie Gunter

ETA ETA, PITTSBURG STATE UNIVERSITY, KS

Chapter a big winner during homecoming 2005 For Pittsburg State niversity's homecoming week in th e fa ll of 2005 each organizatio n, Greek and no nGreek, nominated a king and queen candidate. Alpha Sigm a Alpha was thrilled when Am anda Steuem age l, o ur queen candidate and chapter president at th e time, and Andy Maj o rs, o ur kin g candidate, were ann oun ced th e winn ers. Amanda and Andy d id an excellent job re presenting A'LA througho ut th e wee k.

By having bod1 candidates win it was a great way to get th e chapter's name spread across campus and throughout d1 e communi ty.

Molly Frederick

Bela Sigma members pose after collecting for Toys for Tots. l n !he ft-ont mw,from lift are: Anaiah Murphy, Beth Straulmann; second row, Erin Stovall; third mw, f enna Ely, Becky Gaines,Jessica Otremba, Mary Stansfield and Caillin Beene.

PHI PHI, NORTH WF T J\11/SSOUR/ STATE UNfi'ERST/Y

S. June Smith Center benefits from chapter's bowling event On Febnaary 27, 2006 th e wo men of th e Phi Phi Chapter hosted a campus"~de bowli ng event at Bearcat Lanes in Maryvi lle, MO. No t o nl y did d1i even t raise mo ney for th e .June mith Center, it helped improve re lation between 13 Greek and three

22

no n-Greek organizations on campus including th e Student Senate, Minority Men 's Organization and an independ ent team. With the assistance of all th ese organizations, d1e wom en of Phi Phi were able to raise alm ost $400 for th e S.June Smith Center.

Anna Rathjen

BETA SIGMA, MISSOURI STATE UNTVERSITY

Members make Christmas special fCJr those less fortunate During the h oliday season, th e Beta Sigma Chapter made sure less fortunate children in th e Springfield, MO, area weren ' t left without presents under th eir Christmas trees.

Befo re Thanksgiving, members bega n collecti ng toys for Toys for Tots. Chapter members took th e toy drive campuswide and even go t an area rad io station to help out by announcing the collection of toys. Membe rs are so thankful for th e amount of people that came out to help fund th e toy drive . It was a huge success, and we are hopeful that it mad e a lot of children happy.

Alison Watson

Alumnae MARYVILLE, J\110, ALUMNAE CHAPTER

Chapter works closely with collegiate chapter The Maryville, MO, Alumnae Chapte r i proud of d1 e support given to th e Phi Phi Chapter at NWMSU and collegiate me mbers are included in many activities.

In O cto ber members collected canned food for th e local ministry center. In ovember th e Founders' Day dinn e r was with th e Phi Phi Chapter. In December members held th e annual Ha nging of th e Green with Phi Phi an d T.-i Sigma. Th e Ha ngi ng of th e Greens is held in Roberta Hall

SPRING 2006 PHOENIX OF AlPHA SIGMA ALPHA

D I STR I CT N E WS

on the NWMSU campus. This event used to take place every December in the 1950s and 1960s. It is to honor graduating seniors and the Ch1;stmas season.

In April members traveled north to Kansas City. At this meeting area Phi Phi alumnae joined us for a luncheon.

The chapter will hold an annual Senior farewell bingo party where there are enough bingo gifts for all members to be winners.

Mmty Poynter, cpcp

Maryville Alumnae ChajJler members participating in the 2005 canned food drive Jar the local ministry center.

NORTHERN COLORADO

SPRINGFIELD ALUtvlNAE

ALUMNAE CHAPTER

G-fAJYFt."'R, MO

Chapter focuses on membership growth

Social calendar full for alumnae chapter members

The Springfield Alumnae The Northern Colorado Chapter keeps getting bigger Alumnae Chapter has been and better. Under the leaderdetermined to work on memship of President Debbie bership outreach this year by Henne Clary, BL, the women hosting an open house for plan activities for almost every members in the northeast month of the year.

Colorado/southeast Wyoming In August, members decoarea. rated a study room in the Beta In September the women Sigma house at Missouri State had a fun brunch , complete University and helped with fall with getting-to-know-yo u recruitment. In September the games and Alpha Sigma Alpha women toured a local winery. prizes. The chapter has decidOctober brought the annual ed to make the event and trip pumpkin painting party. The on an annual basis. painted masterpieces were For the second year in a then delivered to the Beta row, the Northern Colorado Sigma house to be used as Alumnae Chapter received the decorations.

Crown Recognition. The memThe chapter celebrated bers, led by Renee Krohne, Founders' Day with the local E>A, are participating in the collegians and ended the year alumnae module of the with their favorite activityAdvantage program. The a holiday potluck dinner and women are also participating auction at the home of Beth in the cell phone program and Huesgen Banta, BL. have 路collected many used cell Sharron Eddlemon Walling, B.I phones for pecial O lympics.

Theresa McCarthy, BB , represented the chapter at the Fort Collins area alumnae Panhellenic brunch in April and informed the chapter that it will be Alpha Sigma Alpha's turn to host the brunch in 2008. For meeting information contact Heather Hancock at (970)-988-7459 or Sue Wilcox at (970)-568-7567.

Susan Eckler Wilcox, Ar PHOENIX OF ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA

Nmthern Colorado A lwnnae Chapter members attending the September chapter brunch are, from left, front row, Peggy Grice, BB; Heather Beckman Hancock, ZII; Theresa McCarthy, BB; and Marge Perdue TT; back row, Renee Krohne, E>A; Susan Forney, EE; Lynn Fountaine, BE; Shirley Hickman, BB; Vanessa Lucero, ZII, and Sue Wilcox, Af.

SPRING 2006

23

7/fpha r:Sigwa 71/pha Strategic p\an 2006

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