Let Our Voices Be Heard

"We shall someday be heeded, and ... everybody will think it was always so, just exactly as many young people think that all the privileges, all the freedom and the enjoyments which woman now possesses always were hers. They have no idea of how every single inch of ground that she stands upon today has been gained by the hard work of some little handful of women of the past." -- Susan B. Anthony

Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton worked together for more than half a century to achieve basic civil rights for women. Upon hearing that her colleague passed away, Anthony wrote that it seemed impossible Stanton's voice was hushed -- the voice that she had known and trusted to help guide her own stance on issues.

The month of March is dedicated to women's history. This month, let us pay tribute to those who came before us and worked for the rights and privileges that we enjoy today.

• We salute suffragists, such as Anthony and Stanton, who worked tirelessly to achieve voting rights for women.
• We recognize founders of our organizations who stepped up to establish women's fraternities and sororities at universities during a time when very few women attended college and engaged in academic pursuits. Their courage amid adversity still inspires us today.
• We honor our early leaders who navigated the way to expand the reach of the sorority movement by chartering new chapters on campuses from coast to coast. Their footsteps paved the way for generations to follow.
• We applaud strong female leaders -- in business, education, medicine, civic affairs, the armed forces and cultural arts -- who model the way and continue pressing forward. Their accomplishments raise us higher.

The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) proudly partnered with the recent Take The Lead Challenge Launch event, which featured a powerhouse women's panel designed to inspire women to own their power and close income and leadership gaps. Take The Lead shifts the focus from problems to solutions. As one panelist noted: "Your voice is at the heart of your power."

Indeed, the power of Panhellenic is unstoppable when we acknowledge that we are a unified coalition of women that can do great things together. We offer a world of support through friendships. We transform lives. We add value. Click here for a video about how NPC has added value to women's lives for 112 years.

The NPC tagline is "The voice for sorority advancement." We are charged to speak openly and loudly about our benefits so that others will hear our message.

It is important that the contributions made by generations of sorority women be shared as part of our remarkable story. As we press onward, we must not forget the voices from our past.

Stand tall. Wear your badge with pride. And let our voices be heard.

Love = Mothers as Sisters and Friends

NPC Vice Chairman Donna King and I share a special bond with our mothers. We wear the same badge as our mothers, and this makes sisterhood special when mothers are also sorority sisters. Donna’s mother is Thrine Reed Crain, a member of Sigma Kappa. My mother is Marilyn Hudson Mermoud, a member of Chi Omega. Thrine and Marilyn met one another at the NPC annual meeting last October. It was wonderful to celebrate the installation as NPC officers with our mothers.

Growing up I had the benefit of my mother showing me how sorority membership adds value. My mother’s life was enriched through her friendships in Chi Omega. She encouraged me to give back because she had found so much joy in doing so. One of the greatest moments in my life was having my mother present at my initiation. I will be forever grateful for her friendship and her inspiration. 

On this Valentine’s Day, I pay tribute to our mothers — Thrine and Marilyn. They modeled the way.

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.