A Day for the books!

Hi Friends!

So today was our first full day at NGLA and it was so much fun! The morning started off with Erin, Nichole, and I running down to Starbucks at 7:15 to wait in line. The line was crazy long by the time 7:30 hit and then it was history from there. Once we got back up to our room, we were in full fledged go-mode! Clothes were everywhere and we were on a mission to be downstairs for 8:30.

We crossed the way to the convention center for the keynote speaker and were so happy that John was introducing him. David Stollman got up on stage and completely blew my mind away. One of the first few things that he presented to us was "We make men better men, and women better women through brotherhood and sisterhood". This is one statement that stuck out to me because it's completely true. The values that we receive from our organizations just make us better than who we were before we joined. Not only did he make me think about that, but he then brought up a discussion question and asked people in the audience what they thought: "If sorority women were asked how they view fraternity men, what would they say? And vice versa". The responses were absolutely shocking. The good comments were few and far between compared to the negative ideas that came up. We as a community struggle every day to break stereotypes and it is when society has depicted us in a horrible light, this is what happens. He not only made us think about ourselves not only in letters, but also out of them. There were so many times when he would say something and I desperately wished that all of BSU Greek Life was here to hear it! Overall, he showed us how to positively represent our organization and that we need to hold ourselves accountable. After his amazing speech, I was completely ready for small group break-outs.

Our small group break-outs were really interesting. We were able to have a large open discussion about what our issues were within smaller groups in the room. We talked about "what is your reality?" and then there were subcategories within that. We had to think our current reality, where do you want your organization & community to be, and lastly what's standing in your way/why/&what can you do to navigate it. This definitely made me think about my organization and what is actually going on. It was also nice to hear that other organizations deal with the same issues that we do. It was good to be able to get advice from other people who don't know anyone and have a very unbiased opinion. However, there was plenty of controversy between people when chatting about what was going in other organizations. In the end, I thought that these small groups were a great way to get us prepared for our sessions and thinking about how they relate to our organization.

We all regrouped and it was time for lunch. It was great to hear about everyone's experiences in their small groups and see that even though we were not in the same groups, we were all hearing very similar stories.

It was then time for the educational programs to begin. My first session got cancelled so I was able to go to MB's session with Cat Sohor, "No Greek Row? Why a house doesn't make your chapter, members do!". This session was really interesting because we started off by drawing a house and had to describe our foundation, support for members, what we're proud of, how we bring in new members, how we resolve conflict and reduce stress, and finally how we protect our members. Many of the points that I had were what other Greeks had. They really got us involved and made us realize that you don't need to have a house to have a great sisterhood / brotherhood. One thing they said that I loved and took to heart was "You don't need a house to be memorable; it's your members that make it memorable". People don't join a structure; they should be joining people. Another really good point that they made was that just having a meeting place where sisters or brothers can always find someone is great for us as initiated members, but it's also a great way for people to get to know us. This session made me realize that it's okay to not have a house because we can have just as much fun as them!

My second session was "Building your Brand Identity". This was all about how to get your brand out there and to brand, not advertise. That's the biggest issue is that we advertise and don't have a "brand". When you think Disney, most people think of the ears. However, what do people think of when they hear "Gamma Phi Beta", "Sigma Pi", "Phi Sigma Sigma" and on?We need to learn how to sell ourselves and to do this successfully, we need to be able to explain who we are, what we do, why we are who we are. This really got me thinking because people always ask "what is your sorority about?" and now I feel as if I'll be able to fully answer the question more confidently than before. We also learned great website content tips and that we need to keep our websites simple, yet providing people with information that we need. Our website isn't necessarily for us; it's for people who are curious about us, want to be us, and our family / friends. I cannot wait to get all of the tips I learned from Campuspeak back to our PRVP!

Finally, as I entered my third session, "DUI: A Powerful Lesson", I was surprised. We walked into loud music and music that we all know and listen to frequently. However, my thought of a fun session was quickly changed when Mark Sterner started talking. He asked us a few questions about stupid choices we had made and then he said "Now think about this for 10 seconds before raising your hand; basically, don't do anything. How many of you have killed your three best friends and have been a convicted felon?" He was the only person who raised his hand. He told us a back story, explained that he was IFC VP and the VP of his fraternity, turned a DVD on, and left. This video was of this last night of spring break his senior year of college. He and 4 of his best friends went down to Florida. They had a plan set that everyone would be a sober driver one night and it was night six meaning everyone had done their "turn", so they decided that the least drunk person would drive. This turned out to be Mark. As this video goes on, we saw them all drinking, driving 100 mph, drinking more at a bar, and then deciding to leave. The DVD ended and Mark came back in wearing an orange jumpsuit. He went on and on about the challenges he faced, facing his friends' parents, and the daily grief he struggled with. That night he drove drunk and killed three of his best friends. Every day he wonders why him? Why did he survive. He then gave us a food for thought and told us to think of our three best friends and all the moments we shared with them. He then said "Now imagine you wake up and they are all dead. Will everything still be the same? Can you still tell those stories and jokes and hopes for the future?" By the end of the session there was barely a dry eye and it is clear that he affected our room. This has by far been my favorite session and would definitely be a great speaker to come to BSU.

After a day of sessions, our delegation went to the Black Bear's Saloon for dinner where we all had a wide variety of food and great conversations. We then went back to the hotel and had our pajama jammy jam! We played a few rounds of Catch Phrase, but then had some great conversations after. I'm finally completely tired and so ready for bed. If today was this amazing, I can only imagine how wonderful tomorrow will be. Be prepared for more from the Bears!

Lots of Greek love : )
Kara