http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/07/us/07greek.html?_r=1&ref=fraternitiesandsororities
This article, called "Hard Partying and Bible Study, at the Fraternity House" was published in the New York Times on March 6, 2011. It is about a conference that was held in Indianapolis by the Greek InterVarsity campus group. This group is an evangelical christian group located on many campuses throughout the United States that promotes bible study and christianity in sororities and fraternities. The article makes many references to the stereotypes the greek community is typically given and acts surprised that these students were able to conduct themselves so well for a weekend at a hotel. The conference was held at the hotel and the hotel staff commented nicely about the students. The conference had many students from a wide variety of sororities and fraternities. Some students were quoted talking about the conference, saying how they liked it and how they themselves try to individually implement bible study within their own fraternity/sorority and the values that come with their christianity (like not believing in drinking or having sex before marriage). Some of them talked about the hardships they face while trying to implement these things.
I think this is a really cool article. I have never been one to be super involved in my faith or bible study. I don't go to church often or push my faith onto others, so I don't have a connection to this article in that sense. I just really think it is awesome that some students from around the US are coming together and trying to create positive change in the greek community. They talked about how they try to support their brothers and sisters; they help them through bad times, tell them when enough is enough, and hold open bible studies in the houses. I think this is what should be happening in our community. They are stepping up to come together like a family. They are looking out for each other and ignoring the bystander effect. Regardless of our faith or beliefs, I think we should have this group on our campus because it is really good to know that you have it there for you if you need it. You have a group of really good brothers and sisters that can be there for you and that you can talk to about deeper and more meaningful things. And I know there are a lot of people in the greek community that are religious and would love to have bible studies or just a group of friends who also share some of their beliefs. Faith can be a really powerful instrument for making deep connections and long lasting friendships. And I think one thing that the greek community needs most right now is stronger and more meaningful connections between its members so that we can support one another and help the community as a whole prosper. I think that's what these students in the InterVarsity group are essentially doing, and it is comforting to know that there is a news article out there in support of what greeks are doing (as apposed to the ones that I came across with negative/horrible headlines). They kept saying that it is not news when the greek community does what it is supposed to do, but I think this is evidence against that argument. :)
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
The Bystander Effect
I have definitely been a bystander. Probably more times than I know. I think it is easy to be a bystander and not even realize that you are being one. There is one particular time that comes to mind for me. It was my junior year in high school and I was in my 4th period economics class. I sat by a couple of my friends in the back of the room; they weren't my closest friends but we got along very well and hung out during school. One of them was a girl ( we will call her Beth). She was very funny and always fun to be around. She would joke often and was always seen laughing. Now, she was not the prettiest girl and never had the cutest clothes. But for most of us, this did not matter and did not draw attention. None of her friends cared what she looked like or what she wore because she was such a genuine person and a great friend. However, there were some other boys in the class that were always being rowdy and trying to cause a ruckus. They constantly caused attention to themselves and everyone in the class knew this and didn't necessarily like this about them. On this day, one of them in particular was being obnoxious. I can't remember exactly what had happened or what was exactly said, but the teacher could not calm this boy down and he kept making stupid remarks. I can't remember exactly, but I think that (Beth) ended up calling him out for it or telling him to calm down or something of the sort. Well, this apparently angered this boy because he just blew up on her. He told her to shut up and ended up calling her a bunch of names, one of which was "lesbian." I'm sure that he used this word in a more derogative way, but that is what I remember about the incident. Almost immediately, another boy in the class started laughing hysterically. And surprisingly, this boy was a more calm and nicer boy. But for whatever reason, he thought that it was so funny that he could not stop laughing for at least 5 minutes. To my surprise, no one defended (Beth). No one said or did anything, they just watched as this happened, confused about what to think. I think some people didn't know whether to laugh, and others seemed annoyed and wanted it all to stop. But no one said a word, not even her closest friends. Not even the teacher. He just let it go, told everyone to stop talking, and kept on with class. Poor (Beth) just sank down in her chair and looked down at the ground for the rest of the class. She ended up committing suicide not long after this day. I don't want to say that this was the cause, because I am sure that there were lots of other reasons for her to do such a thing, but I know that it clearly made her upset. And no one stepped in. No one let her know that they care, and it makes me feel so horrible to this day. I constantly wonder: what if I or someone else had stepped up to defend her that day? What if someone let her know that they cared or that they were there for her? Would she still be here today? If I could go back to that point in time, I would stand up for her. I have so many things that I would say to her. And it just shows that this bystander effect, it really is bad. It is something small, and you don't think twice about it when it occurs, but it can have some really horrible outcomes. So I really hope that people can start to fight this effect and stand up for others and what they believe in no matter what.
This effect obviously pertains to our Greek community in many ways. People tend to think that what others do is their business and they don't want to step in and say "you've had too much to drink and need to stop" or "maybe you shouldn't walk home with that person you just met" or even "you seem pretty upset, are you okay?" This effect really can occur anywhere. And espcially since there are a few typical things that happen widely in the Greek community (like a person drinking too much or becoming too involved with a person they just met), there is wide opportunity for the bystander effect to occur.
This effect obviously pertains to our Greek community in many ways. People tend to think that what others do is their business and they don't want to step in and say "you've had too much to drink and need to stop" or "maybe you shouldn't walk home with that person you just met" or even "you seem pretty upset, are you okay?" This effect really can occur anywhere. And espcially since there are a few typical things that happen widely in the Greek community (like a person drinking too much or becoming too involved with a person they just met), there is wide opportunity for the bystander effect to occur.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Oath.
I figured before I talked about the word "oath," I should probably state the Webster's Dictionary definition of it. So here it is:
Oath- a (1) : a solemn usually formal calling upon God or a god to witness to the truth of what one says or to witness that one sincerely intends to do what one says (2) : a solemn attestation of the truth or inviolability of one's words
When we talked about oath in class, I think we pretty much assumed that it follows this definition. The word truth is very important here, and also the fact that we must do what we say we will. We touched apon how we all take an oath when we join our sororities or fraternities. We said this oath was a promise to uphold the values of our organization and that it's also a promise to hold our brothers and sisters accountable for the same values. This second part is really important, and we said that most of the time we tend to fail at it. We want to hold our brothers and sisters accountable, but it ends up being too hard for us sometimes. We don't want to hurt their feelings or deal with them being upset with us. It becomes hard to blame others for things that we ourselves are not perfect at. Others in the class even said they'd fear the backlash of others in the organization. There are lots of reasons why we don't want to/can't hold others accountable. I think that we need to find ways to overcome these fears and come together as one community that will always be there for one another, in good times and bad. I think that when we take an oath to join our organization, we should also be thinking about how this oath affects the greek community in general. I think it should encompass more than just your organization. I think that by upholding your organization's values, you are in a way promising to uphold the values of the entire greek community. When we think about it in this way, it adds much more of a sense of community and closeness to all greek organizations as a whole.
On the subject of this closeness, I think it needs to be said that the greek community here could be doing a lot more to be really unified. We are off to a start, but when I walk down 15th I don't necessarily feel like everyone I see outside are my brothers and sisters. Maybe I'm just a little naive, but I think it should feel like we are all brothers and sisters. Not neccessarily in the "family" way, but I think a sense of closeness or friendship should be shared and understood between all greek members. If we can get this to happen, I think it will be a ton easier to organize events as a whole or get more involved in the university as a whole. I think this is really the reason why I am taking this class to begin with; I want to be able to make a difference, lead the community through example, and take positive action to get the greek community more involved on campus. The only problem is I don't know how to do this or where to begin. I think this is something we should be addressing in class. It would be awesome if we could all work together to find simple ways in which we can begin this journey, because that is why I enrolled in this class in the first place.
Oath- a (1) : a solemn usually formal calling upon God or a god to witness to the truth of what one says or to witness that one sincerely intends to do what one says (2) : a solemn attestation of the truth or inviolability of one's words
When we talked about oath in class, I think we pretty much assumed that it follows this definition. The word truth is very important here, and also the fact that we must do what we say we will. We touched apon how we all take an oath when we join our sororities or fraternities. We said this oath was a promise to uphold the values of our organization and that it's also a promise to hold our brothers and sisters accountable for the same values. This second part is really important, and we said that most of the time we tend to fail at it. We want to hold our brothers and sisters accountable, but it ends up being too hard for us sometimes. We don't want to hurt their feelings or deal with them being upset with us. It becomes hard to blame others for things that we ourselves are not perfect at. Others in the class even said they'd fear the backlash of others in the organization. There are lots of reasons why we don't want to/can't hold others accountable. I think that we need to find ways to overcome these fears and come together as one community that will always be there for one another, in good times and bad. I think that when we take an oath to join our organization, we should also be thinking about how this oath affects the greek community in general. I think it should encompass more than just your organization. I think that by upholding your organization's values, you are in a way promising to uphold the values of the entire greek community. When we think about it in this way, it adds much more of a sense of community and closeness to all greek organizations as a whole.
On the subject of this closeness, I think it needs to be said that the greek community here could be doing a lot more to be really unified. We are off to a start, but when I walk down 15th I don't necessarily feel like everyone I see outside are my brothers and sisters. Maybe I'm just a little naive, but I think it should feel like we are all brothers and sisters. Not neccessarily in the "family" way, but I think a sense of closeness or friendship should be shared and understood between all greek members. If we can get this to happen, I think it will be a ton easier to organize events as a whole or get more involved in the university as a whole. I think this is really the reason why I am taking this class to begin with; I want to be able to make a difference, lead the community through example, and take positive action to get the greek community more involved on campus. The only problem is I don't know how to do this or where to begin. I think this is something we should be addressing in class. It would be awesome if we could all work together to find simple ways in which we can begin this journey, because that is why I enrolled in this class in the first place.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Citizenship
First of all, the Social Change Model defines citizenship as:
Civic responsibility which works towards social change
The practice of good citizenship should and needs to happen at every level of the model
I believe I am displaying citizenship within the fraternity/sorority community by actively participating in our philanthropy and others' philanthropies. Philanthropies aim to help others and work towards positive social change, so by participating in any events that are for philanthropy I am helping work towards positive social change and not just simply being a member of my sorority. An example of this is when I will be going to the Columbus Speech and Hearing Institute this Saturday to help them out with organizing/setting up/carrying out a garage sale. I would also really like to become a guard for my sorority. By being a guard I would become more actively involved in our ritual and be able to become more integrated into my chapter. When members become more active in their chapters, I think it in turn adds to what the chapter as a whole can do to promote positive social change and its citizenship in the community. I still feel that I could be doing much more to become a better citizen of the community; I think everyone in the fraternity/sorority community definitely has room to become more actively involved in their organization and/or community.
I believe my sorority is displaying citizenship within the fraternity/sorority community also when it collectively contributes to any philanthropy. The reasons are the same as before. Also, one of the reasons why I wanted to join a sorority was because I believed they actively engaged in the community around them. I knew they actively engaged in community service and that was one thing I wanted to be a part of. However, I still believe there is much more we could be doing to be better citizens in the community. I think that mostly, each sorority and fraternity tend to do their own thing. They each have their own philanthropies and interests. They do help and participate in each other's philanthropies at times, but there could be much more of this. The reason I use philanthropy as my main example is because that's the first thing that comes to mind when I think of actively participating in the community and working towards positive social change. That kind of goes to show that maybe there are more things we could come up with that effect positive change than just philanthropy.
Maybe this is because I am a newly initiated member, but I really don't know of many ways that the sorority/fraternity community displays citizenship within the greater university community. Many of the individual members of the community are involved in many other organizations on campus, but I do not know of any ways in which the community as a whole collaborates with campus organizations to accomplish something or help them out. I think this is wrong and really needs to happen more/ start happening. It is obvious that the fraternity/sorority community needs to become closer together and start acting as one whole group to effect positive change in the world. I don't think we are by any means to that level yet. It all seems too separated to me, and I think that one of the goals of this class is to teach us how to combat this and better our community. I am not sure why this hasn't been adressed yet, but I think it is important to draw attention to this and make it a goal for the up and coming leaders of the community.
Not simply membership, but active engagement in community
Civic responsibility which works towards social change
The practice of good citizenship should and needs to happen at every level of the model
I believe I am displaying citizenship within the fraternity/sorority community by actively participating in our philanthropy and others' philanthropies. Philanthropies aim to help others and work towards positive social change, so by participating in any events that are for philanthropy I am helping work towards positive social change and not just simply being a member of my sorority. An example of this is when I will be going to the Columbus Speech and Hearing Institute this Saturday to help them out with organizing/setting up/carrying out a garage sale. I would also really like to become a guard for my sorority. By being a guard I would become more actively involved in our ritual and be able to become more integrated into my chapter. When members become more active in their chapters, I think it in turn adds to what the chapter as a whole can do to promote positive social change and its citizenship in the community. I still feel that I could be doing much more to become a better citizen of the community; I think everyone in the fraternity/sorority community definitely has room to become more actively involved in their organization and/or community.
I believe my sorority is displaying citizenship within the fraternity/sorority community also when it collectively contributes to any philanthropy. The reasons are the same as before. Also, one of the reasons why I wanted to join a sorority was because I believed they actively engaged in the community around them. I knew they actively engaged in community service and that was one thing I wanted to be a part of. However, I still believe there is much more we could be doing to be better citizens in the community. I think that mostly, each sorority and fraternity tend to do their own thing. They each have their own philanthropies and interests. They do help and participate in each other's philanthropies at times, but there could be much more of this. The reason I use philanthropy as my main example is because that's the first thing that comes to mind when I think of actively participating in the community and working towards positive social change. That kind of goes to show that maybe there are more things we could come up with that effect positive change than just philanthropy.
Maybe this is because I am a newly initiated member, but I really don't know of many ways that the sorority/fraternity community displays citizenship within the greater university community. Many of the individual members of the community are involved in many other organizations on campus, but I do not know of any ways in which the community as a whole collaborates with campus organizations to accomplish something or help them out. I think this is wrong and really needs to happen more/ start happening. It is obvious that the fraternity/sorority community needs to become closer together and start acting as one whole group to effect positive change in the world. I don't think we are by any means to that level yet. It all seems too separated to me, and I think that one of the goals of this class is to teach us how to combat this and better our community. I am not sure why this hasn't been adressed yet, but I think it is important to draw attention to this and make it a goal for the up and coming leaders of the community.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday's Class
I think Tuesday's class was really interesting. It was cool to contact a bunch of friends and random people and see what they thought about their sororities/fraternities. I was surprised that it was hard for many of them to answer the questions we asked. Some were really confused about what we meant by those questions, and some just didn't know exactly how to answer. I could tell that some were trying to make their answers sound really educated and were trying to answer them in ways that would make their chapters look good. Well, I mean we would probably all try to do this in a sense, but for some interviews I got the vibe that they were actually thinking one thing and answering another. Also somewhat surprisingly we came across a few who really did have good and genuine answers. I think this really shows that there tends to be a mix within the organization about who knows the values/ritual/activities of that organization. Some people are very in tune with their organization, and others are not as in tune. I think in general, organizations probably need to spend a little more time on educating their members about the topics of values, ritual, and the top activities they try to spend most time on. They also need to spend some time on continually talking about these issues to keep them fresh with everyone. I'm sure that if you're only taught them once, they will quickly be forgotten.
Friday, April 22, 2011
An Organization with Values
When we were asked to think of an organization that is good at displaying their values to the public, I was really confused at first. What popular organizations just throw their values out there at you? Then GE came to mind. I remembered a few commercials of theirs that seemed to be a little different from the normal company's advertisements. So I went to youtube to look up some commercials that might display some values that GE may have. I came across a GE commercial that was labeled "Ecomagination line dance." It was a pretty cool commerical where all these factory workers, scientists, business people, and just normal people started to line dance to "Good Time" by Alan Jackson. Then at the end, it flashes the GE symbol and under it says, "Imagination at Work" which is sort of their slogan. To me, this commercial really displayed some of GE's values. It tried to show hard working people having a fun time. This was even more reinforced by the actual song that says something like "work, work all week long......(other lyrics)..... having a good time." GE is trying to portray the value of hard work, but also having a passion for that hard work and just having a fun time. Somewhere in there it also mentions the word "ecomagination" which to me was trying to display the value of being an eco-friendly company. Also the fact that they merge words with the word imagination or use the phrase "imagination at work" means that they value genuine ideas and uniqueness that can bring innovation. The commercial portrays that the workers do more than go to a job everyday. Its like they get to come to work and let their imaginations run wild, like they are kids again. And I think most people try to find a job like the ones portrayed in the commercial; a job they don't feel is actually a job. These are all things that not only GE values, but that a lot of average people value as well. I think this commercial really displays some of GE's values, and maybe I'm just oblivious but it seems like that's really all the commercial is actually trying to do. I think that's pretty interesting because most commercials try to sell some kind of product, but this commercial wasn't exactly trying to do just that.
And just in case you want to see it, the link to the commercial is: http://youtu.be/SxhbTkVhljI
And just in case you want to see it, the link to the commercial is: http://youtu.be/SxhbTkVhljI
Thursday, April 14, 2011
My Values
What are my personal core values and what do they mean to me?
1. Honesty
2. Respect
3. TRUST
4. love
5. Friendship
6. Family
7. Understanding/ Appreciative
8. Just being an all around nice person
The first value on my list is honesty. I think this one came to mind first because it is something that is essential in having lasting and true relationships with others. It is one of my biggest concerns when it comes to others because you can't have trust (my third value) with out it. On top of that, I'm really bad at lying anyways! I probably have on the most guilty consciences around. It makes me so incredibly uncomfortable to tell someone something other than the truth, even if it is a little white lie that means absolutely nothing. Especially now that I have sisters, I want to be the person that they can always depend on no matter what. I'm gonna go a little out of order here and talk about trust first, because it ties in with honesty. Trust is one of the most important things to have in any relationship. I want to be the person that anybody can talk to, about anything. I like to think it is a mutual thing-- if people trust you, then most likely they will be trustworthy will be trustworthy toward you. I know that is not alway the case, but I like to think that people will let you trust them if they trust you. Respect is my second value. Respect is very important to me because I would never want anyone to disrespect me. Obviously it happens, but I try really hard to treat others the way I want to be treated. So respecting others and their opinions and ideas is definitely a way to do that. You may not necessarily like a person or their opinion or idea, but if you don't respect them then how will their ideas or opinions be heard? I think everyone deserves to have opinions and ideas and be able to voice them, because I know I have a few and I would never want to feel like I can't express them. Love is a very big value for me. I think it is essential in life to love and to be loved. As humans, we need love; I thrive on it. The thing that always gets me through every hardship is knowing that I have family and friends who love and support me no matter what. With love, you can accomplish anything. Friendship and family are actually sort of tied together, and tied to love. I value every single person that is my friend or family. I love them, I trust them, and I lean on them. They are truly the most important things to me in life; without them I would not be the person I am today. Understanding and appreciation, which is also in the Delta Zeta creed, are important for a lot of reasons. For one, you never know what kind of day someone has had. If you are not understanding, you could end up making their day even worse. Understanding a person for who they are is also very important to me. Many times I feel like people are misunderstood. Since graduating from high school, I came to realize that what people thought of me in high school wasn't at all who I really am. I feel that people thought I was stuck up, spoiled, and exclusive. I am still not sure why some people have thought of me that way, but it makes me sad to think that they did because I try so hard to show that I am a caring, thoughtful, nice, and genuine person. I want to make sure I get to know a person for who they really are instead of judging them based on what I think they are. Appreciation has also always been important to me for a lot of reasons. I am so thankful for everything I have and I want to make sure that I show that. If you can't appreciate what you have then you probably don't deserve it. My mom has always been the type to want to give me everything in the world that I could ever need. She has worked so hard to give me the things I have and I would never ever want her to think that I don't appreciate everything she does. Finally, I value just being an all around nice person because like I said before, I like to act towards others the way I want them to act towards me. I'm a very sensitive person and even the slightest little thing can ruin my day. I know how horrible it can feel when someone is not nice to you, and I would never want anyone to feel that way. Ever. No one deserves to be put down or made fun of. There was a quote in one of the videos we watched on the blogabus that really resonated with me and sort of coincides with values: "Be the change you want to see in the world." You can't change the world with out first having the values that the world needs.
1. Honesty
2. Respect
3. TRUST
4. love
5. Friendship
6. Family
7. Understanding/ Appreciative
8. Just being an all around nice person
The first value on my list is honesty. I think this one came to mind first because it is something that is essential in having lasting and true relationships with others. It is one of my biggest concerns when it comes to others because you can't have trust (my third value) with out it. On top of that, I'm really bad at lying anyways! I probably have on the most guilty consciences around. It makes me so incredibly uncomfortable to tell someone something other than the truth, even if it is a little white lie that means absolutely nothing. Especially now that I have sisters, I want to be the person that they can always depend on no matter what. I'm gonna go a little out of order here and talk about trust first, because it ties in with honesty. Trust is one of the most important things to have in any relationship. I want to be the person that anybody can talk to, about anything. I like to think it is a mutual thing-- if people trust you, then most likely they will be trustworthy will be trustworthy toward you. I know that is not alway the case, but I like to think that people will let you trust them if they trust you. Respect is my second value. Respect is very important to me because I would never want anyone to disrespect me. Obviously it happens, but I try really hard to treat others the way I want to be treated. So respecting others and their opinions and ideas is definitely a way to do that. You may not necessarily like a person or their opinion or idea, but if you don't respect them then how will their ideas or opinions be heard? I think everyone deserves to have opinions and ideas and be able to voice them, because I know I have a few and I would never want to feel like I can't express them. Love is a very big value for me. I think it is essential in life to love and to be loved. As humans, we need love; I thrive on it. The thing that always gets me through every hardship is knowing that I have family and friends who love and support me no matter what. With love, you can accomplish anything. Friendship and family are actually sort of tied together, and tied to love. I value every single person that is my friend or family. I love them, I trust them, and I lean on them. They are truly the most important things to me in life; without them I would not be the person I am today. Understanding and appreciation, which is also in the Delta Zeta creed, are important for a lot of reasons. For one, you never know what kind of day someone has had. If you are not understanding, you could end up making their day even worse. Understanding a person for who they are is also very important to me. Many times I feel like people are misunderstood. Since graduating from high school, I came to realize that what people thought of me in high school wasn't at all who I really am. I feel that people thought I was stuck up, spoiled, and exclusive. I am still not sure why some people have thought of me that way, but it makes me sad to think that they did because I try so hard to show that I am a caring, thoughtful, nice, and genuine person. I want to make sure I get to know a person for who they really are instead of judging them based on what I think they are. Appreciation has also always been important to me for a lot of reasons. I am so thankful for everything I have and I want to make sure that I show that. If you can't appreciate what you have then you probably don't deserve it. My mom has always been the type to want to give me everything in the world that I could ever need. She has worked so hard to give me the things I have and I would never ever want her to think that I don't appreciate everything she does. Finally, I value just being an all around nice person because like I said before, I like to act towards others the way I want them to act towards me. I'm a very sensitive person and even the slightest little thing can ruin my day. I know how horrible it can feel when someone is not nice to you, and I would never want anyone to feel that way. Ever. No one deserves to be put down or made fun of. There was a quote in one of the videos we watched on the blogabus that really resonated with me and sort of coincides with values: "Be the change you want to see in the world." You can't change the world with out first having the values that the world needs.
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