I want to start off by thanking the panel for coming in and taking time out of their days to come talk to us. I really appreciate that. It was extremely nice to see other Greek life members fighting for the same things that we are in class and so passionate about Greek life in general. They care for the community and its expansion and its future. For me this was one of the best things I took away from the panel. It was very contagious and inspiring to see that.
Another thing I took away from the panel is to be excited about your fraternity/sorority. The panel spoke on caring for your fraternity/sorority because it is yours and it will become what you make it. I feel this is very true. Once someone joins a fraternity, it is easy to becoming apathetic and stop caring. People get that feeling that they are already in so they don’t have to do more. By doing this the fraternity will never grow. Staying excited about your fraternity/sorority helps to keep you involved and lead to the positive progression of your fraternity/sorority.
Something that really hit home with me was when Jordan was talking about being thrown into a chair position in her sorority. She spoke about not really knowing what to do and having to work from a blank slate. What I mainly took away from her story was when she said to not hold back and to just go for it. She was put in an unfamiliar situation and just went for it with no inhibitions. I feel that people work best when faced with adversity. Being afraid and holding back will get you nowhere. If you want to make progress in your fraternity/sorority and in yourself, you just have to jump right in (a little pun for the day’s events).
The last thing I took away from the panel was when they were speaking about communication with other brothers. Talking to a brother/sister is easy. It happens freely and a day to day basis. But criticizing and telling a brother/sister when they are wrong is extremely hard. No one wants to be the “Debbie Downer” of the situation, but sometimes someone has to go against the grain to preserve the integrity of the fraternity/sorority and the members. I took away that I should not be afraid to confront a brother when he is in the wrong. To me this is what being a brother is all about. Being there through the good and the bad.
I also liked the part about getting excited about your fraternity/sorority because it is too easy to get into a groove of apathy and you're right that your fraternity/sorority is what you make it.
ReplyDeletei like the part about you being able to speak freely with your brothers. i know we call ourselves brothers and sisters, but i feel sometimes we hold back from what really needs to be said.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with what you said in your first paragraph about the very fact that they were there talking to us was inspiring. It's nice to see students living out what we're learning in class!
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with the communication with brothers thing. It is something that is tough to do, but when you do it more and more and make it a habit it becomes a great part of leadership and that's what all of us need.
ReplyDelete