Our Work is Our Passion

University of Arizona

The NPC Executive Committee has made several campus visits since the start of the new year. In January, we met with Panhellenic leaders and university officials at Rhodes College (Memphis), University of Arizona (Tucson) and Oklahoma State University (Stillwater). We held a reception at the Kappa Delta headquarters in Memphis for Panhellenic women from the University of Memphis, Rhodes College and Christian Brothers University. NPC Panhellenics Committee Chairman Julie Johnson appeared center court at a basketball game on the University of Kentucky campus in Lexington and presented an award that recognized the College Panhellenic as exemplary. These face-to-face visits allow us to empower sorority women to embrace their shared commitment as a unified coalition of women. It is inspiring to hear directly from these amazing sorority leaders -- their accomplishments and their experiences.  

Rhodes College

Many of our NPC area advisors will be meeting with Panhellenic leaders at the regional conferences. NPC is the voice for sorority advancement, and our work is carried out by women on the 26 NPC delegations who are trained and dedicated to the cause.  

The work that we do as professional volunteers is our passion.  We continue to do it because of our belief that the sorority experience adds value. 

Our Creed: The Heart of NPC

Many describe the Unanimous Agreements (UAs) as the backbone of the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC). With the UAs as our firm support, our creed must be the heart of NPC.

The creed was adopted in 1915 -- just 13 years after the official meeting in Chicago of the Inter-sorority Conference (later to become NPC). It defines the purpose of the member groups: good scholarship, good health, fine standards, opportunities for service, character development, friendship, cooperation for furthering fraternity life, mutual respect and helpfulness. The creed continues to be posted near the front of the NPC Manual of Information.

There are many parts of the Panhellenic Creed that speak to us at different times in different situations:

• Good scholarship is the current focus as we celebrate the Month of the Scholar throughout February.
• Good health remains our constant focus with attention on safety risks, women’s healthcare, life balance and our members’ mental health.
• Service is reflected in our community outreach efforts and civic engagement.
• Character development is an outgrowth of sorority membership as we incorporate lessons from our ritual into our daily routines.
• Friendship is the basis for why and how our groups were established.
• Cooperation resonates with all of us, because it addresses how we make things happen. It reinforces the notion that relationships matter in NPC. Cooperative relationships help us advance our cause and encourage us to flourish.

An early NPC historical record reads: “Without the free discussions held at the NPC meetings and spirit of cooperation engendered at those gatherings, much of the strength demonstrated through campus programs might not have materialized.” How true! Cooperation and collaboration are at the heart of what we do as leaders of women’s fraternities and sororities. We share concerns, we discuss opportunities and we look at ways to advance sorority together.

At each NPC annual meeting, we conduct our business with our board of directors (delegates) sitting at the table in alphabetical order -- Alpha Chi Omega to Zeta Tau Alpha. Our “U” formation allows for each NPC member group to have equal placement at the table with voice and vote. The physical arrangement itself signifies that cooperation shall guide our actions.

Like many College Panhellenics throughout the United States and Canada, Oklahoma State University College Panhellenic asks its delegates to memorize the creed so they can recite it at the beginning of meetings. This is an excellent example of how we should conduct our business. Reciting our creed reminds us that we are stronger as a unified coalition of sorority women with a shared vision.

Keep the Panhellenic Creed at the heart of your sorority experience.

We, as Undergraduate Members of women’s fraternities, stand for good scholarship, for guarding of good health, for maintenance of fine standards, and for serving, to the best of our ability, our college community. Cooperation for furthering fraternity life, in harmony with its best possibilities, is the ideal that shall guide our fraternity activities.

We, as Fraternity Women, stand for service through the development of character inspired by the close contact and deep friendship of individual fraternity and Panhellenic life. The opportunity for wide and wise human service, through mutual respect and helpfulness, is the tenet by which we strive to live.

My Son is a Fraternity Man

My son, Nick Mrasek, is a member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity at The University of Oklahoma. I am proud that he is associated with such a fine group of men on the OU campus. He was attracted to this Lambda Chi chapter because of the strong reputation and active participation of the members on campus. Lambda Chi has won the OU President's Trophy several times since it was introduced by OU President David Boren. The chapter has several campus leaders, including IFC president, the student body (SGA) president, and Campus Activities Council (CAC) chair. And the chapter has a dedicated chapter advisor, Rodger Lalli.

Nick has enjoyed learning the symbolism revealed in the ritual and the highest teachings of Lambda Chi. He likes how the ritual encourages the members to be better men in their daily lives. Recently he served on the chapter's ritual team. This was quite an honor that he took seriously. He was excited to welcome the associate members into the brotherhood circle of Lambda Chi. His "ritual high" was evident in his text to me after initiation: "It was a fun experience."

As I reflect on Nick's experience, I am reminded that our fraternity and sorority rituals challenge all of us to live up to our full potential. Lessons taught at NIC's Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute (UIFI) reiterate that ritual is what we do. Learn it; live it; teach it; expect it. We are asked to put values into action. Perhaps that is why the Lambda Chi chapter at OU continues to thrive. We should all take note from this chapter's success.

NPC Executive Committee: Hand in Hand

This past weekend, the NPC Executive Committee met in Memphis, Tenn., at the Chi Omega Fraternity headquarters for our winter retreat. It was wonderful to spend time with Vice Chairman Donna King, Sigma Kappa; Panhellenics Committee Chairman Julie Johnson, Kappa Delta; Advocacy Committee Chairman Mary Jane Beach, Kappa Alpha Theta; and Budget and Finance Committee Chairman Lynnda Hoefler, Delta Zeta. Our Executive Director Nicki Meneley, Alpha Chi Omega, monitored our schedule and provided tremendous support to our meeting. 

The weekend included a Friday evening reception held at the nearby Kappa Delta headquarters for Panhellenic women from the University of Memphis, Christian Brothers University and Rhodes College. We spent Saturday morning in the realm of "big picture thinking" facilitated by Dawn Watkins, Delta Delta Delta, from Plaid Strategies. Dawn shared trends in higher education and trends related to today's college students. We talked about opportunities to educate, to collaborate and strategies to encourage broad thinking. The afternoon included updates from Erin Nemenoff, Theta Phi Alpha, NPC Measurable Outcomes Committee chairman. NPC is embarking on two research projects this year, one on retention and one on well-being related to fraternal membership. The latter is in conjunction with Gallup.

We discussed ways for NPC to move from "good to great," with some inspirational quotes from Jim Collins' monograph designed for social sectors to accompany his notable book. Among many things, the NPC Executive Committee brainstormed possibilities on how we can continue to raise the bar and deliver on our mission. There is no doubt that we are on course to move forward together to advance sorority. With a steady hand on the wheel, the NPC Executive Committee will guide our organization toward positive outcomes during the coming months. We will achieve this by maintaining our core values and implementing solid operating strategies and practices as a unified coalition of women -- hand in hand.  

From Good to Great: Mission, Vision and Goals

Goal setting is nothing new for boards or executive committees. It requires vision and communicating that vision to motivate others to follow.

Jaclyn Rosenthal, Delta Delta Delta, University of Pennsylvania Panhellenic Council president, shared her goals for the upcoming term. For one, she wants to increase communication with sororities on campus. You can read more about her goals online.

Like Jaclyn and all the leaders in College and Alumnae Panhellenics, the NPC Executive Committee has established goals for the biennium:

1. Execute the 2013-15 strategic plan.
2. Review our tenets and affirm our standards.
3. Enhance advocacy efforts.
4. Foster relationships and education among stakeholders.
5. Share our truth/shape our message.
6. Encourage exemplary Panhellenic communities.

During the coming months, we will work toward these goals using new initiatives and new approaches. The Executive Committee looks forward to updating our constituents on the progress that we make along the way. Ultimately, we envision elevating NPC to yet another level of importance and significance. This means shaping our message and enlisting those in our NPC family, College and Alumnae Panhellenic leaders and campus colleagues as our brand ambassadors to spread the word.

Our Executive Committee and board meetings begin with reading the NPC mission and vision. Many Panhellenics recite the Panhellenic creed as the first agenda item. This provides focus for our work. It allows us to direct our efforts along the continuum of good to great, or from a large women’s organization to “the premier advocacy and support organization for the advancement of the sorority experience.”

“Good to Great” author Jim Collins addresses the essence of leadership as it pertains to greatness. He says, “Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.”

In NPC, we have opportunities to make an impact this year. It starts here and now with our mission, vision and goals.

Meeting With Our Sounding Board

It was wonderful to attend the AFA meeting in Orlando last weekend. More than 1,200 were in attendance, with approximately 300 new campus professionals in the mix. NPC is committed to collaboration with our campus professionals. As mentioned in the recent Chairman's Message, our Fraternity/Sorority Advisory Committee serves as a sounding board for the NPC Executive Committee. We hosted a breakfast for the FSA Advisory Committee at the AFA annual meeting. Introductions were made and conversation was lively. We discussed creating a transformational and enriching experience; promoting Panhellenic as a premier leadership track for women; providing diversity education; helping our women with transitions; and encouraging our Panhellenics to collaborate with other interfraternal friends on campus. The NPC Executive Committee plans to engage the committee members in quarterly discussions on campus trends and hot topics in addition to using the committee as a review board for initiatives NPC may want to roll out to campuses.

Committee members are:

• Mandy Womack, University of San Diego
• Adam Cantley, University of Delaware
• Parice Bowser, University of Arkansas
• Blake Bradley, Illinois Wesleyan University
• Courtney McKenna, Quinnipiac University
• Katelyn Getz, University of Akron
• Michelle Guobadia, University of North Carolina – Charlotte
• Dave Conner, The College of New Jersey

We applaud these campus professionals and others who work with our students on a daily basis. According to the African proverb,“It takes a village,” and we appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with others and encourage our sorority women to strive for excellence. We want them to truly understand the power of Panhellenic as a unified coalition of women. Only then can we become an exemplary women's organization.

NPC: Our Role as Bridge Builders

"I like to see myself as a bridge builder, that is me building bridges between people, between races, between cultures, between politics, trying to find common ground."-Thomas Dexter "T.D." Jakes  

NPC is committed to collaboration with our interfraternal partners to find common ground. This comes in the form of various initiatives -- Hill visits, interfraternal breakfasts, leadership summits, roundtable discussions and special campus meetings. The NPC Fraternity/Sorority Advisor Advisory Committee serves the NPC Executive Committee as a sounding board. These campus professionals provide candid feedback on trends, policies and programs. We understand that recognizing our shared commitment will bring desirable outcomes for the greater welfare of all. We are bridge builders; our collaborative efforts today will benefit those who follow us tomorrow and the next generation.

This month, NPC delegation members will join hundreds of campus professionals and fraternity and sorority headquarters staff in Orlando for the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA) annual meeting. This conference allows us to meet with our colleagues and address common concerns and challenges. We all want to empower our members to make good decisions, access resources and implement best practices to enhance operations. Our members must be knowledgeable about many facets of sorority life. This requires mentors and guides from several sources to guide them and help them find their way - to ignite their passions.  

One such mentor and guide is Dave Conner, who was recognized at the 2013 NPC annual meeting with the Outstanding Panhellenic Advisor Award sponsored by Alpha Chi Omega. Dave works as the assistant director for fraternity and sorority life at The College of New Jersey. Wrote one nominator: "Dave makes himself available in every capacity and consistently follows up with his students to ensure they are set up for success in all endeavors. He encourages positive change through his relationships with chapters and leaders."  

The issue of passion has been mentioned as the most important factor when it comes to succeeding in the work world. Although we have different aptitudes and unique passions, the challenge is to find them because it is the fusion of both that we live our best lives, according to Sir Ken Robinson. To release a passion, a student may need a role model. Mentors can make a difference by letting students know they expect them to accomplish great things. The women in NPC do this.  

This concept of fusing aptitudes and passions can be applied to what we hold dear in our fraternal organizations. For when we leverage our positions as role models and mentors, we can positively influence lives and encourage the passions in our members to lead, to serve and to give.  

We share this common goal with our fraternal colleagues. It calls for collaboration beyond badges with the focus on developing strong leaders who will lift the entire campus community. Our ultimate outcome is to continue to have members in our own organizations who will contribute to the whole for the greater fraternal good. This will perpetuate the personal development and sisterhood for others to enjoy for years to come. 

The popular poem by Will Allen Dromgoole called "The Bridge Builder" speaks to the idea of building links to the future and passing the torch to the younger travelers, hence the next generation. Our work as a collective group of dedicated campus professionals, volunteer professionals and headquarters staff continues as we build bridges so others can follow behind us. We will find common ground as we advance together the fraternal experience.