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.

Give Thanks

Photo courtesy of GreekYearbook

As we pause this week to give thanks for our many blessings, I am reminded that what matters most in life is not what we have, but rather who is beside us during the journey. I am truly blessed to serve NPC with an amazing group of women. The NPC Board of Directors is a group of dedicated professional volunteers who devote countless hours to advance sorority together. I am grateful to be flanked by such outstanding women leaders in their inter/national organizations.

NPC volunteers can be found conducting workshops, making campus visits and spending time on the phone and computer answering questions from the College Panhellenic officers and campus professionals. They all possess a calling to serve others because of our shared commitment to fraternity/sorority values and ideals. The beauty found in this circle of sisterhood is that we all want what is best for the greater good of sororities. This motivates us to lead, to serve and to give our time.

This week, take time to give thanks, and tell others how much you appreciate them being by your side.  

I wish you and your family a happy Thanksgiving.

“Left alone, we will never be who we could be”

“I need you, and you need me

Left alone, we will never be who we could be

So take my hand, and don't forget that

We can do anything together.”

These words are lyrics to a wonderful song by Plumb called “One Drop.” I like the song because the words clearly set forth the benefits in working together, and this is what we do well in Panhellenic – work together to enhance the lives of others.

Outside of serving NPC, I belong to the Southlake, Texas Chapter of the National Charity League (NCL) with my daughter, Elizabeth. The organization is intended to foster mother-daughter relationships in a philanthropic organization, committed to community service, leadership development and cultural experiences. I can't help but think that NCL’s mission statement is parallel to those of our sororities. 

You see, as Panhellenic women, we serve others because of our commitment to community service and civic engagement. We want to make a difference. This time of year we see evidence on campuses of our unified efforts with annual blood drives, fun runs to benefit charities and penny pushes for causes. There is fulfillment in helping others by giving our time and sharing our talents for the greater welfare of all – our  actions speak loudly about what we do as sorority women to enhance the lives of others.

Panhellenic Growth in Ohio

University of Cincinnati

This past weekend, I attended the Fraternal Law Conference in Cincinnati. NPC Panhellenics Committee Chairman Julie Johnson from Kappa Delta joined me, and we enjoyed campus visits on the front end and back end of our trip to Miami of Ohio and the University of Cincinnati. It was wonderful to meet with the sorority women and talk about the power of Panhellenic. We heard points of pride from the Panhellenic women on both campuses, and we were pleased to hear about the level of unity and cooperation among sorority women in these communities. We were also excited to hear about the Panhellenic growth at each of these schools, as the University of Cincinnati recently welcomed Phi Mu on campus, and Miami of Ohio welcomed Delta Delta Delta on its return to campus. 

One thing in particular that stood out to me on our visit to Miami of Ohio was the five pillars of the fraternity/sorority community:

• Stand for leadership (leadership and values);
•  Stand for excellence (scholarship and learning);
• Stand for others (community service and philanthropy);
• Stand together (brotherhood and sisterhood); and,
•  Stand with the community (community). 

Miami University

These pillars are intended to support members in their journey and development as leaders, and individuals on campus. The concept of pillars reminded me that, while we can celebrate our accomplishments for today, we do stand on the dirty shoulders of others who have weathered the challenges and sought to make things better than when they found it. We cannot underestimate that we can only be true to ourselves if we bring others along with our shared commitment as Panhellenic women. It was once said “people of true greatness lift others up.” If we are to achieve great things as sorority women, we must stand tall with these pillars of principles and be willing to lift others up in the process.

Serving the Chancellor

I started a new position this week at Texas Christian University as chief of staff for Chancellor Victor Boschini. It is a fabulous opportunity to serve the chancellor, the board of trustees and the entire TCU community. I am fortunate to work for a university that supports my work and that values the important contributions NPC makes at universities across the country. Chancellor Boschini views my NPC leadership position as a win-win for TCU. I will certainly do my best to live up to those expectations. In a speech this summer at the Fraternity Executives Association (FEA) conference, Chancellor Boschini said that Greek-letter organizations can provide the answer to students who seek what we all seek, and that is the sense of belonging. We are uniquely positioned to offer true friendships and multigenerational exposure with the involvement of our alumnae advisors. Chancellor Boschini is correct. We offer authentic communities where people genuinely care about one another. And we have additional opportunities to market what we do best as solution communities. As sorority women, we have the ability to bring people together, to interact, to engage, to debate, to dream, to grow and to develop. Let's work together to take things to the next level in Panhellenic and our college and university communities.

NPC: The Voice for Sorority Advancement

It is indeed an honor to greet you as the 2013-15 NPC chairman. I look forward to opportunities in the months ahead to advocate collaborate and educate on behalf of the Conference, which includes the following:

• 26 member groups
• 569 College Panhellenics
• 3,883 alumnae associations
• 3,127 undergraduate chapters
• 325,772 collegians
• Over 4 million initiated members

The refreshed NPC logo and tagline were introduced last year. The tagline, “The voice for sorority advancement,” describes NPC as the authority that owns its value. No one else can speak for us. “Sorority advancement” indicates that we have a shared vision to move the organization forward.

For the past few years, NPC has focused internally with changes in organizational structure to best address the needs of the entire Conference. The next few years will involve advocacy that relates to reaching external audiences. This requires additional training on and marketing of the NPC brand and its benefits.

Women in our NPC sororities are the best brand ambassadors to spread the good news about sorority membership. It is up to each of us to tell our stories and shape our message for good.

• Who is NPC? We are one of the largest women’s organizations in the world.
• What do we do? “We stand for good scholarship, for guarding of good health, for maintenance of fine standards … and for serving our college community.” We donate time and money to benefit local causes and charities.
• How do we do it? The NPC creed states that “Cooperation for furthering fraternity life with its best possibilities, is the ideal that shall guide our fraternity activities.”

There are golden opportunities each day to shape our message as sorority women. We have a shared commitment based on common values and high standards. Let us move forward together and lift up entire university communities by modeling the way and exude all that our founders dreamed we would be.

On behalf of the NPC Executive Committee, I invite our NPC family and colleagues to join us in our mission to achieve desirable outcomes. NPC is indeed “the premier advocacy and support organization for the advancement of the sorority experience.”

The Journey Has Begun!

The journey has begun! This past weekend, I had the pleasure of spending some time with the 2013-16 Sigma Sigma Sigma Executive Council during their quarterly council meeting held in Dallas at the invitation of the group’s NPC Delegate Laura Sweet. The visit provided me the opportunity to thank Tri Sigma for its support of Laura in her role as chairman of the NPC Strategic Planning Committee and to recount my high regard for other leaders in their national organization – Diana Sarber and Mary Barbee just to name a couple. We discussed the six goals of the 2013-15 NPC Executive Committee and the shared commitment among all of the 26 NPC groups. In addition, we reviewed the Conference’s desire to shape our message by visiting with Panhellenic women on campuses and initiating proactive conversations with campus officials. I appreciated the opportunity to meet and educate all vice presidents on the council about NPC’s vision for the future. 

During lunch, each national officer presented me with a travel item and filled a small red suitcase for my upcoming trips. The activity was so creative, and it was fun to get travel tips from fellow sorority road warriors. The visit with the council was a great display of the the true Panhellenic sisterhood found among us. Indeed, we have a shared commitment that will result in desirable outcomes. I look forward to more visits with Panhellenic sisters this fall and throughout the 2013-15 biennium.

Guest Blog by Allison Mrasek

I remember the first time my brother, sister and I attended Chi Omega Convention in 2006 to watch our mom speak. We knew she was a big deal in the fraternal world, but had no idea what a sorority celebrity she is until we saw long lines of women waiting to get their picture with her. To us, she is an incredible lady, but also just a mother, mentor and friend.

As you can imagine, being Jean Mrasek's oldest daughter has involved some pressure at various points in time -- namely, during my formal recruitment. That summer, my mom had just finished her term as Chi Omega national president, so no one would have faulted her had she pushed me toward Chi Omega. Instead, she encouraged me to seriously consider each and every chapter NPC had to offer on our campus (of course, I did attend a university with a strong NPC presence). Through her true Panhellenic spirit and support no matter the outcome, the choice to be a sorority woman was always mine. This has made our bond all the more special, fulfilling the legacy started by my grandmother in Chi Omega.

When writing me notes, she likes to sign off as "Sister Mom." It is neat to know we are sisters first. I feel truly blessed to have this unique relationship with her. She has shown me and others what it means to be an advocate for women, and she tirelessly works to uphold the values so dear to Panhellenic. I often seek her counsel when faced with difficult decisions, as I know she is diplomatic in her approach to all things. Her wisdom also guides her to give me space when I need to make my own choices, as here lies the opportunity for true learning and personal growth.

Now working for Chi Omega, I have personally witnessed the power of Panhellenic that many women like my mom work so hard to grow. Leading a colony this fall, it has been the support of the local Panhellenic community that has made all the difference. The bonds that my "Sister Mom" shares with NPC and its allies continue to be a model in my life and career. It has been fun to interact professionally with some of the amazing Panhellenic women she calls friends. From my perspective, that is what Panhellenic is all about: celebrating friendships and common values among outstanding women.

I hope that you take this occasion to celebrate the sisters and the special relationships in your life. This is a meaningful day for my family, so if you see me amid a mess of tears, you'll know why.