Citizenship is brotherhood to me.
I like to describe the feeling of brotherhood to be the one like the first OSU game of the season. You have been gone for a summer away from your friends and school traditions. You come back for the first game and see everyone you know. You are so excited to see everyone because you don't expect it. You instantly feel known, feel valued, and lose the feeling of being a number. Essentially you feel connected to something larger than yourself.
SigEp is a large fraternity and it is tough to feel connected at first. But once you go to chapters go through the rituals you feel connected. SigEp becomes something more than just an organization you are apart of, it becomes an organization that you are. You live your letters. If you see a brother in a class or across the street and you feel connected. SigEp becomes who you are.
This video describes how I feel about my brotherhood and citizenship. I was raised a SigEp in college and when I graduate I'll remember what I learned. And no matter how far or long I am separated from Ohio Gamma I will still feel connected like I did when I was in undergrad.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Last Week's Panel
It was great to see support from leaders within the greek community to come out and give us all some helpful tips to continue to elevate our community.
The most important piece I took away wasn't about the greek community but simply a leadership technique.
The questions was asked "How do you encourage involvement within your chapter and how do you deal with only a few guys showing up to events."
The panelist answered: "You can't blame the whole chapter. To say only 8 guys came out to our event and the rest of you should be ashamed of yourself isn't productive. If you make the 8 guys who did come stand up in front of the chapter and honor and praise them that is more likely to encourage more to come out next time, so they can be like that rather than criticism."
I think this simple leadership perspective can go a long way in all of our chapters. This is an issue we all deal with in whatever we do. To improve it is easy to look at what is going wrong and try to fix it, but it is probably more effective to focus on what is going right to improve what is wrong.
I consider myself a good fraternity man. I don't rage, commit to my academics, lead outside of the classroom, and represent my letters well. I don't want to be made to feel guilty about attendance or behavior when I am doing well because that makes me feel that I am not doing well. Praising the good in public and dealing with the bad in private makes things much more productive and is helpful to an organization as a whole.
Now for some funny clips from the office to end the class on a high note!
The most important piece I took away wasn't about the greek community but simply a leadership technique.
The questions was asked "How do you encourage involvement within your chapter and how do you deal with only a few guys showing up to events."
The panelist answered: "You can't blame the whole chapter. To say only 8 guys came out to our event and the rest of you should be ashamed of yourself isn't productive. If you make the 8 guys who did come stand up in front of the chapter and honor and praise them that is more likely to encourage more to come out next time, so they can be like that rather than criticism."
I think this simple leadership perspective can go a long way in all of our chapters. This is an issue we all deal with in whatever we do. To improve it is easy to look at what is going wrong and try to fix it, but it is probably more effective to focus on what is going right to improve what is wrong.
I consider myself a good fraternity man. I don't rage, commit to my academics, lead outside of the classroom, and represent my letters well. I don't want to be made to feel guilty about attendance or behavior when I am doing well because that makes me feel that I am not doing well. Praising the good in public and dealing with the bad in private makes things much more productive and is helpful to an organization as a whole.
Now for some funny clips from the office to end the class on a high note!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Oath
An oath is a pledge, a promise. That's what an oath is, but carrying out an oath is a different thing.
Watch this video about an ethics oath for MBA students.
Now this was a funny video, but I think it brings up a good point. Why were these students concerned about signing the oath? Integrity and not being able to live up to that standard. Maybe this is the type of thought process we need to have in our fraternities.
So many times an oath becomes a procedure and requirement rather than a thoughtful consideration of future actions and implications. Could we be in our fraternities and other organizations without excepting an oath? No. So when we want to get in we just say yes no matter what it is.
I like what the students in this video have done. They know that they will not be able to hold their oath so they didn't take it. Does it sound shady of them considering the context of the story, yes. But taken out of context it is actually how things should be done.
If you can't live up to the standard of an oath you shouldn't take it. You also shouldn't be able to a position associated with the oath. I guess what I am getting at is there is no accountability for our oaths and a majority of the ones that we take. That fact that the students looked at the consequences before not signing shows that they are giving thoughtful consideration to their future actions and what that means for their integrity.
This is exactly what needs to happen within our fraternities. A more thoughtful consideration of what an oath means, if you can carry it out for a lifetime, and accountability if you can't.
Watch this video about an ethics oath for MBA students.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| MBA Ethics Oath | ||||
| ||||
Now this was a funny video, but I think it brings up a good point. Why were these students concerned about signing the oath? Integrity and not being able to live up to that standard. Maybe this is the type of thought process we need to have in our fraternities.
So many times an oath becomes a procedure and requirement rather than a thoughtful consideration of future actions and implications. Could we be in our fraternities and other organizations without excepting an oath? No. So when we want to get in we just say yes no matter what it is.
I like what the students in this video have done. They know that they will not be able to hold their oath so they didn't take it. Does it sound shady of them considering the context of the story, yes. But taken out of context it is actually how things should be done.
If you can't live up to the standard of an oath you shouldn't take it. You also shouldn't be able to a position associated with the oath. I guess what I am getting at is there is no accountability for our oaths and a majority of the ones that we take. That fact that the students looked at the consequences before not signing shows that they are giving thoughtful consideration to their future actions and what that means for their integrity.
This is exactly what needs to happen within our fraternities. A more thoughtful consideration of what an oath means, if you can carry it out for a lifetime, and accountability if you can't.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Incongruencies
Is greek life incongruent on with many of the values we set for ourselves? Is the atomic weight of cobalt 58.9?
The answer is yes. Greek life is extremely incongruent. From our TGs, Date Parties, and recruitment we are incongruent, but why?
I personally believe why they exist is because of American Culture. We grow up watching MTV spring break in 5th grade thinking that's what you do when you get to that age. It is reinforced all the way up through high school and once you get to college you see it for your own eyes.
School and life are popularity contests. High school is the most dramatic, but when you get to a college like Ohio State you have to find your own fit. For many people who grew up idealizing the media and TV portrayal of college students they think that joining a "frat" is the cool thing to do. By joining a "frat" they get to continue what their expectation of it coming in for the next four years.
Am I making a sweeping generalization? Yes. But I feel there is some truth to what I am saying.
How many of us have been apart of a recruitment committee and you find a promising guy and he says "I am not a Frat guy" "I know a fraternity is not for me." Why does he say that? Because of what he has seen on tv and what he has heard about other fraternities from friends.
Now are the people who are willing to join a fraternity and don't make those excuses more accepting of the stereotypical things that happen in a fraternity? Most likely yes.
The point that I am trying to make is that if people are ok with it coming in, they are going to accept and enable the behavior as members. Those members become apart of the leadership team and the negative traditions are carried on. The people who classify themselves as "not frat material" are the people we need in our organizations to make a positive change.
I am not saying that only those types of people can make changes. It ultimately starts with the current leaders within the group. Change doesn't happen over night. SigEp used to be the "fratiest" fraternity on campus until we got kicked off. It wasn't until our re-chartering that we got our act together and decided to stand for something better than just partying. Do we still have flaws? Yes! But I think we successfully don't resemble the stereotypical "frat" on tv like we used to.
As a guy who said "I am not Frat material" I am happy with my choice to join SigEp and be apart of the greek community. Once I joined I realized that I wasn't "frat" material, I was Fraternity Material.
And now the defensive line for the University of Michigan
The answer is yes. Greek life is extremely incongruent. From our TGs, Date Parties, and recruitment we are incongruent, but why?
I personally believe why they exist is because of American Culture. We grow up watching MTV spring break in 5th grade thinking that's what you do when you get to that age. It is reinforced all the way up through high school and once you get to college you see it for your own eyes.
School and life are popularity contests. High school is the most dramatic, but when you get to a college like Ohio State you have to find your own fit. For many people who grew up idealizing the media and TV portrayal of college students they think that joining a "frat" is the cool thing to do. By joining a "frat" they get to continue what their expectation of it coming in for the next four years.
Am I making a sweeping generalization? Yes. But I feel there is some truth to what I am saying.
How many of us have been apart of a recruitment committee and you find a promising guy and he says "I am not a Frat guy" "I know a fraternity is not for me." Why does he say that? Because of what he has seen on tv and what he has heard about other fraternities from friends.
Now are the people who are willing to join a fraternity and don't make those excuses more accepting of the stereotypical things that happen in a fraternity? Most likely yes.
The point that I am trying to make is that if people are ok with it coming in, they are going to accept and enable the behavior as members. Those members become apart of the leadership team and the negative traditions are carried on. The people who classify themselves as "not frat material" are the people we need in our organizations to make a positive change.
I am not saying that only those types of people can make changes. It ultimately starts with the current leaders within the group. Change doesn't happen over night. SigEp used to be the "fratiest" fraternity on campus until we got kicked off. It wasn't until our re-chartering that we got our act together and decided to stand for something better than just partying. Do we still have flaws? Yes! But I think we successfully don't resemble the stereotypical "frat" on tv like we used to.
As a guy who said "I am not Frat material" I am happy with my choice to join SigEp and be apart of the greek community. Once I joined I realized that I wasn't "frat" material, I was Fraternity Material.
And now the defensive line for the University of Michigan
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