A Day in D.C.

As part of our mission to be the premier advocacy and support organization for the advancement of the sorority experience, NPC representatives visited with several officials on Nov. 20 in Washington. Joining me on visits were Advocacy Chairman Mary Jane Beach, NPC Executive Director Nicki Meneley, Fraternity/Sorority Political Action Committee President Sarah Lindsay and Public Policy Specialist Amy Davenport of Squire Patton Boggs. We met with officials at the following offices:

• Association of American University Women (AAUW)
• Running Start
• White House Council on Women and Girls
• Rape Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)

These meetings were productive as we discussed ways NPC can align our strategic initiatives and collaborate in areas of research, training and education, and sexual assault prevention and response awareness. We seek to establish meaningful relationships and dialogue with other organizations that will result in a greater understanding of who we are and what we do. It was helpful to share our updates on the recent Gallup-Purdue Index study findings on the well-being of college graduates and retention as it relates to sorority membership. We also shared news with these officials about the formation of our Benefits of Single-Sex Status Task Force and Student Safety and Sexual Assault Awareness Task Force. Through these meetings, we discovered that these organizations offer trainings, education and resources that can benefit our sorority women. It was a great day of conversation.

In our movement to advance the sorority experience, we must continue to reach out to other audiences and bring others along in our journey to fully embrace our mission and vision. This is what being a premier advocacy and support organization is all about.

A Collegian's Perspective: Friendships Beyond Badges

By Abby Schneider, University of Missouri

Chairman Jean M. Mrasek with all the past NPC
chairmen in attendance at the 2014 NPC annual meeting.

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the National Panhellenic Conference annual meeting in St. Louis. Throughout the weekend, I shadowed current NPC Chairman, Jean M. Mrasek, and sat in on some of her meetings, observing and absorbing as much information as my collegian viewpoint would allow me to do. 

The first event I witnessed Friday night was a meeting to revise the bylaws with NPC delegations from the 26 NPC member organizations. Upon entering the crowded room, I immediately noticed a u-shaped table that seated one woman per each of the 26 NPC sororities. These 26 women, I came to find, were the delegates that would stand up and speak on behalf of their organizations when they felt it was necessary. With the delegates in the shape of a U, I already could feel a sense of collaboration among the women in the room. When a woman stood up and walked to the microphone to make any input, she would state her name and sorority affiliation first, with full respect and attention of those around her. This collaboration, I then understood, was Panhellenic -- friendships beyond badges.

While I was most taken by the true spirit of togetherness that was apparent at the meeting, the subject being addressed was also something that surprised me. As an active member, the bylaws are something that I remember acknowledging during my recruitment process and pushing out of my mind shortly after. Before this weekend, I never would have assumed that the NPC worked so diligently on keeping these bylaws as up to date and accurate as possible. For one hour these women went line by line, sometimes debating one word or phrase until finding one that conveyed their meaning accurately. The NPC's determination toward revising and perfecting these regulations truly represents how much work they put into so many different things that before the meeting I had never even thought of. 

One of the biggest things I took away from the meeting was just how important the National Panhellenic Conference is in terms of the bigger picture of sorority life. NPC is the venue that allows all 26 incredible women’s organizations to advance sorority together.

FOR GUARDING OF GOOD HEALTH

It is powerful to hear sorority women recite The Panhellenic Creed in unison.

The Panhellenic Creed includes the phrase for guarding of good health as one of the main tenets by which we strive to live. Indeed, our early NPC leaders had vision to place good health as a focus area.

How did good health make the list? Why is good health important to sorority women?

Good health means different things to different people; however, we can all agree that good health contributes significantly to happiness and overall well-being. It encompasses the wide range of things — physical, mental and emotional functions — that play into our lifetime success and accomplishment. With our health in good order, we can live up to our fullest potential. 

NPC member organizations have inter/national philanthropies that either support local charities or national causes. Several of our NPC member organizations support causes related to women’s health. Here are just a few examples:

• Alpha Epsilon Phi supports Sharsheret, an organization that supports young Jewish women in their fight against breast cancer.
• Alpha Gamma Delta supports members and individuals living with diabetes.
• Alpha Omicron Pi supports research and education on arthritis.
• Alpha Phi supports projects in all areas of women’s heart health.
• Delta Gamma supports organizations that promote sight preservation.
• Delta Phi Epsilon supports the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD).
• Sigma Kappa supports studies on aging and addresses needs of the elderly, with an emphasis on Alzheimer’s disease.
• Zeta Tau Alpha devotes efforts to breast cancer education and awareness.

All of these noble causes raise awareness and bring to light the need to do more to assist in research, education and support to benefit women’s health.

One such organization that seeks to elevate the issue of women’s good health is DiabetesSisters. Reports indicate 13.4 million women have diabetes, which is also linked to high blood pressure, kidney failure, heart disease, blindness and stroke, among other health issues. Founder and CEO Brandy Barnes was diagnosed with diabetes as a teenager and found little information about services for women when her journey took her through a high-risk pregnancy. Her experiences culminated in forming DiabetesSisters in 2008. She contends that emotional and peer support are vitally important to coping with this disease. 

Emotional and peer support are just what sorority women can offer one another as well as other women in need. It is not uncommon for sorority sisters to sit with others in hospital waiting rooms, accompany a friend on a doctor visit or specialized treatment or provide meals for sisters and their families. Whatever and whenever the need arises, sorority sisters are there to provide comfort, encouragement and support. 

Ways to guard good health:

• Make healthy food and drink choices.
• Visit your doctor regularly.
• Do self-exams, and be aware of changes in your body and appearance.
• Know your family history. Some diseases are hereditary.
• Make time for exercise and form fitness groups with other women — running, water aerobics, walking, Zumba, yoga or Pilates.
• Model life balance with rest, work and play.

Guarding of good health requires that we tune into our bodies and become more knowledgeable about prevention and maintenance. Good health equates to increased work productivity, social engagement and ultimately, lifetime fulfillment. More than ever, as sorority women we are charged to uphold this portion in our creed and apply good habits to our daily lives.

As we approach the holiday season, let’s give thanks for good health.

Resources:
National Institutes of Health — Orwh.od.nih.gov  
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention — cdc.gov