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Fraternity and Sorority Life Blog

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MSU Council Executive Boards Attend AFLV

February 7, 2020 by Laura Stewart

Over the weekend of January 30th, the Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association executive boards had the opportunity to attend the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values (AFLV) conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. AFLV regularly sees 3,600 attendees each year and offers programming tailored for all councils (PHA, IFC, NPHC & NMGC) and “exists to accelerate progress within Fraternity and Sorority Life”. Each year, members from Missouri State have attended this conference near the beginning of their executive terms, which allows for bonding and collaboration. 

Many of the students in attendance commented on their experience. Panhellenic President, Emma Drace said, “The most impactful part of AFLV was the break out sessions. I learned a lot about how we can become a more diverse community and how to include everyone. I learned about the biases of sororities and how to break down those walls, especially during recruitment. I am looking forward to using the activities that we participated in and to show the rest of the community how we can grow!”

The students were able to acquire new knowledge on the state of the FSL community that they are eager to use throughout the year. Andrew Jackson, who is serving as the IFC Vice President of Administration said, “I thought the most impactful part of AFLV was seeing the volume of organizations and individuals trying to positively help their communities. I think everyone there was really transparent about the great things happening in the FSL community but still acknowledged that there is work to be done to continue to improve Fraternity and Sorority Life nationwide.”

Due to the number of students who attend AFLV each year, MSU student leaders were able to hear about different campuses’ experiences across the country. IFC President Rami Issawi commented, “My favorite thing I learned at AFLV is how tight-knit the FSL community is all around the country. No matter how big or how small a university is the issues that we are dealing with are all similar on every campus. Being lucky enough to be in the position that we are in, it is our job to help improve this culture one day at a time.”

AFLV provided practical knowledge for councils to use during their terms, including how to take care of themselves during their terms. Vice President of Membership Development for PHA, Bella Orlando said, “The most impactful part of AFLV was a speaker named Corey Ciocchetti. I attended three of his ED session blocks: Stress management, Self Authenticity and  How to Be a Leader. Corey was very insightful on how to find your passion in college and work towards it. He also gave 20 tips on how to manage your stress better while balancing classes and your social life. I left Corey’s talks feeling inspired and ready to make an impact on the new members I will be working with this term.”

The Director of Plaster Student Union, Terry Weber, who is currently advising the Interfraternity Council attended the conference with the executive boards this year. “Attending AFLV has certainly been one of the highlights of the 2019-20 academic year for me.  Not only did I get to reconnect with colleagues I have not seen for some time, but I was also able to attend programs that educated me on the trends within Fraternity/Sorority Life that are most pressing, at this time.  Staying updated on these trends is vital to supporting our FSL community in the best way possible.  AFLV is not just a conference for fraternity/sorority leaders; it is THE conference to attend.  Over 3600 people attended the conference, from all over the country, demonstrating a draw significantly larger than the ‘Central’ part of the country and the quality of programming afforded to students who attend.  While we sent a large delegation this year, I challenge our FSL community to send an even larger delegation next year and extend the reach of this tremendous conference.”

Included in the ALFV conference is an awards ceremony where councils from around the country receive awards recognizing the outstanding achievements from the previous year. This year, Missouri State Panhellenic Association was awarded a 3-star Collaboration award. This award recognizes “the ability to work successfully among the council, chapters, staff, and larger community”. 3-star is the highest level of achievement in each category.

Overall, this experience created more unity within the council executive boards and gave council members inspiration for goals within their position and an idea of where our community stands across the nation.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: AFLV, IFC, PHA

FSL Celebrates Homecoming: Welcome to Bearadise

November 18, 2019 by Laura Stewart

On October 20-26, Missouri State University faculty, staff, students and alumni celebrated Homecoming Week. Homecoming is a beloved tradition that FSL enjoys participating in each year. The theme this year was Welcome to Bearadise, and each team was able to creatively express this theme through multiple events for points. The judges for these events judged on originality, creativity, correlation to the overall theme, and amount of pride for MSU!

 

Members of FSL were also crowned Homecoming King and Queen this year: Jaymes Dickinson from Theta Chi and Lauren McDowell from Xi Omicron Iota.

 

Check out our recap of FSL winners below:

Decorate Downtown

1. Delta Zeta, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Delta Chi

2. Alpha Delta Pi, Pi Kappa Alpha

3. Alpha Omicron Pi, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Sigma Chi, Alpha Sigma Phi

Chalk-n-Rock:

1. Alpha Omicron Pi, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Sigma Chi, Alpha Sigma Phi

2. Gamma Phi Beta, NPHC

3. Alpha Chi Omega, Theta Chi, Sigma Nu

PSU Window Painting:

1. Delta Zeta, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Delta Chi

2. Gamma Phi Beta, NPHC

3. TIE: Alpha Sigma Alpha, Phi Gamma Delta | Sigma Sigma Sigma, Xi Omicron Iota, Pi Kappa Phi

Can We Build It:

1. Gamma Phi Beta, NPHC

2. Alpha Chi Omega, Theta Chi, Sigma Nu

Rockstar:

1. Theta Chi

2. Pi Kappa Phi

3. Alpha Chi Omega

Maroon and White Night:

1. Alpha Chi Omega, Theta Chi, Sigma Nu

2. Sigma Kappa, Kappa Sigma, Kappa Alpha Order, Sigma Pi

3. Alpha Omicron Pi, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Sigma Chi, Alpha Sigma Phi

Yell Like Hell:

1. Pi Kappa Alpha

2. Sigma Phi Epsilon

3. Alpha Chi Omega

Field Day: 

1. Alpha Chi Omega, Theta Chi, Sigma Nu

2. Alpha Delta Pi

3. Alpha Gamma Rho, Delta Sigma Phi, Sigma Tau Gamma

Parade Walking:

1. Alpha Omicron Pi, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Sigma Chi, Alpha Sigma Phi

2. Sigma Kappa, Kappa Sigma, Kappa Alpha Order, Sigma Pi

3. Alpha Chi Omega, Theta Chi, Sigma Nu

Car Entry:

1. Alpha Chi Omega, Theta Chi, Sigma Nu

2. Delta Zeta, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Delta Chi

3. Gamma Phi Beta, NPHC

Parade Float:

1. Alpha Chi Omega, Theta Chi, Sigma Nu

2. Delta Zeta, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Delta Chi

3. Gamma Phi Beta, NPHC

 

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Homecoming

2019 Convention Award Winners

September 30, 2019 by Laura Stewart

Over the summer, many chapter officers and advisors had the privilege to attend national headquarters conventions. Attending a national convention gives students and advisors the opportunity to travel and connect with other members from across the country.

Alyssa Kohrs, Kate Roessler, Alyson VanWinkle

Alpha Chi Omega won a number of national awards, delivered from their headquarters due to their convention taking place every other year. Among their awards were Outstanding Fraternity/Sorority Advisor, recognizing Kate Roessler for her outstanding job as a “campus professional who supports and mentors the women of Alpha Chi Omega to seek the heights.” 

AXO members with National Council trophy and National President

Kate Roessler served the Missouri State community as Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority life for 4 years. Past Alpha Chi Omega President, Alyson VanWinkle stated “Kate was always a useful resource and an encouraging advisor to me during my term. She truly embodies a real, strong woman by her wisdom and devotion she shows her students and their chapters”. Their chapter was visited by Alpha Chi’s National President, Angela Costely Harris to present their awards during spirit week. They also celebrated winning the National Council Trophy for the second year in a row, which recognizes chapters who best exemplify the ideals and mission of Alpha Chi Omega.  Alpha Chi Omega also received Outstanding Collegiate Advisor Award, recognizing chapter advisor, Brittany Gum, as well as Seeking the Heights: Risk Management.

Pi Kappa Alpha received The Robert Adger Smythe Award, which recognizes the top 10% of all 220+ Pi Kappa Alpha chapters across North America. This is the first Smythe award in Zeta Chi’s chapter history. Former Chapter President, Ethan Johnson added, “Achieving the highest award granted by our national fraternity is still surreal. It represented years of hard work that our alumni put forth in order for our chapter to be on Missouri State’s campus. It represented the hard work that active brothers put forth each day toward academics, the community, and our campus. To have been a leader during this time has been one of the most impactful seasons of my life, with memories that will last forever. I look forward to continued innovations in management and outreach from the brothers of Pi Kappa Alpha Zeta Chi in the coming years.”

Skylar Smith, Brooke Trammell, Jolie Quinn

Members of Alpha Delta Pi also attended Grand Convention this summer and were able to witness the rebranding of ADPi. The sorority has not been rebranded since 2001. President Jolie Quinn noted, “Grand Convention was a once and a lifetime experience! It was so much fun meeting sisters from all over. At Grand Convention, ADPi released our new brand, “Be the first.” It was such a positive environment as we released our new brand. It was so exciting being the first to see the brand surrounded by so many sisters.”

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Recruitment Rundown: 2019

September 16, 2019 by Laura Stewart

Panhellenic Recruitment

The beginning of a new school year brings a plethora of activities on campus to assist new students to get involved on campus and meet new people. The first weekend of the semester, August 22nd through the 25th, Panhellenic Primary Recruitment took place. Potential New Members (PNMs) were guided through the process with the help of their Panhellenic Counselors (Pi Chis). 

Pi Chis play a big role during the recruitment process. Selected early in the year, Pi Chis spend time training on how to guide women through the recruitment process which can be stressful at times. Pi Chis are disaffiliated from their chapter during this time in order to act as an unbiased role model during the recruitment process as well as answer questions and give advice to PNMs.

Each woman who goes through the primary recruitment process has the chance to spend time at our 8 National Panhellenic Council sororities on campus. Day 1 is split between Thursday and Friday evening, where PNMs are able to get a tour of the chapter house, meet women in the community and learn more about sorority life. Day 2, women are able to get a deeper look into chapter’s sisterhoods and philanthropies. The final day is Preference Day, where PNMs get to spend the most amount of time at a maximum of two houses, being a part of a special ceremony. Each day allows women to spend more time at chapter houses, enabling them to develop deeper connections with chapter members and discover their values.

 

Photo credit: The Standard

The finale of recruitment is Bid Day where chapter members and new members have the chance to celebrate the hard work and excitement of recruitment. PNMs and  Pi Chis meet on the North Mall to witness Pi Chi reveal and open their bid cards. Senior members from each chapter are also present to run home with the new members. This year, Men’s Basketball coach, Dana Ford spoke encouraging words to the PNMs before opening their bids, congratulating them on finding a ‘team’ to join on campus. This year, over 500 women found their home within Panhellenic life. Our local sorority, Xi Omicron Iota is also holding their recruitment September 9th through the 14th.

 

 

Interfraternity Council Recruitment

August also brings IFC recruitment events as well. During the first two weeks of classes, men have the opportunity to attend recruitment events such as BBQ’s, service projects and intramural games. Men have the choice of what recruitment events and chapters to go to.  Between the 19 recognized IFC chapters on campus, over 400 men joined Fraternity life this fall.

We are so excited to have welcomed over 900 men and women into Fraternity and Sorority Life here at Missouri State! To stay up to date with our community, follow @mostateFSL on Instagram and Twitter.

 

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: FSL, IFC recruitment, Panhellenic Recruitment, PHA, Recruitment

Delta Chi Member Heads to Washington D.C.

April 29, 2019 by Megan Asbury

Former Delta Chi president and 2018 Homecoming King, Andre McIntyre, had the opportunity to be a part of the Fraternal Government Relations Coalition’s (FGRC) Capital Hill visit April 23-25th in Washington D.C. Andre was one of a handful of students presented with this opportunity to visit the nation’s capital through direct interaction in legislative process currently impacting fraternity and sorority life across the country. While there, he was able to represent Delta Chi Fraternity, Fraternity and Sorority Life members and Missouri State University. Andre said, “My team consisted of myself and Emily Bauer, a Delta Phi Epsilon from Truman State, and we visited the offices of Congressional leaders to discuss the benefits of FSL, why students’ freedom of association should be protected, and three pieces of legislation… The legislation protects our freedom of association, and the other two were anti-hazing policies that add transparency to acts of hazing on campus.”

When asked what made him want to go he said the following, “when I was presented with the opportunity, I had the chance to research the issue. Reflecting on my fraternity experience, being a part of a single-sex organization has added so much to my overall university and has provided incredible opportunity for growth and leadership development. I found the issue very relevant to me and something that I am passionate about.”

To hear more about Andre’s experience and the pieces of legislature, check out this video, from Ozark First!

Andre is certainly a leader in letters, making his Missouri Statement. We are lucky to have students who fight for not only for their collegiate experiences, but for the future of others as well.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: DC, Delta Chi, FSL, Leaders in Letters

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