greek screwups and punishments

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/18/education/18yale.html


So basically this article is about a fraternity who shouted inappropriate things throughout the campus as part of an initiation ritual. The difference between this instance and any other is that it was reported. I think that it was pretty ballsy of the people who reported the incident but something that needed to be done. If the chants were that offensive, I think its good that someone (in this case 16 different people) had the guts to let the administration know whats up. The frat has been kicked off campus for the next 5 years as a result of the chanting. Additionally, it was a big deal that Yale made the event public. It has been a pretty well publicized punishment which I think is cool of the school. It is important that they make a stand that they aren't going to put up with the crap that students are doing to taint the reputation of such a prestigious university. 


On one hand it really sucks that it seems like the only greek life events being publicized are negative. But I think when things are happening that make other students uncomfortable enough to report the incident it deserves more than a slap on the wrist. In my opinion, the students deserved their punishment and I hope that they and all greek members can learn from things like this. We need to recognize that inappropriate conduct should not just be pushed under the rug, but should really be dealt with in a responsible manner. 

just standing by

As a college student who goes out and parties with her friends, I am a bystander almost every weekend. I know that underage drinking is illegal yet I still drink and I stand by while all my friends drink. I don't want to sit here and sound like I always think about the negative consequences of partying, I just have fun like everyone else, right? But at what point is that going to cost me or someone I know? Honestly, I'm not going to say I will never go out with my friends, but I think that it would be just as easy to suggest that my friends and I do something that doesn't involve alcohol. 
In the greek community, bystanding also occurs when it comes to alcohol. I know that in my chapter girls get in trouble if things get a little out of hand or the alcohol has been a bit too free flowing. And before most of our social events, exec board reviews our chapter's policy about drinking etc. Obviously underage girls are not supposed to drink (legally), but that doesn't stop all of us from doing it. There is a very thin line between what rules are allowed to be broken and which ones will get us into trouble.
I think this is one of the things that leads to the negative stereotypes of greeks in general. We don't always uphold our rules which I think is one of the things that makes us all look bad. being so wishy washy is something that we can work on and it starts by us not just standing by and watching our organizations go down the drain. 

SISTERS

I never really appreciated the idea of having sisters as opposed to just being friends. This weekend at Relay for Life, it kind of sunk in for me that these girls are really here for me. My grandma was a victim of breast cancer and passed away when I was in second grade. At Relay, I lit a luminary in her honor. I didn't even get teary until I dropped my glow stick into her paper bag when I lost it. It kind of hit me like a ton of bricks. It was so comforting when 2 girls from my chapter came up to me and gave me a hug that I definitely needed at that moment. These girls don't even know the whole story of my grandma and her battle with cancer. They have only known me for a quarter! It was awesome to know that these girls, my new friends and sisters, were really there for me when I was upset, and not only when I'm happy and wanting to have fun. It was a great feeling :)

Oath

To me an oath is a promise. A promise to oneself, a commitment to the ideals expressed in the oath, and the values held by an organization. An oath is the outward expression of the internal things felt and believed by all members of an organization. I think an oath is a personal commitment as well as a commitment to a group. It brings the members together on a level that is deeper than surface similarities. Finding personality traits and personal values that are shared by the entire group creates a sense of community and camaraderie among the members. By having or saying an oath with the people who share the same values, the oath is a constant reminder of why we joined the group in the first place. An oath is something that each member can go back and reflect upon individually and can lead the member to learn more about their place in the organization. An oath that all members of an organization take together is the glue that binds the group together. The oath symbolizes that each member has more in common than Saturday night plans.

Citizenship

I think that by simply being involved in a fraternity, we are all displaying citizenship. Working with others towards a common goal is part of the definition of citizenship. Specifically, one of the things I do well that expresses my citizenship within my sorority...


EMPATHY: I think that I have the ability to empathize with the other people in my sorority, which I think is part of being a good sister. Knowing my place in the sorority is something that I think will come within the next year, once I am really immersed in the sorority by living in the house. I love talking to people about how they feel about situations and their opinions. I think that I am usually pretty good at seeing things from other perspectives which makes it easier for other people to relate to me, which is one way that I can contribute to the community. 


In my chapter, we have to attend another fraternity or sorority philanthropy event each quarter. I think that it is so important that we all support each other. When it comes down to it, we all want to accomplish the same things and the separate chapters can be really helpful in the success of other chapter's philanthropic endeavors. We also have various volunteer opportunities with other sororities that focus on the two sororities working together for something that may be totally separate from either of our individual philanthropies. I think this is definitely something that could be improved upon, because really we can all do more to support each other. The idea of different chapters working together for a common goal is something I think we all really need to work on. All of our strength working together can really make a difference for the greek community. Especially on the topic of expansion of the greek community as a whole, I think recruitment could definitely be a task we all take on together. 


Within the Columbus community, I think a great example of how the OSU greek community expresses citizenship was in the past two weeks when we all participated in Rock The Block. The community service was a great outreach program that showed the greater Columbus area that we, as fraternity men and sorority women, care about things other than ourselves and that we are willing to do something for the greater good. Rock the Block was a great way to hang out with my chapter as well as do something productive. 

MISSED CLASS

Since I have not actually been present in the class, I can hardly reflect on how it has made me feel. But I can reflect on how missing the class has made me feel!


Every Tuesday, my roommate (you all may know her as Ashton's Fraternal Change Blog) comes back to the box we call a room. She is always talking about a different, new idea that was addressed in the class. The readings are actually interesting, not an extremely bland representation of the cell cycle, much like my other classes. Even when I thought I wasn't going to be enrolled in the class, I checked out some of the readings and had some very good discussions with my roommate about the Greek Community at OSU. I am very excited to actually be enrolled in this course (FINALLY) and I hope to learn a lot from everyone in it as well as to really contribute to the ongoing discussion that is this class.

Ritual

Merriam-Webster defines ritual as a)relating to rites and ritual...ceremonial b)according to religious law and c)done in accordance with social custom or protocol. I think that c) is the best way to apply this definition to the ritual the we all experience as members of the greek community. When you think about it, the people of each individual sorority and fraternity have been engaging in the same ceremonies for some, upwards of a hundred years. 

Rituals are the glue of our organizations. They represent the values that we all share and the type of organization we would like to represent and be a part of. People have a need to be part of something bigger than ourselves and repeating a ritual that has been a part of the organization for longer than we have even been alive helps our internal need for acceptance be recognized. 

Personally, my sorority's ritual represents everything I was looking for when I joined greek life. I think the ritual gives our organization a deeper meaning than the parties and the surface friendships. It connects the members on a level of greater importance which is a keystone to each and every fraternity and sorority. 

Focused on a Connection

An organization that I think clearly displays their values and what they strive for as a company, is Apple Inc. On their website and in their advertisements, they make it clear that each and every product that they make has a deeper purpose. One of the more recent developments the company has made is their "Face Time" application on the iPhone 4 as well as the iPad. Cameras on the front and back of the phone allow people to video chat on the go. Advertisements show friends, family members, and significant others sharing important life milestones via their iPhones. Additionally, iTunes, the online music store, frequently showcases special music selections where the purchase will benefit a cause. Currently on the web is an album whose proceeds go to relief help in Japan. Apple's humanitarian efforts may seem small, but when much of the world is buying their music from a single source, it can really make an impact. Leading me to why I chose this organization...


Almost everyone I know has an iPod or iPhone. Apple has the ability to reach a lot of people and influence many people's lives. Their values have the possibility of reaching a lot of people, myself included. Their focus on connections makes the company more accessible and appealing to buyers.

VALUES

What do I value?


Number one on my list is my family. I think that relationships are the most valuable thing that we are given and I couldn't ever imagine my life without the amazing people who are a part of it. People, not things, are the ones who get me through hard stuff and are there to celebrate the good stuff. Each person who is a part of my life adds something to why I'm me. 


Second is education. I am blessed to be attending one of the largest universities in the country that has so much to offer students. The ability to learn about any subject I choose is really cool. In other places, teenagers aren't so lucky to get to choose where they go and what they study and I'm personally very happy to have that opportunity. 


Another major value of mine is genuineness (uh...if thats a real thing...). I think it is so important to be real and to be myself. Growing up, it is hard to just be true to who you are, but I really think it is great when people are able to know exactly who they are and be solid in what they believe. 

Here goes NOTHING! :)

I'm a late addition to this class, so I'll do my best to get caught up with this blogging thing. (I know...I sound like I'm 90) 

My name is Catherine Ahaus and I am from Richmond, IN. Right across the IN-OH border in the land of corn and RV's (Richmond known as the RV capital of the world. Awesome.) I know you're all thinking, why did this girl come here to pay out of state tuition and be heckled by EVERYONE back at home. Well, first off, I came because the Medical Dietetics program at Ohio State is among the best in the country. If I complete the program, I will pretty much be set in the dietetics world. But that was just what I told my parents. They wanted a concrete academic reason for why they should shell out their hard earned cash to make their daughter a BUCKEYE of all things (my dad went to Purdue, my mom Michigan State...talk about a Big Ten family). The real reason I wanted to come here is because I was sick of high school. EVERYONE from my school goes to Indiana University or Purdue. I really wanted to do something different, not 4 more years of the same catty girls, the boys who didn't take anything seriously, and the general high school crap. I'm SO glad I got out of Hoosier Nation ASAP. I think this situation is very indicative of the kind of person I am. I wanted to branch out, but I didn't want to go too far from home (Richmond is only about an hour and a half from C-Bus). I like to do my own thing, but I crave being a part of a community (the reason I joined a sorority). I love being the life of any party, but I'm a big fan of just relaxing and reading a girly novel.  Basically, I'm a walking contradiction. But I think thats OK because at 18, consistent can be boring, and I think I will forever be answering the question of who I am. 

WHO WHO WHO ARE WE? WE ARE WE ARE A-XI-D!!

I joined Alpha Xi Delta because I felt an honest connection with the girls during recruitment. This may sound cheesy and SO SO stereotypical, but it is very true. My final decision after preference round was really tough. I was torn between two houses. One has awesome national recognition and the other I had never even heard of before recruitment. I went back and forth on how I felt while I was at each house, with the girls. I ended up choosing AXiD because the girls were so genuine. I really felt like they wanted me to be there, not that I was someone they were forced to talk to. Now, some of the girls I based my decision off during recruitment are close friends that I know will be big parts of my life for the next 3 years. 

Blogabus??

Honestly, I've never looked at, read, especially never written or followed a blog. As far as a blog being the central part of a class, I'm not used to it yet! I'm a huge deadlines, strict dates and times, and structure person. I think the laid back nature of this class will really be good for me to relax and take a new mindset about the guidelines of classes and leadership.