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.